Sri Lanka rejects Tamil massacre photos as rebel canards

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Sri Lanka rejects Tamil massacre photos as rebel canards


Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Professor G L Peiris cast doubts on the photographs released by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) showing a massacre of Tamils during the country's civil war, saying that it is canards and a step taken by rebel sympathizers to tarnish thecountry's image.
With the conclusion of three decade long conflict with the LTTE terrorists many of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora are now working with the government to develop tiger held northern province with more investment while a few are engaged in a futile attempt to tarnish theimage of the country.Government has taken the initiatives to speed up the development process in the northern region. President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday presided over a high powered meeting at northern Vavuniya to review the development activities that are underway in all five districts in the north.GTF, a group that includes former supporters of the Tamil Tiger rebels, has released photographs showing blood stained bodies of young men and women who had been blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs. Other photos appear to show dead young men, two of whom lie in pits.These photos have been released at a time when Minister Peiris is scheduled to meet his British counterpart William Hague on Wednesday.While addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Peiris said that similar pictures of unproven veracity hadbeen published before by the LTTE sympathisers. He also labeled the human rights groups as "patronizing, condescending and almostcolonial" for criticising a government-appointed inquiry into claims of war crimes.