Screening of 'Lies Agreed Upon':
Positive response in Washington
The Sri Lankan Congressional Caucus and Embassy of Sri Lanka
sponsored the screening of the video 'Lies Agreed Upon,' - a rebuttal of
allegations made about the end of Sri Lanka's conflict against
terrorists by a British news program.The screening included a panel
discussion of Sri Lanka's 26-year battle against the terrorist group,
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and reconciliation and
redevelopment efforts since Government forces defeated the LTTE in May
2009.The event was attended by a large representative gathering
including NGOs, human rights groups, Congressional staff members,
professionals and members of the Sri Lankan community."This is an
important opportunity for both sides to be heard," said US Congressman
Robert Aderholt, Co-chair of the Sri Lankan Congressional Caucus.
Apart from the screening, guests and Congressional staff members also
viewed portions of a speech by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on
the release of the Defence Ministry's report: Humanitarian Operations
Factual Analysis July 2006 to May 2009.
Congressman Jack Kingston, who two weeks ago was one of three members
of Congress to visit Sri Lanka, spoke during the screening: "I had a
casual conversation with a police officer," He said, 'Things are
different now. We are getting back to normal. You can go to the
marketplace again. We are so happy and pleased.' This was an
off-the-record comment, and what it did framed so much of what I walked
away with."
Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Dr. Rajitha
Senarathna also attended the screening. He described how redevelopment
of the North has created jobs and aided those who have resettled there,
and how the economy is improving with the fishing industry.
The discussion panellists included Sri Lankan Ambassador in the US
Jaliya Wickramasuriya; Ru Freeman, a Sri Lankan native, author and
activist whose recent novel, A Disobedient Girl, has won popular
acclaim; and Raymond Vickery, a senior director at the
Albright-Stonebridge Group, a Washington-based international relations
firm that is headed by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Ambassador Wickramasuriya spoke of Sri Lanka's longstanding
relationship and strong trade ties with the US, reconciliation and
redevelopment work and efforts by the expatriate community in the US to
help relatives back home."I look forward to your continued support to
enhance the image of Sri Lanka as a peaceful and reconciled society,
which is governed by democracy, the observance of human rights and the
rule of law," Ambassador Wickramasuriya told the audience. "What we wish
for is cooperation, friendship and goodwill to take our country
forward."
Ru Freeman told the audience that until recently, she had not been to
Northern Sri Lanka since she was a child, but that a trip there last
year with her children and husband left her hopeful.
Congressman Aderholt, in particular, noted that "both sides of this
story need to be heard," and that the 'Lies Agreed Upon' screening
represents an effort to fully air the issues involved. "There needs to
be balance."
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