Lankans in London to protest against BBC
Sri Lankans Against Terrorism`, a newly formed organisation in UK, has organised a demonstration against the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) from 12 noon to 3 pm on May 15.
Members of this outfit comprising Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim Sri Lankans living in UK will protest in front of the BBC`s `Bush House` building in London against `false and distorted reporting on Sri Lanka`.
Rani Bulathwela, an organiser told the Sunday Island that in the recent past BBC television, BBC radio including the Sinhala Service `Sandeshaya` had been responsible for false and distorted reports favouring the Tamil Tigers. `These reports undermined the good work of the Sri Lanka government and the armed forces who are trying to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict`.
`All Sri Lankans in London have united to organise this demonstration`, she said.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka Freedom Party branch in the UK together with other political and non political organisation organised a Bodhi Pooja to invoke blessings on Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka who was injured in the recent suicide bomb attack in Colombo.
This ceremony, held at Sri Saddatissa International Buddhist Centre in London, was conducted by Ven. Galayaye Piyadassai Thera.
When a report is favorising Tigers, it`s FORCEBILY A FALSE INFORMATION !
What a logic !
Hello BBC, Please listen to these guys and from now on get the news from `The Island` only and broadcast them. Island is the only neutral media in Sri Lanka. (Yeah.....Right)
Rani Bulathwela and the goons expect the world renowned BBC to lie like their Upali Group of Newspapers and Asiatribune.
Any one who is honest appears partial to the extremists.
New travel arrangement and traffic diversion will be in forced by metropolitan police in view of the protest. Minimum 2K is expected.
RSPCA in support for the protest.
SL is the only Buddhist country to ban culling stray dogs. Mahinda Chintana 09/10.
If Lord Buddha is alive he may have to follow our beloved Prez`s chintana. The SL prez and his hard line PM behaviour commendable. Decapitate Tamils feed the stray dogs. Keep the Tamils head for monks cannibals at Dhalada Maligava.
BBC don`t be cruel to dogs.
I think BBC should get news from nitharsanam.com
Then we can find, in advance, who is going to get kill through BBC.
Rani Acca,
First you must visit the country, especially the north and east and have a good look at what is happening before taking your gang to London streets, if your objective is genuine. But if this pelapali is just a social gathering and an eyewash ending with beer, scotch and sandwiches and a little name for you then carry on with your march.
Blind leading the blind is not a bad thing after all. Also you may explain to the BBC and the world at large what kind of negotiated settlement your government had contemplated and what had been done so far beside bombing Tamil civilians in Mutur and the extra judicial killings in Trinco beach, trinco town and many areas in Jaffna and more importantly after the first Geneva talk.
Rani Acca what actions planned after the 2nd Geneva talk, let them know that too. Also keep the absolutely fair Island Group informed of your plans and intension for the future too.
I highlighted this in this forum a few months ago, challenging TC head-on... Now this is raw evidence.
Do you think these protesters are crazy... or got nothing to do than protesting?
Yes, BBC`s reporting affects Sri Lankans` mindset adversely... and personally, I stopped reading & listening BBC material since mid 1980s when specially chosen reporters with unique voices, pronouncing each word very slowly and clearly, were reporting from Colombo, emotionally packed stories on the conflict, setting the two sides very diplomatically, against each other. It was all in the words.
I would not go the extent as calling BBC is reporting lies... but they skillfully `MINCE WORDS` in such a way to provoke many emotions (stress, anger, tension) and high blood pressure of Sri Lankans desparately looking for credible news... and a solution.
Put in other words... the writers are under strict instructions to ensure that their reports must arouse those critical emotions and... the hatred and the divisions between the two communities must continue.
Unfortunately, many Sri Lankans are very sensitive... and the BBC is exploiting that to leave us us WELL-DIVIDED, hopeless and angry... after reading their reports. That partly contributes to this scenario, as Sri Lankans continue to patronize BBC...
You can verify these facts by comparing BBC`s reporting on matters covering incidents of violence, racial issues and other sensitive news in the west against our conflict and similar ones in third world countries...
Also carefully compare BBC reports on our conflict against those of AP, AFP and Reuters` reports and discover the difference.
Divide... divide... divide... and control... that`s their long established strategy, reaping excellent benefits for them.
I am sure some of you may have heard that several times BBC reporters were asked to get out by GOSL... I have seen this happened also in Singapore, India and some African countries? Why?
Understand it... and act accordingly... It`s not BBC`s fault or call... It`s our fault and call!
Do not patronize BBC. Period.
Rani Acca, Send this posting from Sunday Times too to the BBC liars:
In an ironic incident illustrating the climate of grave insecurity amidst which Tamil journalists are working in Sri Lanka, a young Tamil woman broadcaster was arrested when trying to attend a conference in Colombo to mark World Press Freedom Day.
Sivaramya Sivanathan, a 26-year-old working as a relief announcer at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation was arrested on May 1 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall where a UNESCO-sponsored three-day conference for international media representatives to mark World Press Freedom Day was being held. Sivaramya was produced in court on May 2 and remanded in the Welikada prison. Her case is to be heard again on May 5.
It is learnt that she was detained initially by the Ministerial Security Division personnel in charge of Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera who suspected her of being a woman suicide bomber targeting the minister. Sivaramya was then handed over to the Cinnamon Gardens Police who in turn produced her in courts. Colombo Chief Magistrate Kusala Weerawardena ordered Sivaramya to be held till May 5 at the Welikade remand prison.
Journalists close to Sivaramya say that she too had wanted to attend the inaugural function of World Press Freedom Day. Sivaramya has been a relief announcer at the SLBC Tamil service since 2003. She has also been selected as a news reader for Independent Television Network. She had gone to BMICH for the function without an invitation . She had gone because of its significance to her profession.
Many people including women were attending the function without invitations. There was no problem as most of them were from the majority community. But Sivaramya Sivanathan being a Tamil woman had a problem. She was asked to produce her invitation which she did not have. The security personnel became suspicious.
Mangala`s security men in particular were agitated. She produced her national identity card and media accreditation card and SLBC ID card but these were of no avail. She was searched and nothing was found. Yet Minister Samaraweera`s men insisted on her being handed over to the police.
The police then took over. Upon checking with SLBC they found her credentials to be genuine. SLBC Tamil Services Director Jeevendra Kumar vouched for her. He told the police that she was not officially assigned to cover the event but had gone there out of interest and with his permission. It appeared to be a straight-forward matter and had the suspect been a non-Tamil would have been released without much fuss.
The courts do have power to exercise their judgement and discretion in cases before them. It is not mandatory that courts should believe everything the cops tell them. But when Tamils are produced as suspects in cases like these the courts remand them as a matter of routine.
Meanwhile members of her family, the SLBC and media organisations began agitating.
Rani Acca contd....
UNESCO officials too were upset at this and made representations at the highest levels. Initially security personnel had spread the story that a suicide bomber had come to kill Mangala Samaraweera and had been arrested. This led to much excitement among the delegates at the conference. But soon the truth emerged. There was much anxiety and horror among the foreign journalists at this ill-advised arrest.
Some of these journalists too began agitating for Sivaramya`s release. Any political capital that Mahinda Rajapakse could have made by staging the WRFD conference in Colombo was lost due to two matters. One was the attack on Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna. The other was the arrest of Sivaramya Sivanathan. The foreign journalists got a first hand impression of what life was like for Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka. If this was the plight of journalists then the situation faced by ordinary Tamils had to be even more difficult.
The International Federation of Journalists has also issued a statement calling for a `speedy inquiry and early release of Sivaramya Sivanathan.` The arrest of a journalist at an event designed to celebrate and promote freedom of the press, raises serious concern about the independence of the media and their ability to move freely and perform their duties of reporting,` said IFJ President, Christopher Warren.
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A news media would be subjective or objective at different times, it is we who should analyze the ground realities; a newsletter says thus:
Even his peace efforts will not prove fruitful if he is to be constantly irritated by obstacles placed on the road to peace by the extremist elements within his own alliance and party. It is ironic that the only elements that do not support the President in his peace efforts are those within his own camp.
On the one hand the rising costs of essential items is creating increasing public frustration while the escalation in violence, the lack of proper investigations and the disruption of the day to day lives of civilians is causing mayhem.
If Rajapakse does not want to take this country into a further state of anarchy he must step back and take stock. Perhaps his first move should be to attempt to sign a few more agreements with those who oppose him so that his government may finally be able to speak with one voice on the issue of peace. Certainly, this is a time of reckoning for the President.