{"id":155708,"date":"2026-04-14T17:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T00:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=155708"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T00:15:13","slug":"channel-4-controversy-1986-sri-lanka-responds-to-a-troubled-paradise-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/04\/14\/channel-4-controversy-1986-sri-lanka-responds-to-a-troubled-paradise-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"Channel 4 Controversy 1986 | Sri Lanka Responds to \u201cA Troubled Paradise\u201d Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Credits: Organised by the Sinhala Association (UK)<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Channel 4 Controversy 1986 | Sri Lanka Responds to \u201cA Troubled Paradise\u201d Documentary\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7yapVYRlqFg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Apr 12, 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hashtag\/srilankahistory\">#srilankahistory<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hashtag\/channel4\">#Channel4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hashtag\/righttoreply\">#RightToReply<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This rare archival footage captures a historic Channel 4 UK Right to Reply\u201d programme (1986), featuring a response to the controversial documentary A Troubled Paradise\u201d (1985), produced by Tim Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;The programme presents a critical perspective from Douglas Wickramaratne, alongside Chandra Monerawela, then High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom, addressing concerns of bias and misrepresentation in the original broadcast.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a significant moment in media history, highlighting how Sri Lankan representatives challenged Tamil Tiger narratives during a pivotal period. \ud83c\udfa4&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Featured Speakers: Douglas Wickramaratne Chandra Monerawela (High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK) \ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Context: Original documentary: A Troubled Paradise (1985) Broadcaster: Channel 4 (UK) Programme: Right to Reply Year: 1986 \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf0 Cultural &amp; Historical Significance:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This programme reflects the engagement of the Sri Lankan diaspora and official representatives in shaping international discourse during a critical period in Sri Lanka\u2019s history. \ud83e\uddfe&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Credits: Organised by the Sinhala Association (UK) \ud83d\udcfa&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More Archival Sri Lankan History: Explore rare footage, cultural events, and historical discussions from the Sri Lankan community in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credits: Organised by the Sinhala Association (UK) Apr 12, 2026 #srilankahistory #Channel4 #RightToReply This rare archival footage captures a historic Channel 4 UK Right to Reply\u201d programme (1986), featuring a response to the controversial documentary A Troubled Paradise\u201d (1985), produced by Tim Cooper. &nbsp;The programme presents a critical perspective from Douglas Wickramaratne, alongside Chandra Monerawela, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","category-senaka-weeraratna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155709,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155708\/revisions\/155709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}