No Fire Zone

Callum Macrae

Callum will be writing up some news from the teams recent trip to Geneva but before then, he has issued this statement to counter the Government of Sri Lanka's statements today.

In relation to the statement apparently issued today from within the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, I would like to make it clear that not
one person living anywhere in Sri Lanka helped us make this film.Furthermore we have not paid anything to anyone for any evidential
material or interviews. That is simply a fact.

What is even more astonishing and disturbing is that these threats come from government sources.

The eyes of the world are on Sri Lanka just now, as the UN Human Rights Council considers how justice and accountability can best be
ensured in Sri Lanka. Thereafter Commonwealth countries will also be considering their position in relation to Commonwealth Heads of
Government meeting scheduled to be held in November in Sri Lanka.

In a country which is under criticism for the high levels of disappearances of government critics, its attacks on the judiciary and attempts to silence journalists, these apparently government- sponsored threats are beyond belief. They can only further the determination of everyone who cares about truth and accountability to ensure that justice is done.

When our first film came out – and provoked angry denials from the government - Sri Lanka’s own former president, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said,: "continued denial of proven facts and abuse of our honest critics will not resolve the problem for
anyone.”

Open threats will resolve the problem even less.

I repeat again. No person resident anywhere in Sri Lanka helped us with this film. No-one was paid for any evidence or interviews.

If Sri Lanka uses our film to justify a witch-hunt, or worse, against anyone it perceives as a critic it will condemn itself in the eyes of the
world.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Macrae was responding to a report published in the country’s biggest selling daily newspaper, the Sinhala language Divaina newspaper.
The report was also published in the English language Colombo Page online Newspaper

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_13A/
Mar05_1362464671CH.php

The article read:

Mar 05, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government is on the lookout for the people secretly supplying information to the Channel-4 television of UK, Sri Lanka's Sinhala daily The Divaina newspaper reported today.

The newspaper reported that the Ministry of Defense has requested from the public to inform it if they know about any person secretly
assisting the Channel-4 to betray the country.

The government suspects that certain persons are betraying the country for monetary gains.

Channel-4 continues to produce documentaries regarding alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka with the use of unauthenticated images claimed to
be received from the island.

Several exiled journalists calling themselves the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) claimed few years ago they provided a
video clip to Channel-4.

However, the Sri Lanka government has denied the authenticity of these materials.

The Ministry of Defense asked the public to provide information on people providing false information to foreign media outlets for monetary rewards

 

 

 

 

Posted: 5th Mar 2013

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