Inner City Press! Your Attitude Towards Sri Lanka
Posted on May 27th, 2010

Ira de Silva London, Canada

Dear Mr. Lee:
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I have just read your posting on Inner City Press. Your attitude towards Sri Lanka appears to be biased, confrontational, and aggressive.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Overall there appears to be a lack ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ objectivity. Why?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Is it ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ because you personally have an axe to grind with Sri Lanka? In the U.S. there are many such as Bruce FeinƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ who isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ paid a monthly stipend by the supporters of the LTTE terroristsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to criticise Sri Lanka. What are your credentials on Sri Lanka other than being a journalist and exhibiting a bias towards that country?
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You seem to have a problem with the representatives of Sri Lanka at the U.N. doing the job they are supposed to be doing, namely that of representing their country in a professional manner. You dislike Ambassador Palihakkara because he “defended the bloodbath on the beach”! Mr. Palihakkara is a professional and conducted himself at the U.N. in a professional manner stating the case for Sri Lanka. He has a long history of service as a member of the Foreign Ministry and a man of good judgement. Why should he not be appointed to any panel if he is qualified? Just because it is your contention that there was a bloodbath you will not accept that there was no bloodbath. For your information, there is no proof of your statement. For example, there were reports of people being killed, hospitals bombed in the north east on what you refer to the beach. However, the doctors who made these statements and gave casualty figures, later made public statements that they were forced to do so by the LTTE. One of those doctors was a candidate at the last general election. The hospitals that were supposed to have been bombed were unaffected, the buildings were intact, there was no blood on the surrounding area nor bodies blown to bits. If you had made any effort to check the validity of these claims before getting accusatory, you would have not made these rash judgements and statements.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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You now seem to have a problem with Sri Lanka’s current Ambassador Dr. Kohona who again is a professional,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  conducts himself in a dignified manner and does his job which is to represent Sri Lanka. Again, it appears that you are miffed because you are unable to get him to do as you want or more to the pointƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ confirm your biased opinions. As for not been invited by Dr. Kohona to the press interviews, is he not entitled to invite those whom he chooses? You think you should be invitedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and are miffed that you were not. He probably did not want you haranguing him and upsetting his guests. As the host he has every right to ensure that his event was not disrupted by you. Perhaps if you were lessƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rude and obnoxious and more polite to Dr. Kohona he may invite you on the next occasion.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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Your biased attitude towards the representatives of Sri Lanka is further illustrated by your statement that Dr. Kohona, Sri Lanka’s Number One Ambassador to the UN is apparently letting his Number Two run wild or play bad cop. You are right in the sense that Dr. Kohona is number one as an ambassador. As for letting his Number Two run wild or play bad cop, it is hard to imagine anyone running wild at the U.N.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Once again it reflects not on the Number Two’s actions but your own biased attitude.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  As for playing “bad cop”, even though the evening programs are saturated with shows of the cops in New York speeding around with guns drawn chasing suspects of crime, I doubt that anyone posted to the UN by any country would even attempt to imitate the cops in the U.S. much less the bad cops. To most countries they are not role models.
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Sri Lanka’s representatives are at the U.N. to represent their country as best they can. You seem to believe that you are an authority on Sri Lanka which you are not. Further, you seemƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have an unrealistic sense of your own importance which accounts for your accusatory tone. Perhaps you should advise those who are providingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ you with information on Sri Lanka to be more accurate and you should try to be lessƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ accusatory, judgemental and “in your face” even though that is supposed to be the “American way”. Remember that you are dealing with qualified, professional gentlemenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ so try to be more polite and you may be invited to the next party.
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Yours truly,
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Ira de Silva
London, Canada
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One Response to “Inner City Press! Your Attitude Towards Sri Lanka”

  1. Raj Says:

    Well said Ira. Mr Lee must be in the LTTE dispora pay list.

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