Chandrika Kumaratunga BBC HardTalk interview - Part 1 of 3

The video of then Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga when she was interviewed on BBC's HardTalk with Tim Sebastian. The interview took place on Oct. 31, 2001. This was during an international PR campaign by Kumaratunga to capitalize on the War on Terror rhetoric in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. At the time, Sri Lanka was still facing an economic contraction, and parliament had been dissolved by Kumaratunga just 20 days prior, thus forcing Sri Lanka to have elections just 2 months later.

An article about the interview is here:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=6430

A full transcript is here:
http://www.sangam.org/NEWS/hardtalk.htm

Asian Human Rights Commission's statement following the interview:
http://www.ahrchk.net/news/mainfile.php/ahrnews_200111/2181/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Chandrika
• Kumaratunga
• BBC
• Hardtalk
• hard
• talk
• sri lanka
• human
• rights
• impunity
• terror

[prasadsw]

one drunk woman who destroyed the country.

[SexyLiLLeilaniMya]

The host is very disrespectful to the President I mean she is a Head of State I doubt he would talk to Mrs. Thatcher or the late Indira Gandhi or even the late great Benazir Bhutto in this rude way!

[1srilankanguy]

We are shy to say that this woman and her son both are Sri Lankans..

[deadleader1]

@1982mockingbird1982 u r correct, our leader velu wested another young tamil lives by trying to kill her, remember , she only lost a one eye,..but a tamil mother lost a child thax to velu using him as a suicide bomber!

our leader also killed rajive +33 tamilnad`s innocent tamil--why?

[1982mockingbird1982]

We owe the peace and reconciliation that Sri Lanka enjoys now to this woman.

[TamilSwaminator]

@nalincali ,I agree 100% , they have period every month. With that come mood swings.

[TamilSwaminator]

They all can kiss my ass.

[atheist382]

lol..she wanted to promote her agenda but got grilled by the host...

[MegaContented]

@prasadsw . worse yet. Now trying to sell Srilanka to the British.

She gave her daughter in a marriage to a Brit. She is a bootlicker of whiteman.

[chathura0004]

@chathura0004 and you call them innocent civilians instead of calling them terrorist.I am astounded by your absurd questions.

[chathura0004]

Tim Sebestian with all due respect If you're really keen on questioning rather raising the issue of why the Sri Lankan government officials had to deal with 'tamil tigers' [aka innocent civilians according to Mr.Tim Sebestian] in such a detrimental manner[which i think is utter BULLSHIT] you should've witnessed how those 'innocent civilians' of yours took the lives of sinhalese civilians who had no desires/intentions of becoming terrorists,annihilated religious properties airports etc.

[Chamath5]

warrata balli