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M.I.A. and Anderson Cooper in Twitter beef

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M.I.A. and Anderson Cooper in Twitter beef

3News NZ

M.I.A. and Anderson Cooper (Photos: Reuters)

M.I.A. and Anderson Cooper (Photos: Reuters)

Outspoken hip-hop star M.I.A. and CNN newsman Anderson Cooper have settled their differences following a war of words via Twitter.com on Wednesday over Sri Lanka's secret war with the Tamil Tigers.

The ‘Paper Planes’ hitmaker, whose father Arul Pragasam is a leading Tamil activist, has always been vocal about the plight of her people in Sri Lanka, accusing the nation's government officials of engaging in systematic genocide.

A new British documentary chronicling the ongoing secret war and the execution of Tamil leaders and their families, which aired on Wednesday in the UK, left her calling for action and taking aim at Cooper who she claimed had misrepresented her on his news show 360.

In a series of tweets, she wrote, "Anderson Cooper called me a terrorist for speaking out, and expressed support for the SLgov (Sri Lankan government) when this (killing) was happening... thought AC (Anderson Cooper) was a fair news reporter till (sic) SL killings took place and he kept his silent! (sic) Disappointed!"

She added, "Someone should make Anderson Cooper watch it/film it and show the world what happens when respected journos (journalists) get it wrong.

"You called me a lady Tamil Tiger when I talked about Tamil civilians dying, and u (sic) printed a retraction... in 2009 u linked to a articl (article) that was written about me with false info. There was a rebuttal on ur (your) 360 site... 2 months later 1ce (once) every Tamil had been silenced including me, the SLGOV carried out the killing of 40,000 civilians."

Her rant prompted Cooper to respond via his personal Twitter account. He wrote, "You are mistaken. I never called you a terrorist. I don't even know who you are other than the lady who sang at Superbowl... You've gone from saying 'I wrote', 'I called you,' to saying my CNN show blog had a link to an article. Big difference... we link to many articles with different viewpoints, and we gave you an opportunity to respond."

He added, "I can understand your frustration if someone wrote untrue things about you, and I'm glad you were able to respond... and the brutal war in SL has not gotten enough coverage in the US, and I know that (sic) very upsetting."

The Twitter war of words ended with M.I.A. urging Cooper to watch the new Channel 4 documentary, Killing Fields: "Anderson c

Cooper I'm glad u understand but please watch Killing Fields because this is what I was trying to say."

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Comments

17/03/2012 3:41:51 a.m.

Karunapala wrote:

if you think that you LTTE supporters can change people minds just because of this type of one sided program i will make a TV program including all the bloody mascares and suicide bombs blasted by LTTE wchich costed more than 60000 lives in Sri lanka then you can go against tamil Diaspora....

17/03/2012 2:14:03 a.m.

Bedrock Barney wrote:

She's just angry because she had to flee her homeland due to the insurgency in the north of the country. If she had remained she would have been 'superstar' not just 'star' as she is now. She was denied the 'super'! hence the anger.

17/03/2012 12:10:59 a.m.

Don Francesco wrote:

We need UN investigation into Srilanka Killing fields.In This time and age The goverment killing innocent people. By Compareing the Goverment to the LTTE are you guys Accepting THE Government also an Terrorist Organisation?

16/03/2012 9:47:43 p.m.

Gayan wrote:

M.I.A's father was a terrorist who killed many civilians in Sri Lanka. He migrated to UK and till now have evaded prosicution. MIA have no right to talk about Sri Lanka with her father having blood on his hands.

16/03/2012 9:42:30 p.m.

Don wrote:

Lots of tamils live in UK-US-EU and majority of them openly support LTTE. MIA's father is an LTTE activist not just a tamil activist. Hence her stand on this matter. Just by watching a video by C4, you can not understand the ground realities...listen to the both side of the story and make your judgement yourself....western media is always very biased towards their political inclination.

16/03/2012 9:21:04 p.m.

Enrico wrote:

...it is learn't that a part of the C4 movie 'Sri Lanka Killing Fields' was actually filmed in Kerala (South India). As NAK rightly says, factional documentaries has to carry the source of information, times, dates etc. C4 claims that the video was recorded by a 'soldier' using his phone-camera and was given to them - B&%%-S@#!. This is C4's way of getting back at Sri Lanka for throwing them out! Watch-out for C4s debut at next years OSCARS for best Thriller-Drama.

16/03/2012 8:37:18 p.m.

Enrico wrote:

OMG, its like the entire Western world has stuck its head in the sand!!!! For 30years+ there was a brutal civil war going on the island. Why is everyone up in arms now that the war is over??? The US/West could actually learn something from Sri Lanka. As Mr.George De Silva says - We have lived in Sri Lanka through the whole war and NO one knows better than us. If anyone thinks that Tamil people live only in the North & East, they are sadly mistaken. Even during the war, Tamils lived in relative peace and harmony in the rest of the island. MIA (missing-in-action) should have first stayed on the island before becoming a scholar in its affairs. C4 is an irresponsible News Brod-caster, retorting to cheap, doctored, tabloid type news to sell-its self. Mr.Cooper, if you wish to thrill yourself with a fictional documentary, please go ahead and watch the 'movie' by C4.

16/03/2012 7:55:53 p.m.

George De Silva wrote:

Before jumping into any conclusion, I would say STUDY the history of Sri Lanka war, and then the intentions of UK's channel4, and the arrest and deportation of C4 news group from Sri lanka due to violations of law in Sri Lanka, and then the attrocities commited my the Tamil tigers in Sri lanka....and finaly watch the bogus C4 video Channel 4!

We, The Sri Lankan lived a bllody civil war for 37 years and we know betterthan anybody what took place in this island, than a "Singer" who ran away from the island to the UK and now claiming to be a pro tamil tiger activist....Shame on you MIA! realy realy SHAME ON YOU!!!

16/03/2012 7:20:23 p.m.

Yeppli Young wrote:

Cooper should also watch about the killings done by LTTE, which is still being funded by tiger diaspora including M.I.A.She is a front end of a terrorist group. Does the world know tamil tiger terrists are the once who perfected the technology of suicide attacks and most of the related equipment? Does any one want to give a chance to such an ideology to continue.

16/03/2012 6:07:33 p.m.

NAK wrote:

Cooper,Arulpragasam is not just a tamil activist he is a tiger activist,so is MIA. Unfortunately you won't be able to watch the Ch4 "documentary" as MIA asks of you.What CH4 has produced is a "Teledrama"(horror)and not a documentary as you will come to realise while you watch it.A documentary has to present facts and also the sources of those facts and dates times and places concerned.Ch4 has nothing of the sort but a story and some (dead)actors.