Ganesan charges SL Embassy for misinformation campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 February 2008, 15:33 GMT]
Mano Ganesan, leader of Western Peoples Front (WPF) and convener of Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), in a press release issued Friday, charged the Counselor for Sri Lanka Embassy in France misrepresenting the strength of security provided to him. The actual number of security personnel assigned is eight, and not eighteen as the Embassy official had said, the press release said. "[T]his too had come after the Lankan Court of Appeal’s intervention in this legal battle...," the release added.

Full text of the press release follows:

Sri Lankan Embassy in France lies to French media about the security arrangements of WPF Leader and CMC Convener Mano Ganesan MP

Sugeeswara Senadhira, Minister Counselor for Sri Lankan Ambassador in France has by his e-mail sent to popular France 24 TV channel’s Director (Directeur de la Redaction) Gregoire Deniau has said that Sri Lankan government has provided eighteen (18) security personnel to Western Peoples Front leader and Civil Monitoring Commission convener Mano Ganesan MP. But actually the police had provided only eight (08) security personnel to Mano Ganesan. This too had come after the Lankan Court of Appeal’s intervention in this legal battle between Mano Ganesan and Sri Lankan government said the media release issued from the office of Mano Ganesan MP.

Popular ‘France 24’ channel’s Capcine Henry had filmed her documentary ‘Special Report: Sri Lanka:Tamil Mothers Waiting for Their Sons’ on Sri Lankan crisis, which has now hit international television channels. French journalist Ms. Capcine was arrested and remanded in Sri Lanka on December 25th Christmas day when she accompanied a Tamil family visiting Boosa detention camp. She spent the Christmas night in a police station cell with a Tamil mother and brother of a Tamil person who was arrested during the mass arrests of Tamils and detained at the Boosa detention camp. Mano Ganesan is one who features in the documentary and the Sri Lankan embassy has subsequently tried to counter the news reported by the documentary. Speaking on the security issue of Ganesan, Sugeeswara Senadhira Minister Counselor for Sri Lankan Ambassador in France has told popular France 24 channel Director Gregoire Deniau by email among other that GoSL had provided eighteen security personnel to Ganesan which is not true but false information.

Chronology: