Thursday, 6 February 2014 00:00
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Ravi K raises query in Parliament over Channel 4 blitz and Lalith Weeratunga’s remarks in US
By Ashwin Hemmathagama Our Lobby orrespondent
Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday accepted in Parliament that the Government would not take legal action against UK’s Channel 4 network, which has aired several documentaries alleging war crimes were committed in Sri Lanka during the final phase of the war.
The Minister said that negative international media campaigns pursued against Sri Lanka were on for years despite some counter action taken by government using facts and figures through multifaceted means.
“It was not possible to halt them completely,” the Minister said.
The External Affairs Minister was responding to a question by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake as to why the Government was not taking legal action against Channel 4’s defamation and lies.
“Why was Channel 4 was not taken to courts? This is not a simple question about the Rajapaksa Government but a fact that affects the entire nation. If you are unable to take legal action due to certain constraints, let the opposition sue them in the national interest,” Karunanayake charged.
Minister Peiris said the campaigns pursued against Sri Lanka are nothing new and nothing to be amazed about.
“Taking legal action is not practical due to high cost and the time constraints. But we have taken all possible other measures,” he said tabling a long list of counter action taken via print and electronic media, and the Internet, as well as through Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions abroad.
Minister Peiris blamed the international community for its double standards.
The Opposition Lawmaker said President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga had admitted the Army committed war crimes by saying if investigations are conducted in Sri Lanka it could have serious ramifications.
“Is the President’s Secretary admitting that these kind of things took place? Even when the opposition says no such thing took place the President’s Secretary is saying these things happened. This is bad for the country,” Karunanayake said.
Prof. Peiris in response said that the Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunaga had never apologised or accepted human rights violations in Sri Lanka. “The United States issued serious statements and denied the authenticity of the photographs published exposing the recent arrest and the detention of the Indian diplomat Devyani. But when it came to Channel 4, they had used a different yardstick on us. So, these are double standards making it possible for the entire world to see,” the Minister charged.
He said Channel 4 was giving negative publicity since 2010 and the LLRC report also has referred to the telecasting.
According to Minister Peiris, the Sri Lanka High Commission in London has played a key role countering the allegations. Apart from Channel 4, there was no other media found to have carried out campaigns against Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs monitoring the global media, Minister confirmed.
