Sri Lankan authorities arrested and deported a British news team that produced a report exposing the abuse and ill-treatment of Tamil refugees in military controlled internment camps.
Three journalists from Channel 4, Asia Correspondent Nick Paton-Walsh, producer Bessie Du and cameraman Matt Jasper, were seized and handed over to
They were deported from
The report, aired Tuesday, May 5 on Channel 4, chronicled the alleged abuse of Tamils in internment camps in the city of
Officials discovered that Paton-Walsh consistently filed fabricated stories and has tarnished the country's image, according to a government Web site. Paton-Walsh's visa was canceled, the Web report said.
Channel 4 said the team -- which had been in the country with valid visas and had been reporting there independently for a couple of weeks -- has been told to leave the country.
"We will be seeking an explanation from the Sri Lankan government for this decision," an ITN official said.
Writing about his team’s deportation, in his blog, Nick Paton Walsh described a call he received from Sri Lankan defence secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse.
"Who is this? You rang me earlier? Is this Channel 4? You have been accusing my soldiers of raping civilians? Your visa is cancelled, you will be deported. You can report what you like about this country, but from your own country, not from here".
I'm missing out my interjections, but that's pretty much how you get deported in
British condemnation
The Foreign Office in London said it was "deeply disappointing" that a UK television news team had been expelled from Sri Lanka after reporting on alleged poor treatment of Tamils in camps there.
In a statement released on Sunday May 10, the Foreign Office said: "This is a deeply disappointing decision when the case for more transparency, not less, is overwhelming."
