CHOGM 2013: Gomin urges govt. to be ready for media barrage
Posted on October 17th, 2013
By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy Island
October 17, 2013, 9:28 pm
Attorney-at-law Gomin Dayasri yesterday warns the government to be ready to face a massive media onslaught in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next month.
Colombo-based British High Commissioner John Rankin-â„¢s address to Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA), at the Taj Hotel, was a sign of the impending attack, Dayasri told The Island yesterday.
Dayasri alleged that a statement attributed to HC Rankin, that the Rajapaksa government needed to make concrete progress on human rights, reconciliation and a political settlement was meant to embarrass Sri Lanka.
Dayasri pointed out that HC Rankin had again referred to unsubstantiated allegations made by the UK media outfit Channel 4 demanding that such allegations were properly investigated and made public. Noting that Channel 4 allegations had been repeated by many of those wanting to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal, Dayasri said the UK media had also furnished a spate of reports of the then Iraqi President Saddam Hussain having weapons of mass destruction.
The British media which based its reports on highly placed UK intelligence sources, never explained the failure on the part of the British army to find WMDs during its deployment in Iraq, Dayasri said.
Dayasri recalled UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg three years ago declaring in the UK parliament that the invasion of Iraq was illegal. Unfortunately, those pushing Sri Lanka on the basis of Channel 4 allegations had been silent on Clegg-â„¢s widely reported statement, he added.
Referring to a recent resolution adopted by 286 votes to 180 at the EU parliament at Strasbourg calling on David Cameron-â„¢s government to establish a “human-rights-compliant inquiry” into the alleged rendition, torture and ill-treatment of detainees abroad in accordance with a CIA project, Dayasri alleged that the UK was yet to address grievances of those abducted over‚ the years. He pointed out that the resolution had been passed last week though the project got underway after the 9/11 attacks.
Dayasri said that British political parties had no option but to play ball with influential Tamil Diaspora groupings or face the consequences. “Thanks to WikiLeaks, we know how the then UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, intervened in Sri Lanka on behalf of the pro-LTTE Diaspora, at the height of the Vanni battle.”
Dayasri said: “The UK based Global Tamil Forum came into being after the eradication of the LTTE. The formation of the GTF took place in the House of Commons with the participation of all major British political parties. The GTF celebrated its anniversary in the House of Commons with the participation of both government and the Opposition in the UK.”
Dayasri recalled how the LTTE maintained its International Secretariat in the UK some time ago. “Today, Australian national, Adele, who was married to the then LTTE theoretician, Anton Balasingham lives in the UK. In spite of Adele-â„¢s well documented role in the recruitment of female child soldiers subsequently used as cannon fodder, those demanding accountability on Sri Lanka-â„¢s part conveniently turned a blind eye to her presence there.”
Balasingham had been an employee of the UK High Commission in Colombo at the onset of the separatist campaign, he said.
October 17th, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Govt. PLEASE listen to this NATIONAL HERO.
And take action NOW ITSELF to face this EXPECTED media barrage in a month.
Also have a COLONIAL ERA WAR CRIMES well documented and HANDY for them. When these media are presented with THEIR OWN war crimes, look how they will tuck their tails between legs are retreat!!
Best defence is offence.
Best defence is offence.
October 17th, 2013 at 5:30 pm
It is time the govt vigorously defend it’s right to eliminate terrorism. There is no need to deny that there were civilian casualties as the intention was to rescue the hostages from LTTE with minimum casualties.The Brits and the cowboys do not care about civilians when they bombed Iraq.
We are an independent soverign state, not a British colony any more and and remind them what President Putin said recently. “England is a small island no one takes any notice of”. We should tell them to look at their human rights record first before trying to bully us.Gota had the guts to tell Mr Bean (Miliban) to get lost when he tried to save fat Prabha. Now it is Mahinda’s turn.
October 17th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
If one reads the reports on the so called recent debate in the British House of Lords on Sri Lanka for holding CHOGM this year, one would think the country they are describing is not on this planet Earth but somewhere else in the Universe, as the allegations are so glaringly inaccurate they only match the allegations appearing on the LTTE’s Tamilnet, which fabrications are also faithfully repeated by their friends in AI, HRW and other disruptive groups. The role played by the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka seems to be to keep misleading British Politicians who have not visited Sri Lanka to understand the difference between the actual Sri Lanka and this non-existent Sri Lanka, which the Tamil terrorist friendly forces have created for use as a punching bag. Has any of these do gooders raised the issue of giving refuge to Tamil Tiger war criminals in Britain, Norway and other NATO nations? Have they dared to reprimand Canada for institutionalised discrimination against the native Red Indians the First Nation people, who are being inhumanely treated in Canada? Has anyone raised the caste discrimination in Tamilnadu, reducing a segment of their own people to levels less than animals? Has anyone got the courage to expose India for their brutality in Cashmere and training Tamil terrorists to destroy SriLanka? What about the on going human rights violations by NATO nations in Iraq, Libya, Afganistan, Syria, Pakistan etc? Can Mr Rankin explain why his Lords other than those who visted Sri Lanka, are up in arms?
October 18th, 2013 at 5:05 am
It’s the same old “Divide & Rule” from Colonial Brits in full swing. “Divide & Rule” India, Sri Lanka and other ex-colonies. Britain, your slip is showing !