Dear Chief of Staff,
I watched your yesterday’s (Thursday 15 October 2009) 6:30 pm News coverage of the Sri Lankan asylum seekers who are now detained in Indonesia. I urge you to take the following comments into consideration in any future coverage of similar issues:
1. You gave extensive coverage to what the asylum seekers wanted to say,interviewing their adult spokesman and the young girl.
2. Then you topped it up with an interview with the so called Tamil community spokesperson, Sam Pari. She, although living in Australia, spoke of killings, rapes and other atrocities committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka. You may or may not be aware that Sam Pari was the person who led all those disruptive demonstrations, sit-ins and “hunger strikes” in Sydney and Canberra in a vain attempt by the Tamil Tiger agents in Australia to save their leaders in the last hours of the war in Sri Lanka. Her support for the asylum seekers proves that they have the full blessing of the Tamil Tigers. 
3. Other than mentioning that the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, who has refuted similar allegations in the past, was not available for comment, SBS did not give an opportunity for any party to defend the good name of Sri Lanka which was badly tarnished through lies concocted by the asylum seekers and Sam Pari. If the High Commissioner was not available you should have balanced your story by giving equal time for a Sri Lankan community leader to speak and expose the lies doled out by the others.
Why only invite “Tamil community” spokespersons?
4. You may or may not be aware that these asylum seekers have constant mobile phone contact with the Tamil Tiger agents here. They are continually coached on everything happening here, from what our politicians say to what our media portray. For example, first they threatened to blow up the boat. Then when the Tamil Tiger agents here observed that the public opinion turned against allowing the Afghans who made similar threats, the asylum seekers retracted their threat and said they wouldn’t blow up and that they didn’t come to die!
5. You may or may not have observed (but having born and lived in Sri Lanka, we surely did) that the adult spokesman and the young girl did not have the slightest Sri Lankan Tamil accent. Their mastery of the English language was also extremely surprising. If they came from Jaffna, as they declared, there is no way they can speak such articulate English with an accent completely alien to Sri Lankans. Most probably they had spent long years in a Western country appealing against court verdicts disallowing them refugee status.
6. You may not have realized that the international Tamil Tiger establishment is a sophisticated machine that would use any ruse to generate funds. People smuggling and then milking them once they are settled in their host countries is one of the important income avenues of the Tigers.
7. Also, Tamil Tigers are experts in publicity generating stunts. They use any such publicity to denigrate Sri Lanka. You may remember the “hunger strikes” that were staged by the so called Tamil Community in Sydney, Parramatta and Canberra. Did anyone of those “hunger strikers” really become sick? No. Please read the appended article from The Daily Mail in UK. It is excellent proof that the Tamil Tigers are taking the developed countries, the media and even the security establishments for a ride.
Finally, once again I urge you to balance your news items. If you need someone to speak on behalf of Sri Lanka, or the Sri Lankan community in Australia, please contact me on the avenues below. I am the founder of the Society for Peace, Unity and human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) that have been in the forefront in exposing Tamil Tiger misinformation for the past 15 years. I have been interviewed by Australian print and electronic media including Dateline and SBS news in the past.
Regards,
Asoka Subhawickrama
Hunger striker’s £7m Big Mac: Tamil who cost London a fortune in policing was sneaking in fast-food
Hi Dear Asoka Subhawickrama,
I’m International Student from Sri Lanka.Tx to ur comments,It’s love see some one defending the country what is happening. There is so much of propaganada, and immasive coverage is being by the media.There is so much of Tigers behind the seen.
Tx & welldone,keep up ur good work.
Shantha
Last week end’s happening has been telecasted by One TV: World Triathlon Championship from Budapest Hungary. On Tuesda men’s, Wednesday women’s sweimming, cycling and running. I am not telling you any names, because SBS, being an internationally oriented channel – or supposed to be? – didn’t even mentioned this event, where one man received second price and next day two Aussie girls won gold and silver.
Shame on you SBS, we are very annoyed, that Craig Foster is so narrow minded and focuses only on brutal brawl – cheekily named “sport” – such as rugby, NRL or whatever. If that happened on the streets, people would call the police. To us there are so many beautiful, clean sports – of which SBS never talks about. Shame on you.