DATE LINE 15/09/2009.WAR ON TAMILS – HUNTING THE TIGERS BY AMOS ROBERTS.

Managing Director,
Special Broadcasting Services,
Locked bag 028,
CROWS NEST,
NSW 1585.

Dear Sir,

RE; DATE LINE PROGRAMME – FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE – ON 15-03-2009.

SUPPOSED TO BE A PROGRAMME ON HOW SRI LANKAN ARMED FORCES CONTROLL THE TERRORIST WAR AGAINST THE LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM (LTTE) IN SRI LANKA. BUT ADVERTISED AS “WAR ON TAMILS – HUNTING THE TIGERS” BY SBS AND PRODUCED BY MR. AMOS ROBERTS -.

I am a Sri Lankan born Australian citizen. As a Australian citizen, having my roots in Sri Lanka I think it is my duty, to protest very strongly and point out that the Special Broadcasting Services Corporation has breached the SBS Code of Practice by producing and airing the above programme without meeting the essential requirements of the Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice requires every journalist or producers working for the SBS to meet the following criteria in producing and airing any segment on SBS TV. Those criterions are – prejudice, discrimination, accuracy, and balance in news reporting. But, unfortunately this programme aired on 15-03-2009 @ 8.30 P.M. to show how the Sri Lankan Armed Forces control the Terrorist activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka failed to meet any of the above requirements of the Code of Practice.

The producer Mr. Negus and the reporter Mr. Roberts, who produced this segment, have breached all those criterions required to meet the Code of Practice. This breach has created prejudice towards the Sri Lankans, especially those Australians of the Sinhalese origin living in Australia, as well as the Government of Sri Lanka. They knowingly practiced discrimination against a certain section of the Australian citizens born in Sri Lanka, in a very open manner by misrepresenting on the Terrorist war in Sri Lanka. Use of inaccurate journalistic tactics to conduct an interviews with the Secretary of Defence Col (Retd) Gotabaya Rajapakse and recording a telephone conversation with Military Liaison Officer, Major General Palitha Fernando without his knowledge. Recording a telephone conversation without prior permission of the other party is illegal even in Australia and Mr. Amos Roberts recorded the telephone conversation with Palitha Fernando against his wishes and against the Laws of Sri Lanka and Australia. This particular incident clearly indicates that the reporter Mr. Amos Roberts practiced these illegal activities as he was bias against the people and the government of Sri Lanka and to support the Terrorist organisation LTTE.

His report about the present terrorist war in Sri Lanka to FREE the innocent Tamils kept as HUMAN SHIELDS by the LTTE and to eliminate the world most dangerous Terrorist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from Sri Lanka was misinterpreted and misrepresented on hearsay evidence he gathered from LTTE supporters. 90% of the report covered the activities of THREE (3) journalists and airing the damage to buildings and the human causalities caused to people in the north, he received from the Tamil Net. If he checked those photos very carefully, he received from the Tamil net through the LTTE supporters in Australia he should have noticed that all those pictures were ‘doctored’ to alter the dates as the they were taken in February 2007.

Rumours are floating at every Sri Lankan social gathering that this visit by Mr. Amos Roberts to Sri Lanka was organised with the assistance of Tamils supporting the LTTE and before his departure he was briefed by those Tamils supporting the LTTE atrocities. In evidence some Sri Lankan has seen Mr. Amos Roberts at a certain function organised by a well known LTTE activist connected to the medical profession.

Prejudice was created at the advertising stage when the SBS advertised this segment as the “WAR ON TAMILS”. There is no “WAR ON TAMILS” in Sri Lanka. This misleading statement has damaged the friendship and the good will practiced by the Sinhalese and Tamils living in Australia and has created a very bad image for the law abiding Australians (Sinhala) people who live in Australia. This statement is bias and creates prejudice towards the Sri Lankan government as they are fighting a war to eliminate a Terror organisation called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but NOT against the ordinary Tamil population in Sri Lanka. If this WAR is against Tamils or it is a WAR on TAMILS how can over 400,000 Tamils from North and East, escaped from the jaws of TIGER supremo Vellupillai Prabakaran, lives among Sinhala people in Colombo District. Recent census has indicated that 41% of the population in Colombo District are Tamils and Sinhalese are the smallest group, as the Muslims take the second place.

According to 1999 Surveyor General’s reports, Muslims owes 74% of the land mass in Colombo District and Tamils owes 12% (approx) of the land mass in Colombo District. The rest is government land and the lands belong to Sinhala people. If there is a WAR on Tamils how can they owe such a amount of land mass in the Colombo district?

At the commencement of the segment Mr. George Negus, the Producer of this programme introduced the programme in a manner creating prejudice in the minds of the listeners. This was what he said:- “In Sri Lanka it is deadly for any journalist to criticise the Government or the Armed Forces, and they are killing each other while the innocent Tamils has become meat in the sandwich.” Not only Tamils the Sinhala and other people also has become the meat in the sandwich, as LTTE Terror squads of suicide bombers are loose in various parts of the country. Very recently a suicide bomber killed 14 people and maimed 64 people in the Matara District, 110 km away from Colombo, attending a Muslim function and a Minister of the Government and many others were critically injured. There are many scores of media personnel’s working in Sri Lanka, doing a very honest job without any threat from the Military or the GOSL.

Your reporter was very concerned about the video footage he received from a Sri Lankan News journalist as he is from a government paper. But he never had any hesitation to include in his segment a video footage he received from the Tamil net, given to him by the LTTE supporters as a recent recording. In fact that footage was recorded in 2007. He further adds insult to the injury by indicating and saying that the IDP Camps are like Concentration Camps, surrounded with razor wire and Army patrolling every where. He, as a reporter with the foreign correspondence for over 9 years should have seen many IDP camps in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time to understand that this is a precautionary measure to keep the people safe.

As an honest reporter he should have stressed on that point than trying to create suspicions on the mind of the viewers. But fortunately, most Australians are very aware of Terrorism around the world and the LTTE and how government take precaution to save innocent people from attacks.

What about the camps where Australian government is keeping the illegal migrants in various places in Australia and the Pacific Island. All these facilities are secured with razor and barbed wire guarded 24 hours by armed security people. I can still remember the riot that took place in the South Australian Camp where the entire perimeter was covered with Razor wire and how people try to jump over the razor wire fence, recorded by SBS, and shown Australia wide.

As you may be reading many news items about Sri Lanka, you should have noticed how a Suicide carder detonated a bomb at an IDP centre in this area, few weeks back killing 26 innocent Tamils as well as Service personnel’s. It is a pity that our Military Spokesperson Brigadier Nanayakkara failed to explained to Mr. Roberts that the razor wire and the Army is to keep these innocent people safe from the terror attacks. Mr. Roberts’s accusation that people he interviewed are plants is a very high handed accusation. To get a clear picture he says he spoke to Ms. Anna Maria Loos of the MCF much later. But this person said the razor wires and the Army is for their safety to save them from suicide bombers and only thing she did wrong was to tell Mr. Amos Roberts that they may not leave these camps before three years. Sri Lankan government has given many promises to the International community that as soon as the areas are cleared and the houses are constructed these IDP’s will be allowed to go. Mr. Amos Roberts should have seen, but failed to record, how the LTTE has demolished many of the houses of the innocent civilians by removing roofs and all other fixed items from these buildings. Why he failed to record those damage buildings? Was he advised by the LTTE supporters not to video the half demolished houses and includes in this segment? Any intelligent person should understand that as all these IDP’s were held by force or voluntarily by the LTTE, government must take precautions to identify and screen any LTTE bombers among these IDP’s without releasing them to the hands of the LTTE.

He spends much of his time intervening Mr. Vinayakaram, Editor of Sudar-Oli, a Tamils paper and another two journalists. This Editor was accused of providing information to the suicide pilots who came to bomb Colombo and Katunayake Air Port. He highlighted the family of Mr. Vinayakaram and the way this LTTE supporter explained how he is living in fear. Those Tamils who do not engage in Terror activities has nothing to worry, but Mr. Vinayakaram, as he was the one who provided information to the Tamil net from his office was questioned many a times by the Police. But this time he was caught with very strong evidence of his involvements. Mr. Vinayakaram’s brother –in-law explained how Mr. Vinayakaram was taken in a white VAN and how he was drag from the funeral parlour. 90% of the passenger VANS in Sri Lanka are white and the Police use white vans for their work. I think Mr. Roberts have forgotten how Australian Police arrest accused during raids and hand cup them.

In this regards I like to bring to your notice, the sad case of Indian Doctor Haneef, who was arrested at the Brisbane Air Port while trying to board a plane to India to see his new born daughter by the Federal police and kept in solitary confinement, as his SIM card was used by his cousin who attacked the Glasgow Air Port. All Australian media supported the government and TV broadcasting stations gave correct information as it was a very serious crime under the Terrorist Act. But later Dr. Haneef was released as there was no case against him. But this Editor, if he reports the present situation in Sri Lanka as the Australian media do he should not have any problems with the Police.

GOSL gave permission for Mr. Roberts to travel to Jaffna and to interview Mr. Kamala Nathan at his press as well as his house now. Mr. Kamala Nathan explained that he was attacked by 4 people with guns, and Mr. Roberts never questioned him who those gunmen were. According to Police reports and Mr. Kamala Nathan’s own report just after the attack, he told reporters as well as the President of Sri lanka, (Kamala Nathan is a very good friend of the President) that he was attacked by the LTTE goons and killed one or two reporters of his paper and damaged many items. The Army or any other person was not involved in this shooting according to Mr. Kamala Nathan, but Mr. Roberts failed to provide an accurate description of the incident to the Australian public as he was trying to prove that the GOSL is guilty of killing reporters and media people. May be his brief from the LTTE supporters was to prove that the GOSL is responsible for all these murders and other activities happening in Sri Lanka to journalists.

Rest of the programme he wasted on late Mr Lasantha Wickramatunga, who got killed or was killed by unknown gunmen on his way to work. This programme gave more publicity to the Editorial Mr. Lasantha Wickramatunga’s deem to have written before his death. If any sane person assumed that this Editorial was written by Mr. Lasantha Wickramatunga, then he knew his murderer. If so why he did not seek protection either from Police or his personnel body guards as most Sri Lanka do. It is a well known fact that this Editorial was written by Mrs. Sonali Wickramatunga after the death of Lasantha as she did during the last 10 years according to Lasantha’s own statement. Lasantha was a paid journalist by many to do all the dirty work and to harassed innocent people and he met his death due to gutter journalism he practiced.

To tell you frankly, I never had any respect for late Mr. Lasantha Wickramatunga as an Editor or as a reporter, after I confronted him for publishing a bogus head line story about the former President Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga. In 2000 he published a full page report in the front page of Sunday Leader about some high level corruption accusing Mrs. Kumaratunga and then her media Director, in establishing a Branch of Channel 9 in Sri Lanka. As I was a reader of the Sunday Times then, when I saw this report I was very suspicious about the contents and did some research with the Australian Securities Commission and found out that what he has written was completely false. I wrote to Lasantha Wickramatunga with documentary evidence obtained from the ASC after spending A $ 152, to correct his false news item but without correcting the news item he completely suspended publishing anything about Mrs. Kumaratunga and the Channel 9 there after. That was how he practised his gutter journalism.

Coming back to the interview Mr. Roberts had with Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse; on the arrest of Mr Vinayakaram , it is my opinion Mr. Roberts has antagonised Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse, Secretary of Defence, for him to make a very angry response about Mr. Vinayakaram’ s arrest. Mr. Roberts recorded that segment only to show how aggressive Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse was. Mr. Roberts wanted to portrait Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse as a person no one can talk to in a reasonable manner and as such no journalist or any other media person is safe with him.

I think, the full blame for this unfortunate incident should go to the GOSL’s instruction on meeting the media and providing interviews. As the official language of the country is Sinhala and Tamil, if Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse should have given this interview in Sinhala with a good (media) experience translator. If that happened, Mr. Roberts should not have the opportunity to antagonised Mr. Rajapakse to this extent. This is a very good lesson for the Top Government officials in Sri Lanka to think how foreign media supporting the LTTE may twist and turn any thing they say in good faith and to take appropriate action not to repeat this type of incidents in future.

After retiring from my Academic duties I worked as a Volunteer Consultant in Sri Lanka from 2005 up to 2007, helping Tsunami reconstruction work as well as formulating the planning and Pre-Contract documentation for a large Housing Scheme for serving service personnel, I had many dealings with Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse as the Secretary of Defence, under whose authority those projects were operating. But I have never seen Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse getting angry or raised his voice for any one working under him. This provocation is very unusual and if we look into the full segment of that interview you may be able to decide that Mr. Roberts has purposely created this scene to humiliate Mr. Rajapakse. Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse is a very humble person, trying to handle a very difficult Ministry, as every action of any service personnel may reflect on him.

In conclusion I like to state here that Mr. Roberts segment is mostly on failed reporters who supported the LTTE for some type of grant from International sources and corrupt media people than HUNTING TIGERS BY THE SRI LANKAN FORCES. Mr. Roberts failed to record a very important fight in the history of Terror war in any part of the world by the Sri Lankan forces to eliminate the worlds dangerous Terror outfit LTTE (FBI). What a shame? But this is not a surprise to many of us living in Australia as SBS always shown very strong support for the LTTE and beat their DRUM against a legitimately elected government in Sri Lanka.

With your permission, I am forwarding a copy of this mail to Col. (Retd) Gotabaya Rajapakse, Secretary of Defence Sri Lanka for his information..

Yours Truly,

Dr. Upasiri de Silva, JP.

CC:- 1. Hon. Minister of Communication Senator Steven Conroy Ministry of Communication, Parliament House Canberra. ACT.

2. Hon. David Bradbury, MP, Federal Member for Lindsay,PO.Box 712, Penrith NSW 2751.

by Dr. Upasiri de Silva, JP.