Adjudication No. 1068 (January 2000) [2000] APC 3

ADJUDICATION No. 1068 (January 2000)

The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint from Christopher Sebaratnam against a world news brief published by The Sydney Morning Herald on 20 September 1999.

Headed "Tamil Terror", the report referred to victims hacked to death by Tamil rebels and to the funeral preparations.

Mr Sebaratnam claimed that the report and particularly the heading defamed all Tamil people. He further complained that the newspaper did not publish a letter which he submitted to it.

Community conflicts in Sri Lanka have been widely reported by the Australian media and readers would know the heading referred specifically to Tamil rebels, widely referred to as "Tamil Tigers". In any case this is made quite clear in the report.

Mr Sebaratnam claimed that his letter would give balance to the report and the newspaper should include an apology. The letter dealt mainly with Sri Lankan history and the Herald chose not to publish it. The Press Council agrees that there was no obligation for it to do so.