Channel 4 Videos On Sri Lanka: Background Is Essential

 March 18, 2012 
It is also important to get the point across to the Sinhalese that yesterday it was the Tamil people, tomorrow it will be the Sinhalese, since this is what Totalitarian regimes have done for centuries

By Brian Senewiratne -

Dr. Brian Senewiratne

The Channel 4 News videos on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lankaare about the most important contributions to apprise the world of what has gone on, and is still going on, behind the closed and censored doors of Sri Lanka.

There are now two documentaries, Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields released in June 2011, and Sri Lanka’s killing Fields. War Crimes Unpunished released in March 2012. They contain crucial evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, if not Genocide of the Tamils.

The world needs to see these, since all that comes out of Sri Lanka is what the Sri Lankan Government wants the world to believe. That is what a Totalitarian does – to shut down the Media, among other repressive measures.  It is therefore essential that these dreadful atrocities be seen by as many people as possible.
I do not believe that the majority of Sinhalese are barbarians despite their ‘celebration’ of Rajapaksa’s ’victory’. I do believe that many, indeed most, of them will be horrified if they see what their Government has done to the Tamil civilians in the North and East 

There is, however, a problem with these Channel 4 videos. There is no background information which is so important to appreciate why these atrocities occurred. ------

There is, however, a problem with these Channel 4 videos. There is no background information which is so important to appreciate why these atrocities occurred. If this is not provided, then these videos are nothing but yet another ‘horror movie’. What has gone on in the war waged by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) on the Tamil people (not just the Tamil Tigers), is much more than a horror story.  
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