Following Sri Lankan President’s gloating comments last week on barring access to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigators into the country, the New York Times has noted the remarks have placed Sri Lanka right alongside North Korea and Syria.
In a strongly worded editorial published on Friday titled “Sri Lankaís Intransigence”, it has been pointed out that refusing access to the UNHRC investigations carrying out the probe on Sri Lanka has placed the country in the company of North Korea and Syria – two countries that also barred access to UN human rights investigators.
The editorial board has expressed doubts on the comments by President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka being able to handle the inquiry on its own, as it was the failure to do so ,that prompted the request for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged abuses during the final phases of the conflict in Sri Lanka, by both sides.
Furthermore, it has been noted that the safety of witnesses who would be providing evidence to the investigation is a major concern against the backdrop of threats that have been levelled at people demanding accountability for those who disappeared and the Prevention of Terrorism Act being used to detain people without a trial.
ìIf Mr Rajapaksa’s goal is truly, as he claims, truth, justice and reconciliation, he should cooperate with the investigation,” the editorial board notes adding that failure to do so will only feed international suspicions on the fact that the Rajapaksa-regime has much to hide.
Lapatiya / August 24, 2014
Rajpal Abenayaka, Malinda Seneviratna, Mahinda Abesundara, Sundara Nihathamani De Mel, Karunadasa Suriyarachchi, Hudson Samarasinghe over to you.
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aratai / August 24, 2014
.
They are waiting for the ‘orders’ (and perks).
:-)
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Amarasiri / August 24, 2014
“Following Sri Lankan President’s gloating comments last week on barring access to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) investigators into the country, the New York Times has noted the remarks have placed Sri Lanka right alongside North Korea and Syria.”
A thief steals goods, and stores/hides in inside this house.
The Victims and Owners want to examine the Thief’s house.
The thief refuses permission , and “visa” to enter the House.
What does it it tell you?
The thief is lying when he says there are no stolen goods.
We all know MaRa is a liar along with his cronies.
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Ansar / August 24, 2014
Another feather in the cap of MARA & GORA DUO. Just after the placement of MARA for the worst persons ranking.
We are truly a miracle of Asia, aren’t we under the able Dealership of MARA & Co. Wait for the day when our once blessed and beautiful country be ranked number 1 in the narcotics trade.
Over to you Sumanasekera, Tamodaya and the gang, the beneficiaries of MARA & Co. booty made out of kick backs, commissions, illicit trade and also from exorbitant taxes for essential items from poor masses, who are struggling to have 3 square meals a day.
You fellows will definitely rot in hell for the crimes you fellows are committing against a Nation.
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Jim softy / August 24, 2014
NEw York Times is a PROPAGANDA NEWSPAPER;
READ THIS;
A photograph published by the New York Times purportedly taken in Russia of Russian soldiers who later appeared in eastern Ukraine. However, the photographer has since stated that the photo was actually taken in Ukraine, and the U.S. State Department has acknowledged the error.
After starting a propaganda stampede – with a lead story about photos of Russian troops purportedly in Ukraine – the New York Times admits the pictures really don’t prove much, and one photo was labeled as snapped in Russia when it was really taken in Ukraine.
Two days after the New York Times led its editions with a one-sided article about photos supposedly proving that Russian special forces were behind the popular uprisings in eastern Ukraine, the Times published what you might call a modified, limited retraction.
Buried deep inside the Wednesday editions (page 9 in my paper), the article by Michael R. Gordon and Andrew E. Kramer – two of the three authors from the earlier story – has this curious beginning: “A collection of photographs that Ukraine says shows the presence of Russian forces in the eastern part of the country, and which the United States cited as evidence of Russian involvement, has come under scrutiny.”
Photograph published by the New York Times purportedly taken in Russia of Russian soldiers who later appeared in eastern Ukraine. However, the photographer has since stated that the photo was actually taken in Ukraine, and the U.S. State Department has acknowledged the error.
In the old days of journalism, we used to apply the scrutiny before we published a story on the front page or on any other page, especially if it had implications toward war or peace, whether people would live or die. However, in this case – fitting with the anti-Russian bias that has pervaded the mainstream U.S. press corps – the scrutiny was set aside long enough for this powerful propaganda theme to be put in play and to sweep across the media landscape.
Only now do we belatedly learn what should have been obvious: the blurry photographs provided by the coup regime in Kiev and endorsed by the Obama administration don’t really prove anything. There were obvious alternative explanations to the photos that were ignored by the Times, such as the possibility that these were military veterans who are no longer associated with the Russian military. Or that some photos are not of the same person.
And, one of the photos featured by the Times in its Monday lead article, purportedly showing some of the armed men in Russia, was actually shot in the Ukrainian town of Slovyansk, according to Maxim Dondyuk, the freelance photographer who took the picture and posted it on his Instagram account.
Here is the tortured way the Times treated that embarrassing lapse in its journalistic standards: “A packet of American briefing materials that was prepared for the Geneva meeting asserts that the photograph was taken in Russia. The same men are also shown in photographs taken in Ukraine.
“Their appearance in both photographs was presented as evidence of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine. The packet was later provided by American officials to The New York Times, which included that description of the group photograph in an article and caption that was published on Monday. … The dispute over the group photograph cast a cloud over one particularly vivid and highly publicized piece of evidence.”
Then, after noting Dondyuk’s denial that the photo was snapped in Russia, the Times quoted State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki as acknowledging “that the assertion that the photograph in the American briefing materials had been taken in Russia was incorrect. But she said that the photograph was included in a ‘draft version’ of a briefing packet and that the information has since been corrected.”
But the misidentification of the photo’s location as Russia, not Ukraine, was not some minor mistake. If the photo was taken in Ukraine, then the whole premise of the claim that these same guys were operating in Russia and have since moved to Ukraine collapses.
Note how the Times framed this point in its Monday article: “Some of the men photographed in Ukraine have been identified in other photos clearly taken among Russian troops in other settings.” Then, the cutline below the photo read: “Soldiers in a group photo of a reconnaissance unit, which was taken in Russia, were later photographed operating in towns in eastern Ukraine.” There was no attribution. The location is stated as flat fact.
Still, the Obama administration is not going to let its sloppy mistake get in the way of a potent propaganda theme. According to the Times, Psaki insisted that there was plenty of other classified and unclassified evidence proving that the Russians are behind the eastern Ukrainian uprisings, but none of that supposed evidence was included in Wednesday’s story.
The problem for the Times, however, is different. Many of the flaws in the photographic evidence were there to see before Monday’s front-page article, but the newspaper was apparently blinded by its anti-Russian bias.
For instance, the article devoted much attention to the Russian skill at “masking” the presence of its troops, but that claim would seem to be contradicted by these allegedly secret warriors posing for public photos.
The Times also ignored the fact that the U.S. Special Forces – and indeed the special forces of many other nations – also seek to blend in with the populations by growing beards and wearing local clothing. This is not some unique tactic employed by the nefarious Russians.
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len / August 25, 2014
Yes Softy oh! if only NY Times is honourable truthful independent as Daily News from bottom of the lake house crap.
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Rajash / August 25, 2014
New York Times is biased, The Economist is biased, C4 is biased! Al Jazeera is biased, The Guardian is biased, David Cameron is corrupt, Obama is corrupt, EU is corrupt, Banki Moon is biased, Navi Pillay is LTTE, UN is rubbish,
Hail the Rajapakses
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Backlash / August 24, 2014
If the Rajapakses have their brain in the right place where it should be located they will attach far more importance to the NYT editorial
than the shrill language they have recently used against the US, UN and Mrs. Pillay. NYT is part of the powerful Establishment in the West and speaks a common language with the ruling elite. This is a warning to the blundering Rajapakses to fall in line – pronto. The option is the fate of Sudan’s Al-Bashir or even worse – Charles Taylor.
As usual, like their initial boast in not allowing foreign investigators and, at the eleventh hour, appointing his own pliant foreign investigators – the Rajapakses will again eat humble pie, while the world watches in amusement.
Fair Mother Lanka, what sins have you committed to deserve the ugly fate of these Rajapakses to rule you – even for a week.
Backlash
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Native Vedda / August 26, 2014
Backlash
“NYT is part of the powerful Establishment in the West and speaks a common language with the ruling elite.”
What the hell are you talking about?
Do you want MR (the only leader to wipe out terrorism from the face of this island and a guiding beacon to all those countries fighting their own terrorists) go on all fours to beg NYT for favourable reporting?
Do repeat after British Banda:
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in Tamilnadu,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our clan beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the Gota/KPs Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the middle kingdom, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.
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Backlash / August 27, 2014
My dear Podi Ura a.k.a. Native Veddah
Living in Ole Blighty as you do and as alert as ever, you know what I mean. The Western Establishment eventually wins. Indians and the Chinese know that. Rajapakses know that and will capitulate at the right time when they run out of options. India will exact their pound of flesh at that time as punishment for the Rajapakses going to bed with China and Pakistan a.k.a. “action inimical to India’s security interests”
The Establishment has all the ropes on the Rajapakses, know where they have hidden their recently misappropriated loot and will
threaten to fix them – unless they fall in line. Remember the egoistic but semi-literate Premadasa went past the drawn line and met his fate – for offending Britain and India. NV, this is the Big League and has no place for pygmies. This fear is part of the Rajapakses regular nightmare – from which there is no escape.
Backlash
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Native Vedda / August 27, 2014
Backlash
You failed to get my point.
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Javi / August 31, 2014
“but semi-literate Premadasa went past the drawn line and met his fate – for offending Britain and India.”
It had nothing to do with the Brits but RAW Revenge of childhood friends.
JT’s will never have have police or guns of your own perhaps seabed like osama.
Rajafuckse Wiggie go home.!
Check your ever loving LKY.
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Jim softy / August 24, 2014
THIS IS NEWYORK TIMES
WEDNESDAY, MAR 12, 2014 03:59 PM PDT
Propaganda, lies and the New York Times: Everything you really need to know about Ukraine
The media keeps buying the American spin on what’s happening in Ukraine. Let’s cut through the fog
PATRICK L. SMITH
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Ram / August 25, 2014
NYT was home to that discredited ‘journalist’ who brought us fiction from ‘Curveball’ which led to the Iraq war. Later she ended up in jail.
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Ram / August 25, 2014
Judith Miller was her name.
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Senthil / August 24, 2014
Poor diaspora tamils took loan and gave money to LTTE to resolve the problem with the government, so that they can go back to their home. Now they have lost money and their home in jaffna to MR & co and they have invested that money in western countries.Tamils traditionaly save money in gold-what has happened to the gold-it has to be investigated. The way MR & co spent srilankan people’s money, very soon srilankans will loose even their underwares and back to vedaas life.There is a story i remember, old tamils fight if some one steel a palmera seed from their land and eventually they sell that land to settle leagal fees-that stupids. Now singhalese fight with north tamils to steal that dry less-furtile land, and eventually selling whole srilanka to escape from UN investigation and US prosiqution(they can only prosicute MR &CO). Still singhalese can show two fingers to MR & co- not too late.
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Ram / August 25, 2014
Funny that the NYT has forgotten Israel. NYT is critical of Sri Lanka refusing entry to the UNHRC apparatchiks to ‘investigate’ a civil war, but is at the top of the list of newspapers demanding that the ICC should NOT be allowed to investigate Israel for it’s well publicised atrocities in Gaza, It is a zionist controlled paper after all.
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Lanka Liar / August 25, 2014
Learn to address the point. Dont talk about other stuff like Ukraine or Syria. This is about Sri Lanka. We can allocate another day for other stuff.
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Ram / August 26, 2014
I suggest you look at the title of the article, or is there difficulty with comprehension ?
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Robert.R / August 26, 2014
You seem vert agitated Ram, calm down.
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Hameed / August 25, 2014
The millions spent on PR companies in the US doesn’t seem to be working. Somebody has to resign. I am joking. But really somebody has to pay. The PEOPLE will do that! No fuss!
Hameed
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kp / August 25, 2014
For all the hooting of Jimmy boy, Ram and Senthil, we need to point out here that the NYT being a bunch of sensationalist profit-mongers doesn’t excuse the fact that MR didn’t bother starting his ‘internal investigation’ until the suddhas had already talked about beginning theirs. We can all see what’s happening here, and what the results will eventually be. The LLRC showed us that even when the govt. makes some kind of transparent attempt to acknowledge SOME state shortcomings, they end up refusing to apply their own solutions to said problems, offering schoolboy excuses like “the solutions are not practical”. Well if they’re not, why did you bother making a report on it?
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mada pokuna / August 25, 2014
And all those hotels coming up in Lanka…has Rajapakse not heard of ethical tourism?
Under MR 9 years we generate only negative publicity.
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mada pokuna / August 25, 2014
And all those hotels coming up in Lanka…has Rajapakse not heard of ethical tourism?
Under MR 9 years we generate only negative publicity.
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Rationalist / September 2, 2014
Mada Pokuna Thank you:-
“..And all those hotels coming up in Lanka…has Rajapakse not heard of ethical tourism?”
What will happen to us Natives of Sri Lanka, when our Sources of fresh water for Irrigation and Drinking, is used up by Foreign Tourists in their Luxury Hotels, turning those Sources into ‘Mada Pokunas’?
Rationalist
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Rajash / August 25, 2014
Miracle of Asia.
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Senthil / August 25, 2014
I read few comments that pakistan is singhale’s friends , they have supported to kill few tamil protesters like JVP in North & east. just ask few singhalese living in uk, whether they have more pakistani friends or tamil friends. Which shop they vesit , pakistani or tamil shop. Who they trust, pakistani or tamil. We srilankans have nothing in common with pakistanies, we feel shame if any white person call us paki or even indian. When i was in colombe i thought black people are greate but after comming to uk that openion changed-if you visit southall your openion will change as well.
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mada pokuna / August 26, 2014
NYT votes Lanka best destination to visit back in 2010 and all Lankans pat themselves on the back,quote NYT,MR propaganda quotes NYT.
MR nosedives Lanka’s economy and reputation in 4 years and NYT not good anymore??
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Pacs / August 26, 2014
Has Sri Lanka been added to the axis of evils?
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Dilshan Attygalle / August 26, 2014
One must congratulate Miss Anuradha Herath,
President Rajapaksa’s press secretary for
this.
She is the one who held the news conference
for Foreign Correspondents.Normally Presidents
do not speak on such issues. It is left to the
External Affairs Minister.
In this case, the promote of Rajapaksa’s image
has advised him to say it. Rajapaksa has a set of
stupid fools to advise him like Miss Herath, Vass
Gunawardena and Cabraal.
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Dimuthu Ariyasinghe / August 26, 2014
It will take another ten PR and lobbying firms in
the US to undo the damage of the New York Times
editorial. More opportunities for Sajin Vass
Gunawardena. Can lick more dollars.Cabraal can
hire another company and say more damage has now
been done to Sri Lanka. Sheer tomfoolery.
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paul / August 26, 2014
‘Sri Lanka Now In The Company Of North Korea And Syria – New York Times Editorial’
How sad. Maybe Sri Lanka should ban women from voting and behead criminals in public like Saudi Arabia, then it might be a friend of the US.
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Sudath Perera / August 27, 2014
Dimuthu Attygalle is spot on. Who is the Janasaviya
Commissioner who defrauded the Government of Sri Lanka
and flee abroad? Was that money used to educate her
daughter in the United States? Some one with a nose for
good information will learn a lot more if they probe.
Little wonder they advise Presidents now!!!
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