False reporting by the Guardian newspaper-UK
Posted on December 15th, 2011

by Mano Vithana,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Maryland, USA.

The Guardian newspaper published on Thursday 15th December, a news item claiming that Tamils deported to Sri Lanka face torture. The article was written by Shiv Malik and Ian Cobain. In particular, these journalists, or possibly the copy editor dealing with the article included a file photo from Getty Images credited to Joe Kalamar. This image shows people behind barbed wire. What isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  implied, not too subtly,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  by the article is that Tamils in Sri Lanka are held under barbed wire, and that theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  reported Tamils would face such conditions.

The actual situation is completely different, and well knwon to the UK Guardian. These reporters know that the barabed-wire photo is from 2009 May, when the Sri lankan Government dealt with 300,000 refugees who escaped the clutches of the Tamil Tigers. These refugees were sorted, fed, medically treated, and now 99% of them have been re-settled. The UN, Indian observersƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and other agencies have vouch-safed that.

However, the Guardian rferes to ‘human-rights organizations’. It should be noted that LTTE-funded organizations, as well as the “Sril Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice “, (http://www.srilankacampaign.org/welcome.htm)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  associatd with the very questionable “Asian Human Rights commission” also display such outdated, false barbed wire pictures to mis-inform the world about Sri Lanka. The Director of the said institute, Basil Fernando,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is closely associated with Garry Anadasangaree, Shivalingam and other leaders of the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). Previously, there existed a group known as the World Tamil Organization (WTO). ThisƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  was banned by the Canadian GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  due to its direct associations with terrorism. Today, such associations are replaced by front organizations like the CTC, that act more indirecly.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  One wonders if the Guardian articles have a similar sinister motive, as it carries the same sort of induendo as used by the “Sri Lanka Campaigne for Justice and Peace”.

Hence this type of criminal mis-representation must be taken up in the courts, and cases should be filed by the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission in UK, and by Sri Lankan NGOs established in London, UK., against the Guardian as well as the reporters.

Parts of the article by Malik and Cobain are shown below. It displays a picture of people held behind barbed wire. Where in Sri lanka do you find that situation Today?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  So the presentation given here is false.

In Somalia, the UN is using such barbed wire fences in dealing with refugees at food distribution points, prely to control people. But THIS NOT FOUND ANY WHERE IN SRI LANKA TODAY.The Joe Kalamat image used is OLD, out dated and NOT relevant to the situation at hand. It was taken in 2009, when 300,000 refugees had to be handled by the army.

The reporters, by displaying this picture, and the GuardianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  editors have flagrantly misrepresented the facts

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Deported Tamils ‘face torture’ on return to Sri Lanka

UK Border Agency to continue with forced-removals flight despite human rights organisation warnings of mistreatment

4 Responses to “False reporting by the Guardian newspaper-UK”

  1. brahamin Says:

    Indeed, why doesn’t the SL High commission in London file a case against the Guardian? this is not the first time that the gardian has lied. It has been doing that for 25 years. The BBC is another biased organization. Its sinhala service was run by a Priyantha liyanage, a confirmed LTTE fellow traveller.

  2. Bodhi Says:

    Great that some body noticed the false agenda of the “Campaigne for peace and justice” driven forward by the LTTE supporter, and fellow travelers like basil fernando. I have notice many articles by basil Fernando in the Sri lanka Guardian, attacking the government regarding human rights, and with pictures of people behind barbed wire — all outdated photos.
    I don’t understand why the Hong Kong consulate cannot file charges against Fernando who operates from HongKong for false malicious propaganda.

  3. Christie Says:

    Guardian is a Leftist brad sheet of the London press. Its dirty deed are exposed in the recent media enquiry by the British Parliament. It has been always against the Sinhalese in Ceylon, though it takes a lot of interest in the news from the subcontinent.
    It hardly has anything critical of India or Indians.
    It is the print mediua of Channel Four, though it may not have any cooperate connections.

    It is sad that hardly any people can see the connection between the Tamil terrorism and the Indian connection.

    Going back to 1983 a friend of mine wanted to publish a Notce in Memoriam for the slain Sinhala soldiers by the Tamil terrorists; in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The soldiers were unarmed and of duty at the time they were gunned down by the Tamil terrorist who were trained and armed by India.

    His first call was the Guardian, then Sun, Mirrior and so on. But they all refused to publish the Notice sighting different excuises like they need death certificate, letters from the relatives and so on. Finally he ended up with the London Times an independent broad sheet. They published his Notice in memoriam for the soldiers who were killed by the Tamils terrorists in July 1983.
    According to him he asked the person who took the classified; a cadet of the paper why did the other news papers declined to take up his paid classified.

    The cadet’s explanations were:

    1. There are hardly any Sinhala readership of London news papers compared to the Indians who read London news papers.
    2. The Sinhalese have no advertising accounts with London news papers while there are a lot of Indian businesses with such accounts.
    3. The distribution of news papers in London are with the small businesses and most of such business people are Indians. Thes people could put put the news paper with the Noice at the bottom of the pile or not sell the paper at all.
    4. If you had some personal connection thaen they would have taken up your notice.
    Even today these are the reasons why the British media is biased.

    The London times published the Notice in Memoriam of the slain soldiers in late July or Early August of 1983.

    The same applies to other Western media. In Canada Cnrad Blacks media support Tamil terrorism, in Australia it is the Fairfax organisation and the ABC.
    .

  4. Rohan8 Says:

    Another piece of totally false reporting from that epicenter of pure evil in the world Britain. When are the Brits gonna leave Sri Lanka alone. I guess they are experts in trying to destabilize countries around the world for their own hidden agendas.

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