Anyone interested in the nation of Sri Lanka and in the work of the gospel there should watch the Channel 4 'Dispatches' programme 'Sri Lankan Killing Fields' broadcast on Tuesday night. It is on iplayer at www.channel4.com.
It is not easy viewing as some of the scenes are among the most harrowing I have seen on television. It shows the last weeks of the civil war, in 2009, and in particular the very strong video evidence of war crimes and human rights atrocities perpetrated by the Sri Lankan government. Not that the Tamil Tigers were guiltless - they were responsible for their fair share of atrocities during the 25 year war. But the way in which the government appears to have systematically herded civilians into so called 'no fire zones' only to bomb and shell them repeatedly, and attack hospitals, as well as the summary execution of prisoners, was horrific.
Why is there no public outcry? Why are we bending over backwards to dislodge Gaddafi but do nothing about Mugabe in Zimbabwe or even make an audible protest about the Sri Lankan regime? Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and nothing has been said as far as I am aware by our government or at least in such a small whisper that it was easily missed.
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Sorry to be late in coming to this. It was a disturbing documentary and as one who knows personally some who have been directly affected, and bereaved, by the conflict I found it very painful. The knowledge that war is often like this, and that handheld video cameras and camera phones have made atrocity much more immediate than it used to be, does little to mitigate the rawness of that.
ReplyDeleteQuestions have been asked in the House, including by Mr Lee Scott (Ilford North) (Con)on the following day and the PM responded sympathetically. He referred, however, to the role of the UN in addressing the problem. Some hope of that happening.