By M D P DISSANAYAKE

The two notorious videos released in England and Australia in recent months have targeted Sri Lankan Defence forces and Indonesian Abattoirs. The Channel 4 video had been produced with the sole intention of discrediting the Sri Lankan government and to tarnish its image internationally. Sri Lankan government has thus far produced overwhelming evidence to prove that the video released on June 14 this year titled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lankan Killing FieldsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ was a fake. The forensic tests have thus far proved that the script of this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-FilmƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ was not authentic.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On May 30, 2011, the Brendan Trembath and Sarah Dingle of ABC Four Corners programme televised a footage of cattle being whipped and slaughtered in an inhumane manner at the Indonesian Abattoirs. Following the telecast of this video footage, there was a spontaneous outcry from the so called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Animal GroupsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ demanding immediate stoppage of live cattle exports to Indonesia. The video had a massive impact and sadness on animal cruelty on many Australians who may not have seen the internal operations in an Abattoir in either Australia or Indonesia. Since the telecast, the developments that took place in Australia was unimaginable and sometimes laughable. They are:

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 1. Just two days after the telecast, the Australian Minister of Agriculture Mr Joe Ludwig has suspended the export of live cattle to 11 Indonesian Abattoirs;

2. The cattle farmers were adversely affected as a result of this decision where they had long term forward contracts with the Indonesian Abattoirs. The farmers had to keep feeding the cattle that would have otherwise exported to Indonesia, thus incurring additional costs. The RSPCA spokeswoman Lisa Charlk confirmed that the Government and the Industry will assist the producers by $35 million, to compensate for the loss of revenue as a result of the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia;

3. The forward contracts with Indonesian Abattoirs had specified a maximum weight of 360kg per head at the port of arrival. As the farmers had to keep feeding the cattle beyond their delivery date due to the suspension, the poor cattle gained in weight, in as much as 420 kg. per head, which was not acceptable to Indonesian standards;

4. The Indonesian Abattoirs defended their modus operandi claming strict observance of established guidelines in the process of killing cattle. In fact most them reported that the Plant and Equipment and the Facilities at Indonesian Abattoirs were originally imported directly from Australia and the killing process was consistent with the plant layout and user guidelines;

5. Australian Senator Mr Chris Black made a statement in the Senate on 9 August that he had received reliable information that the video was a fake. According to the SenatorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s statement an Indonesian Abattoir worker had been bribed A$15 ( Indonesian Rupiah 150,000) to mistreat the cattle and then captured on the video, which was later released on the ABC Four Corners programme.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The powerful lobby groups in support of Tamil Terrorists will do anything to harm the Government of Sri Lanka. There will be several hundreds of disgruntled Tamils ( and even some Sinhalese) who will perform disgraceful acts for few dollars in concert with lobby groups. Their love and sympathy for Australian Cattle or Sri Lankan Tamils are driven by antagonism against Asian countries. Fortunately, the Government of Sri Lanka did not press the panic button unlike Australian counterpart.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Whichever methodology is used, the killing of animals is a cardinal sin, the first precept of Buddhism. Killing cattle by shooting on its forehead, chopping the heads one after another in a queue, in as much as 2000 cattle per shift, is a disgusting scenario to watch. . The blood is splashed all over the side wide walls, the poor cattle struggles in vain and then boned into delicacies for Rump, T Bone Steak etc. for human consumption. The true Animal Lovers, must demand world wide for banning of killing of all animals for human consumption. This reminds me the famous song of J A Milton Perera, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- Umbeykiyakiya Marana BayeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.