http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/06/24/sec01.asp

Channel 4 video:
Another failed attempt to harm Sri Lanka’s reputation
Rasika SOMARATHNA
Another effort to harm the reputation of Sri Lanka using the Channel 4 documentary failed due to the intervention of the two Sri Lankan Ambassadors to the UN, Dr Palitha Kohona and Major General Shavendra Silva, senior politicians and officials said yesterday.
Major General Shavendra Silva
Dr Palitha Kohona
Lakshman Hulugalle
Deputy Minister Neomal Perera
The documentary titled Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields was once again screened to an audience at the UN Church Centre Wednesday. The event was sponsored by several INGOs.
Members from Channel – 4 too had been present. Subsequent to the screening both Dr Palitha Kohona and Major General Shavendra Silva, convinced the gathering fully of the inconsistencies and the biased narration of the documentary, Deputy Minister for External Affairs Neomal Perera said.
Meanwhile, Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director Lakshman Hulugalle said that another plan to discredit Sri Lanka was rendered useless due to the answers given by Maj Gen Shavendra Silva and UN Permanent Representative Dr Palitha Kohana.
Deputy Minister Perera said that Sri Lanka earlier had proved with the use of scientific and other evidence that the video was a fake.
In this backdrop, the repeated screening of the video to mislead a section of the international community was unfortunate, he added.
The Deputy Minister noted that the twin intentions behind such moves was to derail Sri Lanka’s rapid development and to pump oxygen to revive the now defunct LTTE.
Sri Lankan foreign missions have been advised to counter such false propaganda and make the international community aware on the true intentions behind such moves, he added.
Director Hulugalle meanwhile said that the screening of the video was another attempt by the LTTE remnants to fill their dwindling coffers by propagating sympathy among the diaspora.
He said that the Sri Lankan duo at the UN had been able to effectively convince the audience that the Channel 4 documentary was based on false facts.
Hulugalle said that one of the female narrators appearing in the video was an LTTE cadre. Whatever they say a terrorist is a terrorist, he added.
Major General Shavendra Silva it is reported was not even invited to the event by the organizers.
He was able to point out more than 20 incidents that contained false information. The audience which included diplomats and media personnel were convinced that the Channel 4 documentary was based on false facts, news reports from US said.
They said that the organizers were made speechless by the answers offered by Sri Lanka.While the organizers said that the video reinforces the findings of the controversial Darusman Report, Sri Lanka’s duo proved that the Channel 4 video fiasco is a well-planned ploy to tarnish a country which succeeded in eradicating a deadly terrorist organization which held thousands of innocent civilians hostage, a report from US said.
The report said that the inconsistencies as well as the biased narration of the documentary were immediately brought to the audience’s attention by Ambassador Shavendra Silva.
Proclamations which were known to be blatant lies as well as the true identities of the individuals in which the movie revolves around were pointed out by Ambassador Silva. Video evidence to support these explanations was unfortunately not permitted to be displayed by Amnesty International, it added.
Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva informed the audience, that one visual shown in the documentary, displaying an aerial bombing to a specific target in the jungle area, but the Channel 4 uses that particular clip fighter jets purposely bombing a civilian gathering but it was two separate locations but the narrator tried to portray that the casualties occurred owing to the bombing, which the audience accepted.
Maj Gen Silva informed the audience during this clip, the filmmaker uses two eyewitnesses namely Vany Kumar and Dr Shanmugaraj. Vany Kumar she had three different aliases in different locations.
Namely, Damilvany Kumar, Vany Kumar, Damilvany Gananakumar. The Channel 4 programme says she had been in Sri Lanka only for six months but Ambassador Silva highlighted her stay in Sri Lanka, what her family in the UK has informed through the guardian.co.uk in an interview and proved to the audience that she was infact an LTTE activist.
Ambassador General Silva also shed light on several statements made by Dr Shanmugaraja who admits to have given false information to the International Media due to LTTE pressure.
Filmmaker Cullum McRae seemed devastated when Ambassador Silva pointed out the false translation depicted during the clip where civilians are in a trench was also brought to light. The civilians in the trench are shown shouting at the cameraman for recording this and the false translation provided for the Tamil being spoken, is clear evidence that this was infact staged, the report said..