Video About war crimes of the Srilankan Government in the final Battle against LTTE

[Vargha Poralli]

Killing fields of Srilanka (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1)

Channel 4 has complied the videos taken during the final battles and has made it in to an documentary.

British comrades might explain what the episode actaually says. I din't have courage to see it completely. The starting secens affected me very badly.

Can anyone please let me know what point is made by the documentary ?

[Bronco]

There is a thread (http://www.revleft.com/vb/horrific-documentary-channel-t156359/index.html) on it in the Literature & Films section, I think the point of the documentary is just to expose the crimes of the Sri Lankan government, the extent of which a lot of people, myself included until I saw it, were ignorant of. Hopefully it will also instigate an investigation into the allegations

[Aurora]

I haven't watched it yet, i was following the war crimes as they happened at the time needless to say they were horrific, fair dues to channel 4 for continuing to highlight them when the rest of the media didn't care.

[Volcanicity]

I think the point of the documentary is just to expose the crimes of the Sri Lankan government.
I have'nt seen the documentary yet so I don't know if this was mentioned or not,but there's also been allegations of the part the UK played in selling arms to Sri Lanka during the "ceasefire" of 2005-8.

From the Morning Star:

The British government continues to license millions of pounds in arms to the Sri Lankan regime despite suggestions that they may have been used in war crimes, campaigners claimed yesterday.

New evidence of alleged atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan state in its purge of a Tamil Tiger stronghold in 2009 emerged this week in a Channel 4 documentary.

Both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government have been accused of committing atrocities during the conflict which is estimated to have killed up to 40,000 civilians.
Earlier this year a panel of experts convened by UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon reported that it had found "credible allegations" of war crimes on both sides.

The film, screened on Tuesday night, included footage of apparent extra-judicial killing of prisoners by Sri Lankan government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted.
It also examined alleged atrocities carried out by the LTTE, including the use of human shields and a suicide bombing in a government centre for the displaced.

In response to the film the Foreign Office called on the Sri Lankan government to launch an urgent investigation into the allegations.

But Campaign Against Arms Trade (Caat) said the government must also look to its own possible complicity in the atrocities and has called for an embargo on arms sales to Sri Lanka and an examination of its past record on arms exports.

In particular the group said that arms sales during the period of the 2005-8 "ceasefire" between the government and LTTE must be scrutinised.
During this period Britain approved arms export licences worth a total of £18 million for armaments including armoured cars, machine-gun components and semi-automatic pistols.

Britain was accused of licensing arms sales worth £700,000 in 2009 and around £1m in 2010.

The cross-party committee on arms export controls said that it could not guarantee that British-licensed armaments were not used during the Sri Lankan government attempt to eradicate the LTTE.

The committee heavily criticised the arms exports and said Britain should review its policy on arms sales to Sri Lanka.

Caat spokeswoman Kaye Stearman said: "David Cameron and the UK government are calling on the Sri Lankan government to investigate the atrocities but we also need a proper investigation of the UK government's own complicity in selling arms to Sri Lanka, despite knowing how they were likely to be used.
"UK arms sales confer support and legitimacy on the Sri Lankan government, just as they do to Middle East governments who use UK arms against their own people."
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/105982.

[Bronco]

I have'nt seen the documentary yet so I don't know if this was mentioned or not,but there's also been allegations of the part the UK played in selling arms to Sri Lanka during the "ceasefire" of 2005-8.

From the Morning Star:

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/105982.

It didnt no (unless I missed it) & I wasnt aware of that either, thanks for the link

[Pulasthi]

I'm from Sri lanka and already this documentry has turned on a huge controversial response.The government for the past two years since the war ended refused charges on war crimes,but as credible evidence is brought up now they are struggling.This war was carried out in the most secretive manner,no indepented monitors/media were allowed to the battle front.The government controled the press strongly and the sinhalese south was brainwashed about what's happening.The government created an image like "Here the LTTE "terrorists" have taken tamil civilians as hostage so we are gonna kick them off and rescue them blah blah" and the complete sinhalese south believed it.Government even called this battle as a "humanitarian operation".But the truth cannot be hidden and here it comes out,and all myths about humanitarian operations etc have begun to collapse.Since Mahinda Rajapaksha the present president is in office sinhalese nationalism became so dominant,still the hegemonic ideology is sinhalese nationalism in the political south,therefore the government through promoting "patriotism" against the "evil LTTE" which came to destroy the "motherland",got the chance of misleading the people.But since the war ended the scenario is slowly changing.Now the workers have begun to forward their demands.Students are fighting for better facilities and the "patriotic image" of Rajapaksha has begun to deteriorate.Struggles of socio economic nature are slowly erecting.This documentary will make that de "nationalist" process much rapid.People will begin to understand the truth of the so called "humanitarian operation" and that will bring Rajapaksha a hard time.

Having said that I have to point out - that the story has another side which was untold.

Although this documentry was intended to reveal the crimes of the Sri lankan state,it neglects another important side of the story.The LTTE was equally brutal when it comes to their tactics.In 2002 the ex SL premier entered in to a peace pact with the LTTE and that became a great releif to the tamils in the north who were been suffering within the conflict for ages.A process of negotiation went forward but in 2006 LTTE quit the process.It saw the ceasfire process as a threat to it's military supremacy on the tamil people.In 2005 presidental election LTTE didn't allowed tamils in the north to vote,(the majority of the tamils were expected to vote for the pro negotiation candidate Ranil Wickramasinha not Mahinda Rajapaksha) and what the LTTE wanted was to quickly move in to a war scenerio once again.They thought that with Rajapaksha - A sinhalese hardliner- in office it would be easy for them to gain international support in achieving their goal - a separate Tamil state.After Rajapaksha came in to power even after that there were some negotiation rounds due to the international pressure.but the LTTE abandoned it,carried out an assassination attempt on the cheif of the Sri lankan Army
(When this happened the ceasefire was still there.This assassination attempt was clearly a clear provocation.LTTE wanted the war!Not peace.)

Later the LTTE carried out a seiris of murderous attacks against civilians,many buses were blown with civilians inside in southern sub urbs.One such incident happened in a rural place called Kebithigollawa,the LTTE blewed up a bus full of civilians - most of them were ordinary (sinhalese) rural peasents women and children.This was a horrific incident at that time as the ceasefire was still there.(Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post links here,otherwise you'll see equally horrific images of LTTE targets)
The LTTE strategically through these attacks on civilians aimed to provoke a racist response among the Sinhalese - as in 1983 july - such a riot agaisnt tamils in the southern sub urbs at that point would have been very advantageous for them as it will attract international sympathy.So when the documentary says that "everything was fine until 2008" that is factually incorrect.When kilinochchi fell,many moderate Tamils urged the LTTE to come in to a negotiation process.They refused stubbornly and finally as a military tactic held thousands of Tamil civilians as a human shield (This was mentioned in the documentary too) They shot civilians who tried to fled the LTTE controlled areas to government controlled areas.This made the destruction much worse.Both the state and the LTTE didn't gave a DAMN about the civilians.

And another brief point - Rajapksha government unlike the previous regimes has a strong affection towards the Chinese-Russian bloc.Not because the guy is an "anti Imperialist" ( He is the greatest opportunist I've ever seen among the Sri lankan Bourgeoisie politicians,honestly) but strategically China and Russia was much supportive of the government during the civil war.Obviously the anti Rajapksha mindset which the western super powers have today is closely related with this fact.West is not in good terms with Rajapaksha due to his flirtation towards China and Russia.Anyway I don't think Channel 4 will broadcast a pro gramme with a title "Killing fields in Afghanistan" or "Killing fields in Ireland".If Rajapaksha was pro US rather than a pro Chinese lad then I like to bet anything - "sri lankan killing fields" would never been have produced.

[Vargha Poralli]

I'm from Sri lanka and already this documentry has turned on a huge controversial response.The government for the past two years since the war ended refused charges on war crimes,but as credible evidence is brought up now they are struggling.This war was carried out in the most secretive manner,no indepented monitors/media were allowed to the battle front.The government controled the press strongly and the sinhalese south was brainwashed about what's happening.The government created an image like "Here the LTTE "terrorists" have taken tamil civilians as hostage so we are gonna kick them off and rescue them blah blah" and the complete sinhalese south believed it.Government even called this battle as a "humanitarian operation".But the truth cannot be hidden and here it comes out,and all myths about humanitarian operations etc have begun to collapse.Since Mahinda Rajapaksha the present president is in office sinhalese nationalism became so dominant,still the hegemonic ideology is sinhalese nationalism in the political south,therefore the government through promoting "patriotism" against the "evil LTTE" which came to destroy the "motherland",got the chance of misleading the people.But since the war ended the scenario is slowly changing.Now the workers have begun to forward their demands.Students are fighting for better facilities and the "patriotic image" of Rajapaksha has begun to deteriorate.Struggles of socio economic nature are slowly erecting.This documentary will make that de "nationalist" process much rapid.People will begin to understand the truth of the so called "humanitarian operation" and that will bring Rajapaksha a hard time.

Having said that I have to point out - that the story has another side which was untold.

Although this documentry was intended to reveal the crimes of the Sri lankan state,it neglects another important side of the story.The LTTE was equally brutal when it comes to their tactics.In 2002 the ex SL premier entered in to a peace pact with the LTTE and that became a great releif to the tamils in the north who were been suffering within the conflict for ages.A process of negotiation went forward but in 2006 LTTE quit the process.It saw the ceasfire process as a threat to it's military supremacy on the tamil people.In 2005 presidental election LTTE didn't allowed tamils in the north to vote,(the majority of the tamils were expected to vote for the pro negotiation candidate Ranil Wickramasinha not Mahinda Rajapaksha) and what the LTTE wanted was to quickly move in to a war scenerio once again.They thought that with Rajapaksha - A sinhalese hardliner- in office it would be easy for them to gain international support in achieving their goal - a separate Tamil state.After Rajapaksha came in to power even after that there were some negotiation rounds due to the international pressure.but the LTTE abandoned it,carried out an assassination attempt on the cheif of the Sri lankan Army
(When this happened the ceasefire was still there.This assassination attempt was clearly a clear provocation.LTTE wanted the war!Not peace.)

Later the LTTE carried out a seiris of murderous attacks against civilians,many buses were blown with civilians inside in southern sub urbs.One such incident happened in a rural place called Kebithigollawa,the LTTE blewed up a bus full of civilians - most of them were ordinary (sinhalese) rural peasents women and children.This was a horrific incident at that time as the ceasefire was still there.(Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post links here,otherwise you'll see equally horrific images of LTTE targets)
The LTTE strategically through these attacks on civilians aimed to provoke a racist response among the Sinhalese - as in 1983 july - such a riot agaisnt tamils in the southern sub urbs at that point would have been very advantageous for them as it will attract international sympathy.So when the documentary says that "everything was fine until 2008" that is factually incorrect.When kilinochchi fell,many moderate Tamils urged the LTTE to come in to a negotiation process.They refused stubbornly and finally as a military tactic held thousands of Tamil civilians as a human shield (This was mentioned in the documentary too) They shot civilians who tried to fled the LTTE controlled areas to government controlled areas.This made the destruction much worse.Both the state and the LTTE didn't gave a DAMN about the civilians.

And another brief point - Rajapksha government unlike the previous regimes has a strong affection towards the Chinese-Russian bloc.Not because the guy is an "anti Imperialist" ( He is the greatest opportunist I've ever seen among the Sri lankan Bourgeoisie politicians,honestly) but strategically China and Russia was much supportive of the government during the civil war.Obviously the anti Rajapksha mindset which the western super powers have today is closely related with this fact.West is not in good terms with Rajapaksha due to his flirtation towards China and Russia.Anyway I don't think Channel 4 will broadcast a pro gramme with a title "Killing fields in Afghanistan" or "Killing fields in Ireland".If Rajapaksha was pro US rather than a pro Chinese lad then I like to bet anything - "sri lankan killing fields" would never been have produced.

I agree.

Even the west supported Srilankan Goevrnment before Rajapaksha by Banning LTTE.

LTTE are no saints either. They are a good example of dead end of petty Bourgeoise nationalism and armed struggle of any sort without basic democratic participation of affected people. Their destruction is basically good riddance.

But Rajapaksha government should not be let to get away with these crimes. I don't say that he should be punished by UN or other but by the Srilankan people themselves.