These allegations have been rejected by the Lankan government. To what extent are the claims valid? Since these are serious allegations, it is important to examine the veracity of the `evidence’ presented by the Independent which collaborates closely with Channel-4 and British TamilAdvocacy groups.
What raises suspicions is the surfacing of this picture after one year, with the claim that it is part of a successive footage from the same camera. Are there any other photos? Figure 2 clearly shows that the light comes to this under-ground bunker from the area numbered 1, and radiates towards 2, 3 etc. Nevertheless, the there are hardly any shadows consistent with the light source around the boy’s body or the head area.
A blow-up of the region around the left shoulder of the child shows that, far from there being any type of shadow, a shoddy job of colour filing has been done along the edge of the shoulder. The shadow seen in the sand bags just left of number 9 indicates what to expect. Furthermore, the shadow of the edge of blanket near no. 7, on the arm, is completely in the wrong direction.
Furthermore, the end of the bench to the left off no. 6 does not show the planks, but appears to have been worked over on the initial canvas using graphic tools, totally obliterating the type of texture of the wood planks seen to the right of the boy.
It is also important to compare very carefully the trouser worn by the boy lying dead on the ground, shown below.
First, we notice a person wearing slippers. We also se an ordinary civilian shoe.
This shows that the people around the dead boy are NOT SOLDIERS. Perhaps a group of
LTTE people found the dead boy much earlier. The camera belonged to an LTTE person who
had other pictures of bunkers, or of the boy and used them for creating graphic art with photoshop or any other tool.
The narrow black flap on the pocket cover is 16-18 cm long and narrow, with a width of 4cm. On the other hand, the trouser worn by the boy seated on the wooden plank has a pocket flap which is much wider. The artist, in positioning the boy seems to have drawn the flap in a way different from that on the trouser of the boy dead, and laying on the ground. Two pictures of the boy sitting in the bunker have been published. If the pictures in the bunker are authentic, then the picture of the dead boy wearing a similar but different trouser is inconsistent with the claims of these British reports. Hence the new picture raises troubling questions about the way photos are being used as `evidence’ in an age where sophisticated graphic tools are readily available even to a child. Of course, the Tigers are well known to be past masters of publishing fake photos. Many pictures of Prabhakaran posing in groups with black tigers, or blown up bodies attributed to the army were published in the Tamil Net from as early as 10 years before the demise of the Tigers.
The pictures fill in chilling details on the circumstances of his murder — and leave the Sri Lankan government with yet more questions to answer about just how systematic the executions at the end of the war appear to have been. Last year, we first revealed video footage and stills which showed Balachandran’s body shortly after his execution. These were analysed for us by a respected forensic pathologist, Professor Derrick Pounder, to assess the cause of death.
Murder of Tamils, Sri Lanka
The professor identified what he thinks is the first of the shots to be fired at the boy: “There is a speckling (on the skin) from propellant tattooing, indicating that the distance of the muzzle of the weapon to this boy’s chest was two to three feet or less. He could have reached out with his hand and touched the gun that killed him.”
The professor said the angle of the shots suggested that after that bullet was fired, the boy fell backwards and was then shot four more times. Unlike the men around him, there was no indication that the boy had been blindfolded or bound, so it was possible that the boy may have been made to watch the execution of his guards before the gun was turned on him.
The new photographs released today give us a chilling insight into what happened before that. They appear to demonstrate that the situation was calm and orderly. Balachandran was given a snack and some water. There was time to take photographs while he was held in the bunker and again afterwards. The forensic analysis report on the photographs concludes that there is “no evidence to indicate fabrication, manipulation or the use of effects to create the images” and concludes that the photographs “appear to be an accurate representation of the events depicted.”
From the separate video sequence recorded later (which has also been authenticated by both digital video analysis), it is clear that there were several military personnel in the area.
Investigation on war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said director Callum Macrae in a recorded message from London, adding that he hoped the film would lead to informed debate about the issue in the United Nations.
The so called allegations in their footage of the entire Channel Four episode on the last stages of war in Sri Lanka, is fabricated and the government completely denies and rejects the, Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.
The ‘Daily News’ reported that the minister was addressing the Cabinet press briefing yesterday at the Ministry Auditorium.
This is an organised agenda of pro-LTTE diaspora to tarnish the image of the country by releasing of this kind of sensational footages on the verge of the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, the minister said.
He questioned that without releasing it soon after the war, why the Channel Four to 3 to 4 years to come up with this documentary.
The minister said, observing the pattern, that the next doctored documentary of the Channel Four on the war in Sri Lanka to be released just before the next UNHRC sessions next year could be easily predicted.
He requested that the content of the footage should be critically analyzed as the government on earlier occasions had challenged them.
He stressed that the former army commander and security forces had plainly rejected these claims which had been directed at the entire security establishments, adding that, a technical analysis on Channel Four’s latest documentary on Sri Lanka is now in progress.
In a technical analysis of the mobile phone footage on behalf of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, E. A. Yfantis, a professor of computer science at University of Nevada-Las Vegas specialising in computer graphics and image processing, stated that “based on mathematical analysis, blood in the 3GP videos is not real blood. It is not clear if the blood in the 3GP scenes is water with red dye or digitally constructed or edited video blood” and that “videographic and mathematical analysis of the two 3GP videos show that the videos either were edited, or staged, or both”. He concluded that “Careful analysis of the two 3GP videos which included both frame by frame visual inspection as well as the robust mathematical attributes of the video frames, has led us to the conclusion that this is a very deliberate and orchestrated video”.(Wiki)
The other new witness, who was also operating with Brigadier Shavendra Silva’s 58 Division on the front line during the final assault, claims the Brigadier was ordered by the defence secretary “to finish the job by whatever means necessary.”
‘Licence to kill’
He said this was interpreted by the soldiers as a licence to kill. He described how he had watched as Sri Lankan forces shot dead unarmed Tamil women and children. It is the first time this allegation has been made.
The war was won by Sri Lankan government soldiers two years ago. The rebel leadership was virtually wiped out.
‘They shot people at random. Stabbed people. Raped them. Cut out their tongues, cut women’s breasts off. I saw people soaked in blood.’
While the Organisation started of with the intention to alleviate the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils, it grew into an ugly monster hankering after power killing Tamils and Tamil Leaders who in their opinion were a challenge to LTTE’s Power.
The Documentary depicts many horrendous atrocities committed by Tamil Tigers, during the past three decade long of war. So far, quite a few were revealed to the world. Majority of them were hidden and remained unknown and needed to be unearthed to show the world that, how Tamil Tigers really were. Sometimes, people who have witnessed them still feared to reveal their horrific experiences since; they know who LTTE was when they were under them.
However, the documentary “Ruthless” recounts true accounts of survivors who once, had lived under brutal and repressive regime of Tamil Tigers; now speak freely, of what they had experienced during the days of war.
The Tamil Tigers not only targeted innocent civilians but also targeted many religious places, the clergy, children and even their disabled and wounded cadres.
It is well-known to the world that many calculated efforts are being taken by various groups to whitewash the LTTE and its atrocities and accusing the government of Sri Lanka for allegedly committed war crimes instead.
The “Ruthless” is released amidst such allegations to show the world that what really had happened during the time of war.
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