Controversial British Film Highlights Sri Lankan Conflict
16 December 2002

A film that has caused widespread controversy following its world premier last month at the Oslo Film Festival, opens in the UK on 19th December. 'In the Name of Buddha' is a true story about possibly one of the worst genocides at the end of the twentieth century. The film graphically portrays the conflict between native Tamil people and the Sri Lankan army and Indian peacekeeping forces.

This ethnic conflict has been raging since 1983 and according to UNHCR has seen more than 60,000 Tamil people lose their lives and nearly 900,000 people flee their homelands in Sri Lanka. The film is an account of human rights violations of the Tamil people in Northeast Sri Lanka and contains scenes of the violence that descended on them, from the island followers of Buddha's normally peaceful principles and teachings.

Its debut on 17 November at the 12th Oslo International Film Festival came just days before the Sri Lankan Aid Conference in Oslo, which was attended by Clare Short, Britain's Secretary of State for International Development, Sri Lanka's chief peace negotiator G L Peris, Chief Tamil Tiger (LTTE) negotiator Anton Balasingham, and US and Norwegian officials.

Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Nihal Rodrigo is expected to take up the issue with Norwegian officials in Oslo. Last week the Lanka Academic reported that Secretary-general Bernard Gunatillke ordered the foreign ministry to probe whether the LTTE had a hand in the movie. Lanka Truth reported that the film was 'Anti-Buddhist and that it represented the interests of Tiger Terrorism and western imperialism.' ' It depicts the Sri Lankan Buddhists as a nation of savages who kill for nothing, USA-Norway imperialists may have a definite hand behind this dastardly act'.

In The Name of Buddha was made by Da'sai Films International, produced by two British Asians and directed by Rajesh Touchriver. A Da'sai Film spokesperson firmly denies any LTTE involvement or religious motive says ' Our response to all human tragedies that are an inevitable result of war, wherever they occur, is that violence only begets violence and this is a tragedy that has never been told before.' After last week's agreement for a commitment to peace in Sri Lanka, Da'sai are 'pleased that progress has been made towards peace, the film is a typical cry for peace and if it has had any bearing on that process, then we are delighted.'

Filmed in India and London, the movie tells the true story of Siva, a native Tamil from Ski Lanka who had to flee from his homeland for safety and become a refugee in the UK. In the name of Buddha portrays the agony of people devastated and torn apart by ethnic conflict and the heartache and suffering of an ordinary man.

A NATION RAVAGED BY CONFLICT

SRI LANKA is a nation ravaged by armed ethnic conflict that has been raging for nearly two decades. The once peaceful and prosperous island in the Indian ocean, just a few miles away from the Indian sub-continent has witnessed the effects of one of the worst conflicts in history. A sizeable segment of the population was forced to flee their homeland and to take asylum in other countries. The following figures reveal the magnitude of the problem.

• UNHCR estimates that 917,000 Sri Lankans fled the country since 1983. 714,000 were internally displaced.
• Between 1989 and 1998, 156,926 applications for asylum were received in Europe alone.
• 31,271 sought asylum in Canada.
• 83,946 Sri Lankans applied for asylum in North America and Australia.
• In Britain, between 1980 and 2000, 41,985 sought asylum.
• More than 60,000 lost their lives during the two decades of war.

SRI LANKAN NEWSPAPERS ONLINE

If you would like to get a broader prespective on the peace talks and other news from Sri Lanka, you might like to read some of the newspapers online:

• Ceylon Online (http://www.ceylon-online.com)
• (Sri Lankan) Daily News (http://www.dailynews.lk)
• Lanka News (http://www.lankanews.com)
• Sunday Observer (http://www.sundayobserver.lk)
• Tamil Guardian (http://www.tamilguardian.com)

Or you can visit the Sri Lankan Department of Information website.

INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE?

Click here to read a country profile of Sri Lanka.

Click here to read our review of Michael Ondaatje's Book 'Anil's Ghost' - an anthropological whodunit based in Sri Lanka.

Click here to visit the UK Foreign Office website.

Click here to visit the 'In the Name of Buddha' website.

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