http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/03/17/sec02.asp

Second Channel 4 video:
Another mud smearing effort- govt
The government while denying outright the wild allegations contained in the
second video footage released by Channel 4 yesterday stressed that it is another
attempt aimed at tarnishing the country’s reputation.
Lakshman
Hulugalle
Media Centre for National Security Director General Lakshman Hulugalle said
that this programme is another example of the Western media’s arrogance in
dealing with or claiming to report on the emergent and developing world.
Hulugalle in a release said that this programme represents nothing more than
self-indulgent and deeply flawed focus of self selecting, middle class white
elite. “The Western elite is represented by British journalists, British
politicians, bureaucrats, Canadian and American Human Rights activists – all of
whom were commenting on the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
“Channel 4 has come up with another disgusting piece of journalism aimed at
tarnishing Sri Lanka’s reputation.
“We deny outright the wild allegations contained therein.
The programme is yet another example of the Western media’s arrogance in
dealing with or claiming to report on the emergent and developing world. Sri
Lanka may be in focus at the moment, but it will be another developing world
country in the not too distant future.
The programme represents nothing more than the self-indulgent and
deeply-flawed focus of self-selecting, middle-class white elite.This
white,Western elite is represented by British journalists, British
politicians, British international bureaucrats, Canadian and American Human
Rights activists - all of whom were commenting on the internal affairs of a
sovereign state.
This western self-indulgence - interventionism as it were by media - clearly
endangers peace and reconciliation within post-war Sri Lanka.
It inevitably fans the flames of the very extremism that was defeated at the
end of the civil war. This sort of external media campaigning
will encourage intransigence within those political forces historically
identified with LTTE extremism - intransigence which will postpone a final
political settlement within Sri Lanka.
The programme was made up in large part of essentially rehashed and
repackaged allegations edited and reformatted in time for presentation at - and
with the clear intention of influencing - the United Nations Human Rights
Council meetings in Geneva, and any possible vote regarding Sri Lanka within
those meetings. Channel 4 News’ objective was self-evidently more political and
partisan than objective and journalistic. It was “advocacy” in the guise of
journalism.
The self-publicised presence of Callum Macrae, the director of both of
Channel 4 News’ programmes on Sri Lanka, in Geneva during the meetings of the
Human Rights Council amply demonstrates the real motivation for the programme
and why it was screened when it was.
That Channel 4 News has continued to rely largely upon sensationalist
materials made available to it by anti-government groups and individuals.
Unnamed and disguised “witnesses” are once again used by Channel 4, together
with sworn statements by an unnamed Sri Lankan “Army Officer”.
For all the focus on Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government and military and
the country’s civil war, Channel 4 still makes fundamental mistakes in
describing Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as the Minister of Defence as opposed to his
actual position as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence.
There is no mention yet again of the fact that the LTTE were a terrorist
organisation. There is no focus on the fact that the LTTE forced hundreds of
thousands of civilians to accompany them or that they killed civilians to
prevent them leaving.
There is no mention whatsoever of the fact that the LTTE had artillery and
mortar units and that these fired into the No Fire Zones and at hospitals.
Ironically, the only picture of an artillery piece being fired appears to be one
manned by the LTTE.
David Miliband’s comments are somewhat undermined by the fact that Wikileaks
showed that his interest in Sri Lankan was solely the result of the influence of
Tamil voters within the United Kingdom. Miliband’s stated concerns for Human
Rights investigations and justice do not extend to his own country’s 30 year
civil war in Northern Ireland (ended with an amnesty) or the responsibility the
government of which he was part for thousands of civilian deaths and injuries in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The consistent telecasts have had no objectives other than to name and shame
Sri Lanka with unsubstantiated materials quite contrary to the ethics of
journalism and international norms. The commercialization behind the telecast is
possibly the only motivating factor that drives Channel 4 towards this
scurrilous campaign against Sri Lanka.