Eight days after the broadcasting in India of Channel 4’s documentary, 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields', the Delhi government has finally broken its silence.
During an interview with Headlines Today, which rebroadcast the documentary, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said:
“Our focus is on the welfare and the well being of the Tamil speaking minorities of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka. We have consistently emphasized to the Sri Lankan Government that their rehabilitation should be of the highest and most immediate priority.
“A fair and reasonable settlement of the political issues concerning the minorities in Sri Lanka is of utmost importance and the historic opportunity offered by the end of the conflict should be availed of at the earliest.
“The sequence of events during the last days of the conflict is unclear. The Government of Sri Lanka would need to go into the matter in greater detail. The concerns that are being expressed in this regard need to be examined”.
By contrast, this is what Britain’s Foreign minister Alistair Birt's statement, released June 16, the same night the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast in UK, said:
“I was shocked by the horrific scenes I saw in the documentary that was broadcast on 14 June.
“The recent UN Panel of Experts’ report, this documentary and previously authenticated Channel 4 footage, constitutes convincing evidence of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
“The whole of the international community will expect the Sri Lankans to give a serious and full response to this evidence.
“Since the end of the conflict the UK has called for an independent, thorough and credible investigation of the allegations that war crimes were committed during the hostilities and the UK Government expects to see progress by the end of the year. I reiterated this message to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister [today].
“If the Sri Lankan government does not respond we will support the international community in revisiting all options available to press the Sri Lankan Government to fulfil its obligations.
“Unless this is done, Sri Lanka will not be able to move on, and the prospects for reconciliation between Sri Lanka’s communities will be curtailed. It is of the greatest importance that this does not happen.”
And this is what the Commonwealth Secretariat's statement said on June 26:
“The Commonwealth Secretariat has received expressions of concern about the contents of a recent television programme concerning the civil war in Sri Lanka.
“There is understandable widespread abhorrence at what the programme purports to show. These concerns have been conveyed to the Sri Lankan government, and the Secretariat has been informed that the video footage will be given the attention that it obviously merits by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.”
“The Secretariat welcomes this undertaking to establish the facts of the situation, and to complete a full, credible, and thorough investigation that reflects Commonwealth values and principles to which all members subscribe.
“The Commonwealth has long supported the peaceful resolution of the civil war in Sri Lanka, and recognises that genuine and sustainable reconciliation must include investigation of alleged war crimes and accountability of those responsible, and the promotion of justice.”
