21st April 2019
Director General, British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA
cc. Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Prime Minister <mayt@parliament.uk> ……… Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Opposition ……..<jeremy.corbyn.mp@parliament.uk>………Rt Hon. the Lord Naseby <amnaseby@btinternet.com>
Dear Sir
Misleading information and racially biased innuendoes by the BBC on the Sri Lankan Bombing Incidents today
As a peace loving Sri Lankan Sinhala and a Buddhist domiciled in the United Kingdom, it was with great sadness and dismay that I listened to the surreptitious, covert and even overt underpinnings of implied accusations on the majority Sinhala Buddhist community by your BBC news presenters and the reporters on the above subject.
Firstly, I express my heartfelt sympathy for all Christians affected by the horrendous, brutal and obviously pre-planned and mercilessly executed bombing of Christian Churches on this Easter Sunday in my motherland of Sri Lanka. Easter Sunday is the most profound day of joy of resurrection of Jesus Christ since his crucifixion.
The fact that this was not limited to Christian churches is obvious as bombings have been carried out in 5 and 6 star hotels in Colombo. They extended to the North and the East of Sri Lanka as evident with the increasing number of bombings.
The BBC newscasters both in BBC 1 and global BBC TV have been for decades noted for their historic partisanship tantamount to encouragement of Tamil separatist terrorism in Sri Lanka. Sadly the BBC appears to have seen a golden opportunity yet again to cast aspersions and accusations on the majority Sinhala Buddhist community in Sri Lanka. Your news casters stated that such attacks on minority religious places have been prevalent in Sri Lanka. You interviewed a person from the well known pro-separatist pied piper of the LTTE in the UK, the Tamil Guardian. He mentioned that well over 66 church attacks have happened in Sri Lanka. He further did not forget to insert another “catchphrase” of allegations of the past, i.e. that over 10000 people have been massacred and places of religious worship and hospitals were bombed previously by government forces.
Instead of inviting racist media remnants of the LTTE, please interview the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in London if you wish to present a clear unbiased view.
What one fears is that even after ten years of peace since the ending of the most ruthless, racist, separatist on earth, the LTTE, the BBC is yet again disseminating nationally and internationally, racially biased and anti-Buddhist rhetoric quite openly. You blatantly and wilfully ignore the real culprits and renowned ruthless attackers of innocent people in Sri Lanka.
Please try not give the oxygen of life through the BBC to the defunct remnants of the UK and global LTTE or any other racist or religious terrorists.
Therefore, I present a few reminders below, in the hope that you may not add insult to injuries inflicted on the people of Sri Lanka.
Yours sincerely
Dr. Ivan Amarasinghe
…. Northampton NN3 9DS …..United Kingdom
LTTE massacre of Catholics, Muslims and Sinhalese in their worshipping places since 1983
(1) LTTE massacre of 148 innocent Buddhist Pilgrims on Wesak Day at the Holiest Buddhist Tree site in Sri Lanka (Video record by the LTTE itself and put up on the WWW)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffzokn0LohI
(2) LTTE massacre of 33 innocent young Bhikkus at Aranthalawa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLqzbbgWk7I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10n-WultaM
(3) LTTE attack on the Holiest Buddhist Temple, the Temple of the Holy Tooth in Sri Lanka
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/50366.stm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10n-WultaM
On 25 January 1998, the LTTE exploded a massive truck bomb inside the Temple of the Tooth premises, which was to be the centre the independence day celebrations.Three suicide LTTE Black Tigers drove an explosive laden truck along the King’s street (Raja Veediya), firing at soldiers manning road blocks around the place, crashed through the entrance and detonated the bomb around 6:10 am, local time. Two explosions were heard. The truck contained 300–400 kg of high explosives.16 people, including the 3 attackers and a 2-year old infant were killed in the incident. Over 25 people, including 4 women, a monk and a police officer were injured. P. W. Withanage, a professor of geology also died due to shock after hearing the incident. The powerful attack left most of the buildings within a radius of 5 km damaged, and glass panes broken.
(4) LTTE massacre of 147 Muslims while in Prayer at their Mosque
On 3 August 1990, around 30 heavily armed Tamil rebels crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Kattankudy. At around 8:10pm, they entered the Meer Jumma Masjid, Hussainiya, Masjid-Jul-Noor and Fowzie Mosques, where hundreds of devotees were attending Friday Isha prayers. The LTTE cadres were disguised as Muslims to avoid suspicion.
As the civilians knelt in prayer, the Tamil rebels attacked them, spraying automatic fire and hurling hand grenades at the worshipers. Most of the victims were shot in the back or side. The rebels fled as Sri Lankan soldiers, notified of the ongoing massacre, arrived at the scene.[4]
Initial report put the death toll at around 100, but as many of the injured who were rushed to hospital succumbed to their injuries, the final death toll rose to over 147.
(5) LTTE Attacks on Catholic Church in Sri Lanka = http://slembassyusa.org/embassy_press_releases/ltte-attacks-catholic-church-in-mannar/
A NOTE
Foreign Secretary statement on Sri Lankan attacks
The UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world and with the government and people of Sri Lanka, says Jeremy Hunt.
Officials inspect the damaged St. Sebastian’s Church after multiple explosions targeting churches and hotels across Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019. Over 200 people were killed in the attacks, including several British nationals. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Speaking after the attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:
I’m deeply shocked and saddened by the horrifying attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka today, and the tragic news of more than 200 people killed, including several British nationals.
To target those gathered for the simple act of worship on Easter Sunday is unspeakably wicked. Everyone has a right to practice their faith in peace, safety and security but tragedies like this, and the one in Christchurch, remind us that there are some who hate these rights and freedoms.
These despicable acts were carried out at a time when millions of Christians celebrate Easter while living under the shadow of persecution. Many gather in churches at risk of attack; countless more will have suffered threats or discrimination.
The UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world and with the government and people of Sri Lanka. My prayers are with all the victims and their families.
The self pontificating NGO’s Such as Alan Keenan resident commentator on Al jazeera and the rest, when the early stages of what took place during the easter terror in sri lanka, were the first to line up and play the Sinhala buddhist card. Those of us who are aware of the small minority of the sinhala fascist know fully that those people like the white nationalist in the west are more inclined to mob attacks and cannot organize the kind of complex planned attack that took place in sri lanka. It didn’t fit the usual MO of these groups. Yet people like Alan Keenan who played a significant role in dismantling the security and intelligence services on this false narrative , which could have prevented this attack and have the blood of innocents on his hand as well, continued to preach this narrative. Until the Islamist angle came to be known. Then he still tried to blame the sinhala Buddhist for their past attacks of muslim community and their reaction. But could not explain why the peaceful christian community was targeted. Like wise the rest of the western NGO who help this terror attack used the same narrative. Then Some elements tried to blame the LTTE element coming up to the 10 year anniversary, which those of us knew weren’t them as they would never attack western tourist as the west would then stop babying them, not their past MO. These NGO’s like the terrorist are fully responsible for what happened in sri lanka, for removing the vital security and intel which took years to build.
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT LTTE. DID TO OUR COUNTRY. WE SINHALESE SUFFER SO MUCH. BUT SO LOVING BBC DIDN’T BOTHER ABOUT IT.
Dear Ivan, You have written something valuable which will enlighten the public . You have done your duty to the motherland. All the best.