Expressing his “disappointment” at Indian authorities not granting him visa to come to India for screening of his documentary based on war crimes in Sri Lanka during civil war, filmmaker Callum Macrae said the world was looking at India to lead the search for justice and not silence those who have evidence of crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka.
Macrae was scheduled to attend screening of his documentary film, ‘No Fire Zone’, that exposed war crimes against Tamil civilians during the civil war in Sri Lanka in Delhi on November 7 and then in Mumbai on November 8.
The situation is especially bizarre as Sri Lankan authorities have categorically told him that he will get visa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
dna has leant that Indian High Commission in London has conveyed to Macrae that they are “yet to hear anything from the authorities concerned in India” on his visa issue.
He has also been told by the Indian high commission authorities that they will revert to him “once a decision has been reached and conveyed” to them.
Speaking to dna from London on phone, Macrae said: “Sri Lanka has told categorically that I will be getting visa for CHOGM … so the situation where they have given me visa admittedly under pressure yet India has not … this seems quite extraordinary. I will, however, address those screenings through skypoe.”
‘New Delhi’s stand is inexplicable’
“I am at a loss to understand why India would do this. It seems very unlikely that the Indian government would succumb to pressure from the Sri Lankan government. It seems equally unlikely that India would want to ban a journalist because they don’t like what he is saying. But I search in vain for any other explanation,” Callum Macrae.
