IBC Tamil has ended up with some angry viewers after the popular TV-programme "Vanakkam Thainaadu" has showed Sri Lankan army soldiers donating blood in Sri Lanka. Vanakkam Thainaadu is produced by IBC Tamil's Jaffna studio headed by a journalist called Rishi, and the viewers are angry about this episode because the young presenters from IBC interview the soldiers and portray them in a positive way. Tousands of Eelam Tamils have been brutally killed by the Sri Lankan army during the final war in 2009 against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which led a war against the majority Sinhalese oppression on the minority Tamils in the island. 

On Facebook and other media this issue has been discussed and IBC is being portrayed as an anti-Eelam media, and that Eelam Tamils have to boycott IBC Tamil and Lebara. Especially some elements in the Tamil society, which is against Lebara and the success of IBC Tamil, is making this into a big issue. Tamil people may not forget, that IBC Tamil TV has shown a lot of pro-Eelam programmes since its start last year, and is acutally the one and only Tamil media in Europe supporting Eelam artists in Europe through different shows and TV-programmes. Many pro-Eelam presenters work for IBC Tamil TV and "Tamil Eelam" is also symbolised in the channel ID video of IBC Tamil logo. 

Unfortunately the "Vanakkam Thainaadu"-episode was not reviewed before being aired on IBC Tamil TV, so the management was not aware of the problematic content before it was too late. So the MD, Niraj David, has now made an offical annoucement, where he explains what has happend and that it will not happen again - and that IBC Tamil TV is always supporting Eelam Tamils. The message in Tamil can be read here in this article. 

What consequences the team behind Vanakkam Thainaadu will face is not yet known, but the good reputation of IBC Tamil has been spoiled by this episode and the management has to take some serious actions so this will not happen again. Still IBC Tamil is the one & only high quality Tamil TV channel in Europe, which supports Eelam Tamils and our artists. IBC Tamil TV is new in the TV-field and mistakes can happen. When they admit that and do what they have to change to avoid similar mistakes, we have to give them a chance. 

- MEDIA ASIA