And as expected the government’s released a rebuttal video to the Channel 4 documentary.
‘Lies Agreed Upon’ is the title of the video, and going by the looks of it the government was a bit cheap in making the hour long (58 mins) documentary. Whoever they hired did a shoddy job of it because either, they did it hastily or they don’t seem to have cared much for editing footage and writing the script well. For instance, the presenter starts off by saying ‘lets begin from the beginning’- yeah, that’s generally a good place to begin, I’d say! And there are bits in which the presenter is cut off and then immediately cut back to under different lighting conditions.
Apart from the very very low quality production, the content was quite strong. Particularly the bit in which they interview Dr. Shanmugraja; completely dispelling Vani Kumar’s views in the Channel 4 video. At 54 mins the script gets quite strong- indicating how brutal and callous the LTTE were.
But the rest of the interviews, you can never say if the government forced the interviews into saying what they did. The same way you can’t be sure if Channel 4 manipulated their interviewees to speak against the army. In the end it’s all just pointing fingers; the public does not know who’s right and who isn’t. Watching accusations shoot across, all we can do is pick out bits that make sense and put them together jigsaw-style.
From what I’ve gathered, I think is that the LTTE was far more brutal, bloody and uncaring. But for the government to insist that there were zero casualties is a bit far-fetched. I’m no expert but I’d have figured the theatre of war is chaotic… casualties would be inevitable. And war crimes are inevitable too, right?
So by claiming zero casualties, the government really isn’t doing themselves any favours.
Ah glad to see that the Government is quite confident of its position. Since they are so confident they should not mind letting people in to find out for themselves, no? In fact they should invite people in, no?
see
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/rnw-team-threatened-sri-lanka
Ideally that would be the best way to go if they truly believe there were zero casualties. In fact they have invited Channel 4 to visit these areas but they would undoubtedly except them to be accompanied by government individuals… so we can’t really say if they stage a scene in which everything is peachy.
And yes, going by the oppression against the media, it does appear as if they do have things to hide.
“I’m no expert but I’d have figured the theatre of war is chaotic… casualties would be inevitable. And war crimes are inevitable too, right?”
whether or not this government committed war crimes, i don’t know, but dead civilians do not by themselves constitute a war crime.
By war crimes I meant the incidents of rape and such that was heavily highlighted by Channel 4 and refuted by the government. I mean, with so many soldiers how is it possible to say that not one of them committed rape…
soldiers raping women has been going on for years (see cases like krishanthi kumaraswamy) and the government has actually taken action to investigate and punish. this is not to say that soldiers might not have committed rape. but channel 4 has no concrete evidence of it. if c4 really meant to bring justice to the potential victims, then a sensationalist, shoddily put together video was not the smartest way to go about it. this government’s knee jerk reaction is to deny everything.
Well the footage in which bodies of naked women being piled in to trucks and a scatter of dead women with their undergarments pulled off is quite incriminating… Unless, as the government says, it was all fabricated– though I find that a bit hard to digest.
stripping down dead combatants is standard practice of many armies, to make sure there are no hidden bombs, weapons etc. if there was rape, which there probably was, there should be more substantial evidence.
I actually thought the response was a gud one by the govt, considering the shoddy documentary by C4. The govt policy was a zero casualty policy. In fact this should be the policy of any govt going to war, u dont start a war saying, “lets keep civilian deaths to a minimum, ok guys?”. It does not mean that no civilian died. Unfortunately, C4 suggests that civilians were systematically targeted. Read the report issued along with the video, the govt accepts civilian deaths. However, war crime charges are serious and a thorough investigation about the videos shown by C4 needs to be undertaken. Before asking ‘independent’ observers to come and investigate, it is better to verify the videos shown on C4, as the videos are obviously ambiguous although C4 and most who watch it dont seem to think so.
But when you say it’s a policy it’s as good as guaranteeing zero casualties. I agree with PP that when asked out the casualties and war crimes the government unthinkingly denied there were any; which wasn’t the right thing to do.
I do believe the government is in the process of investigating to the videos, unless I’m mistaken.
Dear Puppeteer,Actually the documentary was pro-bono effort by professionals in the private sector. Its not meant to win awards or bump up ratings (as the C4 was probably motivated by) no drama, no dramatic music under, no post effects, no overlayed sound effects, nor is it meant to be a box office hit or a viral video, but simply to pass on substantiated facts and witness testimonials of real people with faces and voices.The truth need no special effects. Lies Agreed Upon “Just-the- facts-mam” approach is quite refreshing if you ask me. Its easy to shoot holes in something one does not want to believe in. Yet, I don’t see any other journalists, media activists and truth seekers for that matter take the issue of unethical reporting and idiotic and highly questionable “witness” reporting of the C4′s so called documentary. It is also quite puzzling that some people are ready to believe darkened, hidden, distorted, voiceless, “witness” “testimonies” on C4 and suspect and cast doubt on free talking witnesses on camera in Lies Agreed Upon???. To me, they did not seem to be very perturbed and seem to talk quite freely, openly and rapidly. Just maybe maybe you did not like what they said? The witnesses in Lies Agreed Upon do appear to speak quite freely and lengthily and the viewers are quite free to translate on their own or ask someone who knows Tamil to do so. Its at least unhindered by a voice-over of a British actor’s voice in English-no one really knows what the witness even said or if the “witness” was an African, American, or Indian for that matter. They (C4) might as well have put the face of a muppet or better yet Bart Simpson or Kermit the frog on for that matter. Talking of muppets, it does seem that the Puppeteer has slight issues with the fact that SL finally defeated the LTTE a brutal terrorist group who killed more of its own and ran a dictatorial regime suppressing the will of innocent Tamil under their jackboot. For whatever its worth the Tamils in Wanni can at least VOTE their leaders now. ( as they did overwhelming electing the TNA in the first elections held in 25 odd years in the North East region) Where were all these democracy and human rights pushers ever willing to bomb the daylights and the citizenry out of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya to ensure democracy when LTTE ran the Wanni under one megalomaniacal, despotic, pol pot who called himself the Sungod?. Listen carefully with an open mind to the voices in the documentary. Listen to what they are really trying to say. Just maybe you don’t want to believe they are saying the things they are saying out of free will, BUT just maybe they actually ARE.Tue this truth is unpalatable to the some. Most Tamil diaspora and Colombo Tamils are removed from the reality of the Tamils who had to actually had to fight war they never asked for. Its best said by an UNICEF print ad you can see in the documentary…”YOUR WAR OUR LIFE!” hope you will post this reply. Your views seems jaded and biased, No offense just freedom of expression.
watch this link for DeranaTV Id less upload so you can read the translation in case you missed it, I doubt you even watched the whole film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSqxYdVDOKo
Fact is, if they want to be taken seriously they need to make a good video- awards or not. A professional camera team that knows simple (almost common sense) rules of editing footage isn’t too expensive.
The point of this blog post, which you seemed to have missed, is that I’m not taking sides. I find both videos slightly dubious. I think the public should evaluate information from both sides and decide on what they want to believe instead of being easily swayed.
BTW Begin at the beginning means lets begin at the beginning of the C4 Video ie At the Protest or the so called protest at the UN in the C4 video. With all the things to question on such a comprehensive video 58 mins long, its funny that you harp about one single phrase, which you as a writer must know though if not big enough to admit was used to mean “lets take this from the top” And proceed to dissect each and every other lie put forward on the C4 from teh beginging to the end, from a stage manged UN protest to out of the thin air 40,000 civilians killed to Gordon not-so-Wiesse’s baseless 60 odd Shells to Thamil Vanny’s alice in wonderland amputations without anesthesia. It also has the testimony of Daya Master who says LTTE attacked not only Sinhalese but Tamil villages in SL army uniform to create a fear psychosis towards the SL army, as well as a the prison guard of Victor base who admits that the LTTE executed 26 odd SL forces on the last days of the war ( rather than release them). LIes Agreed Upon does not force the viewers but ask them to question who is more liable to execute prisoners given the facts. And moreover goes on to highlight the international links for the first time calling Fr Emmanuel, Rudrakumaran et al of being the new LTTE as well as the C4 being complicit. Thus, ensuring that these tigers in other guises never ever get access to State department officials, Congress, Senate, or UK Commons or any other countries elected officials.And ensuring thta if C$ does any other pseudo documentary o Sri Lanka it will at least try to substantiate its claims as well as not put forward embarrassingly funny “shadowy witnesses”. It could have ended with a predictable bashing of the now defunct LTTE, yet it takes on a different line of attack exposing the LTTE international network working towards destabilizing Sri Lanka. This must be really irritating to terrorist lovers and sympathizers as BTF, GTF etc are culpable as the LTTE and they too will be taken as war crimes for the harm they have done to their own people as well a democratic country as a whole. However, it is good to know that your criticism is aimed at one phrase in the documentary and insignificant in greater scheme of things and not so much the plethora of information that the documentary presenting. Goes to show that it is indeed effectively produced. kudos to the producers.It is a fantastic effort.
With this one video, the government has effectively countered many things: Lets “begin at the beginning” shall we? .. for one, baseless figures of casualties of civilians of over 40,000 have been brought down to much lower acceptable figures (given the hostage crisis) of “collateral damage” as the Americans coined the word of under a couple of thousand. ( Just check out the collateral damage in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, or the mother of all collateral damages Hiroshima and Nagasaki where over 200,000 innocent civilians were sacrificed nuked to be precise) But not so in Sri Lanka actually, 300,000 odd went in 293,000 odd came out alive! Its as simple as that. The dead include the 4600 odd verifiable LTTE cadre. As well as the hundred they themselves shot at. Sad but true. A Wanni Doctor says ” They(LTTE) said they were the protectors of the Tamil people, in the end they shot and killed them, I saw ” Certainly, the doctor did did not seem under any pressure. He was saying it as he believed it himself.
Its a fact, 11800 odd cadres surrendered only 3900 left in rehabilitation. 260,000 odd entered IDP facilities now only 17,000 odd remaining that too only until mine clearance. These are amazing facts wouldn’t you say? In Afghanistan millions are still displaced and hundreds of thousands civilians have died. Where is HRW and Amnesty International, where is the cry from the righteous for War Crime investigations? Where were you even pointing the irrelevant? Hands seen and unseen puppeteering to punish and destabilize Sri Lanka, a documentary comes out breaking the silence and presenting facts that blow away allegations of war crimes, and you dear puppeteer sweetheart incredibly harping on “lets begin at the beginning” beginning… hilllllarious.
Sorry did not mean to write so much , but the words just flowed , you are a writer, so must understand ..I am sure.
The truth never penetrates the unwilling mind. So go figure…
And as a writer I know that how you structure a sentence and present it can make a world of a difference. Just as a powerful script, will be able to get the attention of the public. After which the video could go viral and more people would understand how brutal the LTTE was; but the video certainly hasn’t had that impact. People don’t know of ‘Lies Agreed Upon’, they only know of the C4 documentary and so they will believe all of it. You see how this doesn’t really help clear the army?
And like I’ve mentioned in a previous comment, I’m not siding with the LTTE. They were a barbaric terrorist outfit, and I’m glad they were defeated.
errr nice photos by the way ….
Thanks
I agree with the blogger. There cannot be a zero casualty fully legal war against a guirella terror group. I actually think that this documentary cleverly avoids asserting that position by implying that those dead and killed were either accidental or were hard core LTTE officers. The government can’t really afford a investigation because they infact did kill the LTTE top guns. This had to be done otherwise they would have become liabilities in a power struggle.
It’s the same reason the US killed Osama. Keeping him alive would’ve been problematic. Which reminds of something related. I don’t think the US has any business preaching to Sri Lankans when their army committed far worse crimes in Palestine and Afghanistan.
”Truth yet to be agreed upon”: why is that the journalists have been facing hardship in getting access and once access is gained they are being followed by the army throughtout their stay in the North and prevented from having interviews that are not prewarned in writing and attacking people who agree to be interviewed:
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/2011/04/2011420114515626866.html
Al Jazeera, “Sri Lanka: War Crimes,” April 20, 2011:
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/05/15/foreigners-barred-from-travelling-north/
Foreigners Barred From Travelling North, Janith Aranze, 15 May 2011
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/srilanka/Two-years-later-some-new-enemies-few-old-ones/Article1-698625.aspx
Two years later, some new enemies, few old ones, Sutirtho Patranobis, 17 May 2011
Yeah, the governments’ got something to hide.
You should ask the govt and its pro-bono PR people when the interviews with the government doctors were done. I have it from as good a source as you can get that the interviews were done when they were in government detention held under emergency laws. Funny that neither the government nor the documentary tells us this.