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Leading News from Sri Lanka ::
Aug 26, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government today said the video footage recently aired on 'Channel 4' in the UK claiming to display alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lankan forces against Tamils is absolutely false and fabricated.
It has been deliberately put together to bring disrepute to the Government of Sri Lanka, Presidential Secretariat in Colombo said in a statement.
Channel 4 News of UK showed disturbing footage of a man dressed in army uniform shooting a naked, bound, and blindfolded man in the back.
The video said to have taken by a soldier on a mobile phone was reportedly given to Channel 4 News by a group called Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lank. Channel 4 however broadcasted the video without verifying its authenticity.
Sri Lankan army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the video was a fabrication designed to discredit security forces.
The government said it will make a strong protest to Channel 4 with regard to the contents of the video and also bring the matter to the notice of the relevant authorities, and seek to pursue remedies available with regard to the distortion of truth.
"The Government of Sri Lanka view this unsubstantiated and admittedly unverifiable video footage as an attempt by elements opposed to the success of the reconciliation process under way in Sri Lanka and the ongoing efforts to rebuild the country after nearly 30 years of terror by the LTTE," the statement said.
"The Government has reasons to suspect that those who provided this false and doctored footage are those still supportive of LTTE terror, who failed in their attempts to discredit the Sri Lankan government at the recent UN Human Rights Council in Geneva," it added.
Channel 4 of UK aired a similar video in May claiming abuse and purportedly showing the inside of a welfare camp in Vavuniya. Sri Lankan government deported Nick Paton-Walsh and two other members of Channel 4 crew from the country for producing the video.
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