Prabath Warusavithana

To the Editor

29^th May 2009 The Times front page story- Hidden Massacres in Sri Lanka

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ True analysis of pictures.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is deeply disappointing that a national paper like you buying in to propaganda terrorism. And even that story is confusing all the way as your article does not support buy photos you have published. Let me explain in detail.

As Catherine Philp describe in the article that she can see crater after crater after crater created buy shelling while onboard UN helicopter, non of her photos show any craters why? And your front page photo of massacre and destruction caused by shelling is totally misleading, even a child would have recognised, this as an abandoned camping site. I am sending couple more photos from Glastonbury festival aftermath, show them to your war analysts and ask to compare.

I don’t know how your war analyst qualify to analyse these pictures, if you carefully look at the picture with some common sense ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ any idiot would realise that, there is no damage to permanent buildings or trees in the area at all, only temporary tents has being bring down and rubbish all over the area. If it caused buy shelling these tent cloths and rubbish would have being burnt up and disappeared already and I don’t think military technology is that developed yet, to spare trees and tent cloths.

And also you are showing some grave pits on the beach and state that, this is where the dead civilians has being buried, how on earth you come to that conclusion, can it not be dead LTTE cadres in the last pace of fighting buried buy LTTE it self, as there is no way they can get back to their original cemetery. And how sure you are there are 20,000 of civilians buried in side those pits. At least support your case with some logical evidence rather than some idiotic calculations.

And Geramy Page is comparing Sri Lanka’s dead figures against 2007-2008 Iraq dead tolls of 10,000. That is very funny, why can’t you compare with figures of initial invasion nearly one million dead half of them children. What is the logic behind comparing against 2008 figures? There is no war in Iraq now. Even Sri Lanka’s total dead toll over 30 years during conflict is less than 100,000.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

I don’t really get it. What sort of satisfaction you get buy writing these ill conceived articles.

Only thing you do is sow weeds of terrorism, by helping them to stage their propaganda war.

We all know how media propaganda runs United Kingdom from politics to banking crisis, but don’t think you can do the same with rest of the world.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Next time at least try and get some matching photos for your story line as general public has good common sense unlike your war analysts.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

More than 20,000 Tamils were killed in last throes of the Sri Lankan civil war, The Times has found. Watch video ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Aftermath of Glastonbury festival (Arial photo would have been a better comparison).