Tuesday, 10 May 2005

Mr Koïchiro Matsuura                                                                                        

Director-General, UNESCO

Dear Sir,

Ethics of Journalism and Protecting Human Rights

It was with surprise that we read your special statement regarding the death of D.P. Sivaram. We do not condone or advocate killings of any kind. It should be condemned as an atrocious act. But what about Mr. Sivaram?  He was an analyst of a sort. Very selective in his work. He would be the first to condemn any act of “terrorism”  committed by the so called  "racist, chauvinist, etc. etc., Sinhalese" whilst simultaneously defending each and every murder or perpetration of human rights violations committed by the Tamil tiger terrorists (the LTTE), an organization banned by the United States and many other countries in the world including Australia.

Sivaram was the editor of Tamilnet, a propagandist instrument of the worst kind, renowned for LTTE slanted reportage. He was the Joseph Goebbels of the LTTE terrorists.  His task was to justify genocide, to whitewash atrocity and canonize a megalomaniac. At his death, the manic terrorist leader Prabakaran bestowed the highest honour given to terrorist supporters, the ‘mahamantheer’ status to Sivaram. This itself demonstrates Sivaram bias in favour of terrorism whilst he was alive.

How is it that he didn't care about child soldiers?  He did not mention one word on the subject whilst the world screamed out about it!! (and is still screaming about it). Please refer to the recent articles below from reputed sources.

Gulf Times: April 23, 2005

Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca says that the United States will be happy to engage the LTTE if the LTTE renounces violence in word and deed. She said that the American position regarding the LTTE has not changed and the US will continue to view the organization as a terrorist group unless they renounce violence, stop extra-judicial killings, recruitment of child soldiers and building its military.

  21,000 Girls in Sri Lanka’s war (BBC: April 25, 2005)

Girls are the greatest casualty of war all over the world, a leading charity working with children said on Monday. A Save the Children report found more than 120,000 girls and young women have been abducted and pushed into conflict worldwide. The report says an estimated 21,500 girls are thought to be associated with the conflict in Sri Lanka while in the Democratic Republic of Congo another 12,000 are believed to be involved in armed organizations. Over 43% of all children involved in Sri Lanka’s civil war are girls, it said.

The report blamed the LTTE for the predicament of the girl child soldiers and challenged the LTTE to take immediate actions to release these girl soldiers to their parents.

How is it that Sivaram did not condemn the killings of his own people who dared to question the terrorist leader?  Hundreds of them intellectuals, politicians and ordinary civilians alike were condemned and put to death by Prabakaran. This is besides murdering two state leaders (Prime Minister Gandhi of India and President Premadasa of Sri Lanka).   We could go on for days but it is sufficient to say that your description of Sivaram, without looking into the facts, almost borders on the assumption that terrorism can be condoned, and even encouraged if it is perpetrated against small nations like Sri Lanka. Should Sivaram not be condemned for directly or indirectly sanctioning terrorism?

We, as the Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) stand to oppose terrorism in whatever shape or form anywhere on this globe.

Yours faithfully,

Dr D Jayasuriya

President

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)

Reg No. A 003 07777 M

PO Box 4066

Mulgrave    VIC 3170

Australia

URL of the Media Release is http://www.spur.asn.au/SPUR_20050510_UNESCO.htm