Your support
means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you
access to exclusive bonus material on
our Patreon page. Click
here to become a patron. MRL
on Patreon
UNITED NATIONS
GATE, December 27 – On
Bangladesh, back in September
2018 Inner City Press asked
the UN, did Mirza
Fakhrul Islam
and the BNP
hiring
lobbyists in
order to meet
with the UN
of Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, as Cameroon
did back in July? Now Guterres
and his spokespeople have last
week not answered a single one
of Inner City Press' 36
questions, including about why
he covered
up his links to China
Energy Fund Committee whose
Patrick Ho has been convicted
of UN bribery. Now as in
Bangladesh in the run up to
the December 30 "election" the
government has shut the
opposition's website and
dozens of media, Inner City
Press can reported that in
November 2017 even after the
arrest of Patrick Ho the UN
took CEFC's $1 million dollars
and awarded it to Bangladesh
firms. And while Guterres
tried even then to conceal his
links, his Deputy SG Amina J.
Mohammed even after Ho's
arrest for UN bribery had
remarks delivered at the
corrupt event, see here.
Still
there was
silence from
Guterres, now
on a murky
publicly
funded junket
with a major conflict
of interest.
At noon
on December
26, Inner City
Press
asked in writing Guterres'
spokes-/ hatchment
who had it
roughed up and
banned
Stephane
Dujarric:
"December
26-2: On
Bangladesh
what is the
SG's comment
and action on
the blocking
of opposition
and media
websites in
the run up to
the Dec 30
“election”?
Dujarric sent
no answer
or even acknowledgment
of receipt
for more than seven
hours,
including to
questions
about Guterres' own
corruption.
Then after
midnight,
this: "The
Secretary-General
in the run-up
to the 30
December
general
elections in
Bangladesh
calls on all
stakeholders
to ensure an
environment
free of
violence,
intimidation
and coercion
before, during
and after the
elections, so
as to enable a
peaceful,
credible and
inclusive
poll.
All
Bangladeshi
citizens,
including
minorities and
women, must
feel safe and
confident in
exercising
their right to
vote. Civil
society and
electoral
observers
should be
fully
supported to
play their
role in the
process.
The
Secretary-General
reiterates the
continued
commitment of
the United
Nations to
support a
peaceful and
democratic
Bangladesh.Stéphane
Dujarric,
Spokesman for
the
Secretary-General, New
York, 27
December
2018." What
double talk.
In
September amid reports that
Guterres, so often silent on
conflicts in countries which
can do him favors like
Cameroon on the UN Budget
Committee, had invited
oppositionists to New York to
meet him, Inner City Press on
September 14 asked in writing:
"has Mirza Fakhrul Islam been
invited to NY to meet SG
Guterres and if so, for what
purpose, and when? This is a
request to cover any such
meeting." Guterres amid Inner
City Press' questions about
his inaction on Cameroon and
his spending of public funds
had Inner City Press roughed
up on July 3 and banned from
the UN since. While leaving 38
other questions unanswered,
Guterres' Deputy Spokesman
Farhan Haq on Bangladesh
answered, "On your question on
Bangladesh, we can say the
following: Assistant
Secretary-General Miroslav
Jenca met with BNP
Secretary-General Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today in
New York at the request of
BNP. DPA is routinely
contacted to meet with various
political actors in many
countries, and this request
was no exception. In view of
upcoming elections in
Bangladesh, we appeal to all
sides to ensure a conducive
environment for transparent,
credible, inclusive and
peaceful elections." We said
we'd have more on this, and on
September 18 before another
noon briefing Inner City Press
remained banned from by
Guterres, Inner City Press
asked Guterres' lead spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, in writing,
"September 18-5: On
Bangladesh, and lobbying at
the UN, what is the SG's
rsponse to “Mirza Fakhrul
started for London on Friday
and met Tarique there before
flying back home. The BNP
reportedly had hired a US
lobbyist firm for arranging
the meetings, though the party
claims Mirza Fakhrul travelled
there at the invitation of UN
Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres.” Did the SG know if
Fakhrul or BNP hired a
lobbyist to set up the
meeting? Did the SG know about
the Squires Patton Boggs
contract by Cameroon before
his July 11 meeting?" So far,
as usual with Dujarric despite
the claims of Guterres' Global
Communicator Alison Smale, no
answer. The UN under Guterres
is turning into an opaque
sinkhole of lobbying and
censorship. Watch this
site. On the Rohingya,
after a long delay Guterres in
April named as the UN envoy to
Myanmar Christine
Schraner
Burgener. As
she issued
a glowing read
out of her first
visit to the
country, it was
next door
Bangladesh and
not the UN which
announces that
Guterres and the
World Bank's Jim Kim
would
visit there on
July 1. On
July 3
Guterres had
Inner City
Press ousted
from the UN,
and on July 5
entirely banned
pending a
review of the
"incident" -
his own
Security
officers'
abuse of the
Press. Fox
News story here,
GAP blogs I
and II.On August
17, Guterres though
his Global
Communicator
Alison Smale
issued a
lifetime ban
on Inner City
Press, putting
the UN into
the US Press Freedom
Tracker. Now on
August 28,
with Inner
City Press
still having
to cover this
beat from the
street in
91 degree
heat, Guterres
gave a
speech to the UN
Security
Council.
Outside, Inner
City Press
asked the
Permanent Representative
of Kuwait
Mansour
Al-Otaibi if
he thought
things have gotten
better
since the
Council's
trip. No, he
said with
candor.
Inner City
Press asked the
Permanent Representative
of Bangladesh
Masud Bin
Momen if his
government is
still
going ahead
with plans for
an island for
Rohinga.
Yes, he said, but not
this monsoon. "We
have more lead
time. Video
here. Guterres was
joined
in
speechifying
to the
Security Council on
Myanmar by
Tegegnework
Gettu. Who is
he? Well, since due
to Guterres'
outrageous
censorship
order we have
time:
Inner
City Press in
2014 reported
on then-head
of the UN
Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
ManagementTegegnework
Gettu calling
female critics
"emotional,"
here, whistleblowers
afraid of retaliation
tell Inner
City Press
that Gettu has
continued his
"shenanigans"
at UNDP.
Inner
City Press then
exclusively
published
internal UNDP
(“Atlas”)
travel
vouchers
leaked to it
by scared
whistleblowers,
reflecting
among other
things Gettu
coincidentally
putting in for
$11,000 travel
expenses. Seedocuments
here, on
Scribd.We'll
have more on
this.
Previously,multiple
sourcesinformedInner
City Press
that Gettu
told
complaining
staff "I am
warning you,"
cutting them
off while
saying We are
all equal,
including me."
Really?Leaked
audio
exclusively
put onlineby
Inner City
Presshere.
Inner
City Press
asked, What
will Secretary
GeneralAntonio
Guterresdo?
Now we know:
sell out the
Anglophones of
Cameroon, have
the Press
which reports
on it roughed up and
banned for
life, and
flying to
China.
Guterres'
blithe
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric on
August 23 said the
basis of
the ban is
"behavioral."
Really?
Criticizing
him, his boss
and the UN? On
August
23 MSF issued
this: "Over
the past year,
Doctors
Without
Borders/Médecins
Sans
Frontières
(MSF) teams
have provided
more than
656,000
consultations
to Rohingya
refugees
through 19
health
facilities and
mobile clinics
across Cox’s
Bazar
district.
At first, more
than half of
MSF’s patients
were treated
for
violence-related
injuries, but
other health
concerns soon
emerged,
linked to the
overcrowded
and unhygienic
conditions in
the camps.
Dire living
conditions
have been made
even worse by
the relentless
rains. Teams
have treated
more than
61,256 cases
of acute
watery
diarrhea,
which remains
one of the
biggest health
issues in the
camps.
“In an area
where cyclones
and monsoons
are common,
there are
almost no
stable
structures for
Rohingya
refugees,
which has a
tangible
impact on
their security
and dignity,”
says Pavlo
Kolovos, MSF
head of
mission in
Bangladesh.
"The
infrastructure
to meet even
the most basic
needs of the
population is
still not in
place, and
that seriously
affects
people’s
well-being.”
Under the
pretext that
the Rohingya
will soon be
returning to
Myanmar, the
humanitarian
response has
been hampered
by
restrictions
placed on the
provision of
long-term or
substantial
aid. The
conditions
endured by the
Rohingya in
the makeshift
camps fall far
short of
accepted
international
humanitarian
standards,
with the
refugees still
living in the
same temporary
plastic and
bamboo
shelters that
were built
when they
first arrived.
People living
in the camps
feel
vulnerable and
exposed. “When
it rains we
sit together,
all our family
members,
[holding the
house down] so
the house
won’t blow
away,” a
Rohingya
refugee told
MSF. “At night
it is very
dark here, we
have no
lights.”
While
Bangladesh
showed
extraordinary
generosity by
opening its
doors to the
refugees, the
future for the
Rohingya
community here
remains
uncertain.
Countries in
the region
deny them any
formal legal
status,
despite the
fact that they
are refugees
and have been
made stateless
by Myanmar.
They have
limited access
to justice to
defend their
rights. “By
refusing to
acknowledge
the legal
rights of
Rohingya as
refugees, or
granting them
any other
legal status,
intervening
governments
and
organizations
keep them in a
state of acute
vulnerability,”
says Kolovos.
In addition,
the Rohingya
remain
forcibly
confined to
the camps,
where they
generally have
poor access to
clean water,
latrines,
health care,
education, and
job
opportunities.
Considering
the level of
violence that
the Rohingya
faced in
Myanmar and
the trauma
this has
caused,
services to
treat people
for mental
health issues
and sexual and
gender-based
violence
remain
inadequate."
And what is
the UN
doing, other
than censoring
and banning
the Press?
Traveling to
China, of
course, as
Guterres is
slated to do
Sept 1-4.
Watch this
site. On
July 23,
while Guterres
was
on his
last vacation
and his Communicator
Alison Smale iwas
incommunicado,
Sweden as president
of the Security
Council
managed a press
encounter with
Guterres
envoy Christine
Schraner
Burgener from
which Inner
City Press was
banned. Here
now the real
deal: "Her
job as she
told inside UN
sources is to
keep good
relations with
the regime.
Gueterres
picked her
because she
will not rock
the
boat.
Her husband
Christoph is a
former Swiss
ambassador to
Yangon. He
attempted to
sell tourism
[and] use [of]
Swiss
airplanes to
Myanmar
generals
before the
sham election
of 2010.
After 2012
programs in
Rakhine the
Swiss
government
sponsored the
visit of a
Rakhine
demagogue who
called for
Muslim
cleansing of
Rakhine.
His name is
Vet surgeon Dr
Aye
Maung.
He met with
Myanmar
generals, four
weeks before
the Aug 25
military
terror.
Gueterres
himself backs
these cowardly
unprincipled diplomats. All
UN
agencies and
heads in Myanmar
(UNDP,
UNHCR, WFP,
UNFPA
and resident
coordinators
kowtow
to Suu kyi and
are complicit
in
genocide.
Guterres was
informed about
the complicity
and he refused
to open any
internal
investigation." Inner
City Press had
previously
reported this,
from other
sources, before it
was assaulted
by Guterres'
Security,
ousted and now
banned.
On July
23
Schraner
Burgener got
asked about the
UN's MOU -
but not by
what right the
UN kept it
confidential.
She claimed
that the
government if
fine with the return
of the
Rohingya, it
is only
conditions in the
community
which delay
it. She
praised Aung San Suu
Kyi as
flexible. She
got
asked about
the "Reuters
reporters" by
one silent and
in fact
complicit with
UN's roughing
up, ouster and
ban of Inner
City Press.
Then it was
over. Meanwhile this
on his UN
system's MOU: "The
Burma Task
Force (BTF)
has condemned
the recently
agreed
Memorandum of
Understanding
(MoU) between
the United
Nations and
the Myanmar
government as
a non-starter.
The agreement,
recently made
public, claims
to establish a
“framework for
cooperation”
on the
Rohingya
crisis, but
excludes the
critical
issues of
citizenship,
security, and
accountability
for crimes
against
humanity
committed by
the Myanmar
government.
Consequently
it has drawn
widespread
criticism from
Rohingya
refugees and
international
observers
alike. According
to critics of
the agreement,
the Myanmar
government has
proven its
unwillingness
to engage in
good-faith
negotiations
through its
refusal to
restore
citizenship to
over a million
Rohingya
Muslims.
Without
citizenship,
basic rights
to security,
property, and
livelihood are
effectively
non-existent.
Moreover,
Rohingya
leaders
themselves
were not
consulted in
the
development of
the agreement... Over
700,000
Rohingya
Muslims live
in the world's
largest
refugee camp
located
outside Cox's
Bazar,
Bangladesh.
There, they
join hundreds
of thousands
of existing
Rohingya
refugees in
the country
who fled from
earlier spasms
of violence in
Myanmar.
Officially
deprived of
their
citizenship
since 1982,
the Rohingya
have been
subject to
several
successive
waves of
pogroms and
military
assaults. Most
recently, in
the summer of
2017 some
700,000
unarmed
Rohingya
civilians were
expelled from
Myanmar
through a
massive
military
offensive." And from
another group: "we are
also deeply
concerned
about UN
agencies
speculating
about the
‘safety of
Rohingya
people.’
UNHCR, UNDP
and other UN
agencies have
not been able
to establish
safe
conditions for
Rohingya since
previous
repatriations.
In fact the
situation has
deteriorated
under the
watch of the
UN in Myanmar.
Troublingly,
UN leadership
in Myanmar has
a poor track
record on the
ground with
respect to
Rohingyas’
need for
international
protection."
Today's UN under
Guterres is failing. At
it turns out
this is during
an eleventh
hour UN budget
showdown
on Guterres'
ostensible
reforms, which the
investigative
Press is restricted
from covering,
see below. On
July 2 Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres' deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq
about his claim
the UN Peacekeeping
numbers were "approved"
on Sunday,
with Inner
City Press barred from the
building and
no open
meeting on
UNTV, and
about Sheikh Hasina's
plan to move
Rohingya to an
island. Haq repeated
the "approved"
claim, rather
than stating
Guterres view
of the island
directed Inner City
Press to the
belated
transcript of
Guterres'
Q&A in Bangladesh.
But that UN transcript
does not
even
purport to
show what the
question
was.
Here it is:
"Q: On
Memorandum of
Understanding,
and on island. SG:
First of all,
in relation to
the MOU, I
think I have
already
clearly
responded.
This was a
first step,in
which the UNDP
and the UNHCR
tried to force
the government
of
Myanmar
to recognize a
number of
rights to try
to pave the
way for a
potential
future
return.
It must be
considered not
as a final
agreement on
return or
anything of
the sort. I
was informed
that the
Government of
Bangladesh is
investing in
creating
conditions for
the
development of
one island; as
the silt moves
new islands
are being
formed in the
coast of
Bangladesh.
So, there is
this project.
Obviously,
UNHCR has been
in contact
with the
government and
offered to do
an assessment,
to see when
these works
are concluded
how the
conditions
exist in order
to allow for a
possible
important
support of
that
infrastructure
to the
Rohingyas in
Myanmar. But,
for the
moment, we
have no more
information
except that
indeed the
Government is
investing in
this island to
create
facilities
that can serve
I believe also
several other
purposes. We
see with a lot
of interest
any initiative
of the
Government of
Bangladesh in
this regard,
because the
living
conditions
here are of
course, as you
have seen,
extremely
difficult." So
Guterres is OK
with it?
And as
Inner City
Press has
asked
Guterres' Office of
the
Spokesperson
without
answer, is the
MOU
public or
confidential,
like Guterres'
billion dollar
"approvals"?
Inner
City Press' sources
among senior
Guterres
official describe
him as having
long rebuffed
staff
suggestions to
speak out
about attacks
on Rohinga,
based on
Guterres'
mis-placed faith in
Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Guterres'
actual history
makes a
mockery of his
quote
in Bangladesh
that "We're
keeping up
pressure on
Myanmar...we
need to put
more pressure
on Myanmar to
make them
understand
what they
should do on
this issue."
Really? When
has Guterres
stood up to
Aung San Suu
Kyi? Or
even Sheikh who
"said the
government is
preparing an
island to
relocate
around 100,000
Rohingyas." What
has Guterres
said about
that? Watch
this site. Typically,
the UN at first
refused to
even confirm
what
Bangladesh
said.. On
June 21, Inner
City Press
asked Guterres'
deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here: Inner
City Press:
the Myanmar
envoy. I
wanted to ask
you to confirm
that the
Secretary-General
will be in
Bangladesh in
Cox's Bazar in
early
July.
The Foreign
Ministry of
Bangladesh has
announced
that, that
he'll be there
with Jim Yong
Kim of the
World
Bank.
They've talked
about the
specifics of
World Bank
funding.
So, given that
they've said
that, will you
confirm it?
Deputy
Spokesman:
At this stage,
as you know,
with all
trips, once we
have an
announcement
ready, we'll
announce
it. We
don't have
anything to
announce at
this stage.
Inner City
Press:
And I also
wanted to ask
you, relate…
in the same…
in Cox's
Bazar, a
well-known
Rohingya
spokesperson/representative,
Arifullah, was
hacked to
death.
And I wanted
to know, is
there any… I
mean, given
that the UN is
present in
these camps,
who's
responsible
for it?
What will be
done about
it?
What's your
comment on it?
Deputy
Spokesman:
We are aware
of these
latest
reports, which
are
disturbing.
Obviously, we
would hope
that the local
law
enforcement
authorities in
Cox's Bazar
investigate
this
thoroughly." What
is the UN for?
Why
is Guterres'
UN so
untransparent?
At 2 am local
time on Sunday,
July 1
Guterres
arrived in
Dhaka via
Qatar Airlines, with
his spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric who on June 19
provided
a private UN
Press Briefing
Room Q&A to Qatar's
Al Jazeera, here,
leading to
claims that
Inner City Press covering
it, from the
hall, was
too aggressive.
On June 22
Guterres'
armed guards
ousted Inner
City Press
during an
event at which
Guterres
gave a speech
about a previous
trip, separating
Inner City Press from its
laptop for
three days. Video
here,
story here,
new
petition here.
Dujarric
then rejected
questions
about it, and
Guterres and his
team have not
replied. In Dhaka
they headed to
the Radisson
Blu Water
Garden. We'll
have more on this.
Here's
the beginning
of Christine
Schraner
Burgener's
read-out:
"United
Nations
Special Envoy
of the
Secretary-General
on Myanmar
Christine
Schraner
Burgener
conducted her
first official
visit to
Myanmar from
12 to 21
June. In
Nay Pyi Taw,
Yangon and
Rakhine state,
she met among
others with
State
Counsellor Daw
Aung San Suu
Kyi,
Commander-in-Chief
Senior General
Min Aung
Hlaing,
Speaker of
Pyithu Hluttaw
U T Khun Myat,
Speaker of
Amyotha
Hluttaw U Mahn
Win Khine
Than, Minister
in the State
Counsellor’s
Office U Kyaw
Tint Swe,
Chair of
Pyidaungsu
Hluttaw's
Legal Affairs
and Special
Cases
Assessment
Commission
Thura Shwe
Mann, Chairman
of the
Election
Commission U
Hla Thein, the
Rakhine State
Government
including
Chief Minister
U Nyi Pu,
conflict-affected
communities
and families
in Rakhine
state, the
Internally
Displaced
Persons
(IDPs), people
currently
displaced
along the
international
border between
Myanmar and
Bangladesh,
representatives
of Myanmar’s
civil society,
members of
women
associations,
as well as
with the
United Nations
country team,
the diplomatic
community and
international
NGOs. In all
meetings, she
stressed the
need for
inclusive
solutions that
integrated the
views and
important
voices of
women. The
Special Envoy
expresses her
sincere
appreciation
to the
Government of
Myanmar and
other
interlocutors
for their warm
welcome and
excellent
organization
of her
visit."
Inner City Press
hears of large
acreage of
Rohinga's land
to be given to
corporations in
Maungdaw. The
Bangladesh
Mission's
website, hosted
by the UN, has
as its latest
News items from
2015. Guterres
will meet her
later on May 22;
he has recent
banned the
Press' live
stream Periscope
even from events
in his
conference room
which his UNTV
films. As to Christine
Schraner
Burgener, as Inner
City Press noted
on April 25, and
asked Guterres'
spokesman about
on April 26, she
was hauled in by
the Germany
foreign ministry
to explain Swiss
spying on German
tax agents
looking into
murky tax
evasion bank
accounts in her
native
Switzerland,here.
Inner City
Press, after
publishing on
April 25, on
April 26 asked
Guterres'
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, UN
transcripthere: Inner
City Press:
there was a
pretty widely
reported case,
while she was
the Ambassador
of Switzerland
to Germany, in
which she was
brought in to
answer questions
about Swiss
buying on a
German
investigation
of… of tax
evasion,
essentially
trying to block
the leaked tax
evader
list. And
I wanted to
know, is that
something that
the UN vetted in
making the
selection?
And what can you
also say about
the process of
getting Myanmar
to agree to
this? But,
I wanted to ask
about the
vetting…
Spokesman:
She was,
obviously,
vetted, and she
is now coming on
board. On
your second
question, the
authorities in
Myanmar were
consulted, as
others in the
region were."The
UN Security Council, venue
last month of four failed
draft resolutions on
Syria (and today, we
predict a failed draft Press
Statement on Gaza), was
dis-invited from visiting
Iraq. But even silenced the
circus continued, with insider
media. The Council visited in
Myanmar - while Rohingyas who
recently fled by boat to
Indonesia are ostensibly being
served by the UN International
Organization for Migration
(which might soon be headed by
Ken Isaacs, see below).
Council members met not only
with Aung San Suu Kyi but also
military leader Snr-Gen Min
Aung Hlaing who said in a
speech to military personnel
and their families in northern
Kachin State that the Rohingya
“do not have any
characteristics or culture in
common with the ethnicities of
Myanmar.” On May 14 Inner City
Press asked UK Ambassador
Karen Pierce for her
understanding if Aung
Hlaing
admitted that
the Army has
committed
rapes. Yes,
she seemed to
say, he gave
examples of
actions taken.
Video here.
From the UK transcript:
Inner City
Press: When
you were
there, was it
your
understanding
that he denied
any army rapes
- what's your
understanding
of the
military
leaders'
position on
whether sexual
abuse by the
army has taken
place? Amb
Pierce: "He
condemned
sexual
exploitation
and abuse
including that
taken by the
army and he
gave us an
illustrative
couple of
cases where
the army
authorities
had taken
action against
individuals
who had
perpetrated
that." Pierce
also praised
the media that
accompanied
the trip -
which, if the
past is any
guide, the
trip leaders
hand-picked.
Meanwhile DW
and others
reported he
rejected rape
claims. So
which is it? Aung
Hlaing on his Facebook page
"reported" (here)
that "Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing meets with members of
the UN Security Council
Permanent Representatives,
Naypyidaw, April 30 - Senior
General Min Aung Hlaing Mr.
Peru Gustavo Meza Cuadra
Velasquez Permanent
Representative to the UN
Security Council members, led
by this evening Bayintnaung
Center meeting hall at the
Presidential Palace in
Naypyitaw to discuss it. The
meeting with the Chief of
Defense, Deputy Chief of
Defense-Chief (Army)
Vice-Senior General Soe Win,
Coordination Officer
(overseeing the Army, Navy,
Air Force) Gen Mya Tun Oo and
the Chief of Defense (Army)
military officials and
representatives of the United
Nations Security Council
member states, Myanmar and
neighboring countries,
representatives from the
Mission to the UN Permanent
General. During the meeting,
Mr. Gustavo Meza Cuadra
Velasquez led by members of
the UN Security Council
Permanent Representative in
northern Rakhine State,
Buthidaung, Maungdaw region
for security purposes, On the
other hand, will be able to
accept back those who had left
the country, UN agencies and
cooperation issues, Friendly,
to return to live issues The
army in accordance with the
law are being kept asking
various issues. Senior General
Min Aung Hlaing on the query
to represent the Kingdom of
the armed forces of the
defense organization, About
the only military discipline
were strictly working,
Military Act laws and
international law, Only in
accordance with the rules and
those who violate discipline.
And specific action carried
out in accordance with the
law, Radical Bengali Terrorist
terrorist activities in
northern Rakhine such
conditions had been occurring,
Bengalis in the departure of a
neighboring country in
accordance with bilateral
agreements with Myanmar to
accept your existence, Army
instructions from the
government, there should be a
partnership in accordance with
accused With regard to sexual
violence in their country's
culture, According to the
religious assigned to the
expected disgust serious
action carried out, The Army
and the crimes have been
punished more severely, Does
not like in the military with
a history of sexual violence."
So what is the Council doing?
Have they, as some report,
even agreed not to use the
word Rohingya? UN staff
accompanying the Security
Council trip overlap who
previously worked on the UN's
failed (non) response to the
slaughter of the Tamils in Sri
Lanka in 2009. Plus ca change.
In Bangladesh, Rohingya
demands, on a sign in this
video, include "Restore
Citizenship, Ethnicity
#rohingya, Rehabilitate Own
Land, Compensate Loses, Allow
International Media In
Arakan." The Dhaka Daily Star
reported,
"The international media
highlighted the exodus as one
of the worst human rights
crises, which needed to be
resolved urgently to avoid
instability in Bangladesh and
Myanmar. The AP, Reuters, AFP,
and The Gurdian, The New York
Times, Washington Post,
Deutsche Welle, US News, The
Hill, The Peninsula Qatar,
Inner City Press, Business
Line, Bahrain News Agency,
Asian Tribune, Eastern Mirror,
The Arab Weekly, Times of
Malta, aljazeera.com, Gulf
Digital News, Firstpost, The
Nation, Kuwait News Agency,
PTI, and The Seattle Times
among other media
organisations have been
releasing and publishing
reports on the UNSC visit
prominently. However, Indian
and Chinese media have not
been covering the visit as
widely." They might have
mentioned, for example, the
lack of even the word Myanmar,
or Burma, or Rohingya, in the
interntional sections of
Japanese media Sankei Shinbun,
based in a country that
aspires to a permanent UN
Security Council seat.
Meanwhile Mansour Al-Otaibi,
the Ambassador of Kuwait, on
whose plane the Security
Council and accompaniers flew,
in response was restrained,
appropriate given the
Council's recent record. He said,
"“We are not promising we will
do something very quick. But
when we go back to New York
this issue will be one of our
priorities and we will do our
utmost to find a solution to
this humanitarian crisis." For
some, it was hard not to
recall the UN's and Security
Council's inaction amid the
slaughter of the Tamils in Sri
Lanka in 2009.... Meanwhile
"UN News," run by the UN's
"Global Communicator" Alison
Smale, ran
a story quoting only the UN
International Organization for
Migration. This as
controversial IOM candidate
Ken Isaacs seeks to campaign
in the UN but not in public,
only in the private clubhouse.
The Free
UN Coalition for Access
has asked,
including the spokesman for
the President of the UN
General Assembly, that at
least Isaacs appear for
question in public. All this
requires is for a member state
to sponsor it, and it does not
have to be Isaacs' member
state. We'll have more on
this. The local press,
unlike those chosen to
accompany the trip, named who
was there - all but two (the
deputies of the US and Cote
d'Ivoire) by name: "UN
resident coordinator in
Bangladesh Mia Seppo said
after the arrival of the
delegation on Saturday. ‘This
is a historic visit.’ United
Kingdom’s permanent
representative to the UN in
New York Karen Pierce,,
China’s deputy permanent
representative ambassador Wu
Haitao, French deputy
permanent representative Anne
Gueguen, Russian Federation’s
deputy permanent
representative Sergey
Kononuchenko, and a deputy
permanent representative of
the United States were
representing respective
country among five permanent
members to the Security
Council.
Permanent representatives
Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz of
Bolivia, Anatolio Ndong of
Equatorial Guinea, Tekeda
Alemu of Ethiopia, Kairat
Umarov of Kazakhstan, Mansour
Al-Otaibi of Kuwait, Karel
Oosterom of Netherlands,
Gustavo Meza-Cuadra of Peru,
Joanna Wronecka of Poland,
Olof Skoog of Sweden, and
deputy permanent
representative of Ivory Coast
were representing respective
country among 10 non-permanent
members to the Security
Council... The
Chinese
representative
wanted to
know, in the
meetings,
about the
progress in
bilateral
efforts with
Myanmar on
repatriation,
while the
Russian
diplomat was
interested in
the reactions
of local
Bangladeshi
host community
in dealing
with the
Rohingyas. The
Ethiopian
diplomat
talked about
the hatred
among majority
community in
Myanmar
against
Rohingyas.
Bangladesh
officials said
that the
Myanmar
military
instigated and
sponsored hate
campaign
against
minority
Rohingyas for
several
decades. The
US diplomat
was interested
in the
preparations
for the
monsoon season
to avoid
further
disaster while
the UK
representative
wanted to know
how they could
provide more
help to
Bangladesh to
support the
victims. "
Earlier, an aid worker tweeted
of delay at the airport due to
the Kuwait plane, but
expressed hope in the
Council's visit. So do we all.
There was local focus on the
venues: Royal Tulip Hotel on
Inani beach, Cox's Bazar, then
Radisson Blu Dhaka Water
Garden on Sunday evening. The
Council most recently promoted
the new conference center at
Dag Hammarskjold's farm, where
they apparently agreed not to
argue in public about Syria -
which Syria's Ambassador
Ja'afari, with a smile, told
Inner City Press he had
brought about be threatening
to speak if any of them did.
On April 28 the Council in New
York kicked
the can down the road on
Western Sahara, as they have
since 1991. Kuwait did,
however, appear afterward at
the Council stakeout with the
Ambassadors of Palestine,
Tunisia and the Arab League, here.
Earlier, the UN invited (some)
correspondents: "members of
the Security Council have
agreed to send a mission to
Iraq, Bangladesh, and Myanmar
during the period from 26
April to 2 May 2018... Please
inform the Office of the
Spokesperson by close of
business on Friday, 13 April,
if you are interested in
traveling on this Council
trip." Inner City Press
expressed interest but was,
predictably now, turned down.
A P5 spokesman, said, audible
to those not bought in, that
is was not set in stone that
"Security Council Report"
would go. But it apparently
has. SCR "reports" that
"during the visiting mission,
which will take place from 28
April to 2 May, the Council
delegation will visit
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka;
refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar
in Bangladesh; Myanmar’s
capital Naypyitaw; and
northern Rakhine state in
Myanmar." What about Kachin,
which Inner City Press asked
about twice this week?
Guterres has
belatedly
chosen an
envoy:
Christine
Schraner
Burgener. But
she was hauled
in by the
Germany
foreign
ministry to
explain Swiss
spying on
German tax
agents looking
into murky tax
evasion bank
accounts in
her native
Switzerland, here.
Inner City
Press asked
Guterres
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric -
dodged - and
the a tax
evasion panel
in Dujarric's
briefing room
on April
27. On
October 26,
speaking of UN
Security
Council
proposals on
Myanmar at a
quiet film
event hosted
by one of the
too-quiet
proponents,
Yanghee Lee
wasquotedgoing
beyond what
she said in
the UN: "#UN
Special
Rapporteur on
#Myanmar:
#SecurityCouncil
needs to adopt
strong #Burma
resolution-
appeals to
#China
#Japan&
#Russia not to
block." The
inclusion of
Japan is
surprising -
or not.
Because on
October 27 in
the UN's
ECOSOC
Chamber, the
Japanese
Mission to the
UN's Counselor
Mr. Hajime
Kishimori
chose as his
story to an
audience about
sexual
violence
against women
the time at a
camp for
Myanmar
refugees in
Thailand he
asked a (male)
chef to
contribute
Japanese
recipes to the
"refugee
mothers."
Videohere,from
31:15. He
talked about
an
under-covered
WAW meeting in
Tokyo, and an
upcoming fifth
"Peaces" event
in the UN.
Kishimori
recounted
bringing
UNIQLO
clothing from
Japan to
refugee women
in Nepal,
Ethiopia and
Tanzania. Some
of the
audience
marveled at
the panel's
lone male
using as his
examples to
women, cooking
and clothes.
The moderator
Alison Smale
said nothing,
perhaps
because Japan
is the
rapporteur of
the Committee
on
Information,
in which
self-interested
speeches about
language
rights allow
DPI to claim
it is doing a
good job. Then
why is Antonio
Guterres
ordering
outside
consultants?
And why was
DPI's
propaganda
coverage of
his trip to
CAR needed,
and so-stand
alone?The
mostly
knee-jerk anti
Chinese of
Japanese media
Sankei
Shimbun, while
missing more
and more
stories at the
UN, has
switched to a
scribe named
Kevin Pinner
who brags
online of his
time as a
copywriter in
Shenzhen for
"Chinavasion
Wholesale Ltd,
I named
products,
generated
slogans."
Slogans
indeed. Now
Pinner is
uselessly
typing up
quotes
on Palestine that
are not used,
talking about
his boss and
then falling
asleep in the
bullpen, sidling
up to state
media using
"Sonkei... the
right wing
smallest of
the major
Japanese
papers" as a
calling card,
gushing a
pedigree of
Chinese media
(great) and
Swiss
magazines -
the state
media had not
heard of
Sankei. On
April 27 he
was not even
at the UN noon
briefing where
the PGA
meeting with
the
Korean
Ambassador was
announced. On
April 18 at a
stakeout on
Syria covered
by Inner City
Press, present
were other
Japanese media
but not
Sankei. Its
Mayu Uetsuka
now "covered"
Stormy
Daniels, with
cookie cutter
comparisons of
the US and
France and
swipes at
evangelicals,
absurdly
under the
rubric
"Reading the
United
States." And why not
Canada, with
superficial
coverage of a
mere "motion"
about
the South
China Sea?
The
irony is that
with all
this mechanical
(and
apparently
hypocritical)
anti China
energy, they
didn't cover
the CEFC
bribery
scandal at the
UN. Meanwhile
they
missed even
the story of
the US
Committee on
Human Rights
in North
Korea, see
Inner City
Press'
coverage here.
This
reading will
continue.
Uutsuka, an
embarrassment
even to her
predecessor
Jun Kurosawa
and, in Paris
Mina Mitsui
actually
covering
Syria,
previously
"reported" on
MLK events in
Memphis, while
using UK-based
corporate wire
coverage of
the issues
impacting its
own
readership.
We'll have
more on this -
and on this: amid
the killing and displacement
of Rohingya from and in
Myanmar's Rakhine State, on
November 10 UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres
citing a resolution pending in
the General Assembly's Third
Committee which would request
him "to appoint a
special envoy on Myanmar." On
December 26, after it was
finally approved on Christmas
Eve, Inner City Press asked
the UN when Guterres will act.
In due course, whatever that
means. As of April 12, he has
done nothing. On April 17,
Inner City Press asked
Guterres' Assistant SG Ursula
Mueller if during her five day
trip to Myanmar the issue of
the mandated envoy was even
broached. She said it was not.
(Her full briefing is archived
on UNTV, including Inner City
Press' question to her on the
UN's mis-handling of the
crackdown in Cameroon on
Anglophones). While Mueller
was briefing, Inner City Press
received this from the UN:
"Hi, Matthew.
Your request to join the
Council delegation to
Bangladesh and Myanmar was
unfortunately not accepted."
So who was accepted, and why?
We may have more on this. At
the day's noon briefing a
correspondent - not this one -
asked "The Security Council
has set a date for its trip to
Myanmar, Bangladesh and
Iraq. I'm wondering what
the Secretary-General hopes to
see from that trip and if you
have a status update about the
selection process for a
Special Representative to the
country.
Spokesman: No, no update
on the process to find a
Special Envoy for Myanmar from
the Secretary-General.
What we hope is that the
Council will show unity on the
trip. It will help
improve the situation in
Myanmar, in terms of helping
the Government implement the
Annan… the conclusions of the
[Kofi] Annan panel. And
we also very much hope that it
will help refocus the
attention of the international
community on the plight of
those Rohingya refugees who
have fled to Bangladesh and
the need… the continuous need
to fund the humanitarian
operations. As you know,
we're coming up to the monsoon
season, which will create even
newer and more challenges to
them." Inner City Press has
timely asked to go,
specifically to Rakhine State;
it is noted
that a spokesperson said there
will be three spots and "it is
not Gospel" that Security
Council Report will be one of
them. Receipt of Inner City
Press' request has been
confirmed. We'll have more on
this. On March 21 at the UN
noon briefing Inner City Press
asked Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, video here,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: on Myanmar,
the President, as you may have
seen, has resigned for…
reportedly due to health
reasons, Mr. Htin… H-t-i-n
K-y-a-w. And I wanted to
know whether this… who is the
UN's interlocutor on… it seems
like it's been a long time on
the envoy, so it probably
seem… would indicate that the…
on the Government side,
there's some thoughts of what
the name should be. Does
this change at the very… at
the top or at least the
titular top of the Government
in Myanmar have any impact on
the process?
Spokesman: Well, the
process is ongoing, and we
consult with various
parties. Obviously, as
with the dispatch of any
envoy, country-specific envoy,
there are discussions that are
had with the Government… the
Government in place, whatever
Government that is, and I have
no reason to believe that
that's not going on there.
Inner
City Press:
And I… I’ve seen that the
Secretary-General met twice
pretty recently with Kevin
Rudd, including one quite
recently. And I wanted
to know, is there any readout
on that? His name was at
one point floated. I
don't know if he would take
this job or I don't know if
he's being considered for it,
but what's the… especially
with two meetings so close to
each other…
Spokesman: No, I'm aware
of the meetings…
Inner
City Press:
…[inaudible] request of
Mr. Rudd?
Spokesman: I'm aware of
the… of the rumours, which
are… which are exactly
that. Mr. Rudd, I think,
has an appointment here at the
Japan Society, if I'm not…
Inner City Press: Asia.
Spokesman: …mis… the
Asia Society, my
mistake. But there is no
specific readout of that
meeting." Why not? Meanwhile,
on
Myanmar,
Japan's Abe
government's
ambiguous
position was
highlighted
back in
October 2017
when UN
Special
Rapporteur on
Human Rights
in Myanmar
Yanghee Lee
urged the
country, still
then on the UN
Security
Council, not
to block a
Council
resolution, here.
Now, after
pro-Abe media
Sankei Shimbun
claimed
breathlessly
from Singapore
via Hideki
Yoshimura that
its Myanmar
sources
assured it
Rohingya would
begin
returning from
Bangladesh on
March 16, the
government has
in fact built
chain link
fences to
prevent such
returns. As
initially with
an Okinawa
do-gooder
story, until
now no
retraction. Instead,
opting
for now
instead like
Mayu Uetsuka
of Sankei
Shimsun,here,
to jump on the
U.S.gun
control
bandwagon,
while having
ignored the UN
itself
promoting and
advertising
automatic
weapons, tanks
and even
rocket
launchers in
its 1-B
basement.
(Inner City
Press
exclusive
series,here,videohere.) Are these
glaring
omissions
known to
correspondents
Hiroyuki Kano,Krose
Etsuia
and even, inLondon,
Okabe Shinbun?
To say nothing
of actually
detainedTatsuya
Kato who at
least then
defended press
freedom, with
Jun Kurosawa
UNdeclared? On
March 19, Inner City Press
asked Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujrric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: I
wanted to ask yoy about a
Myanmar-proposed law and
international NGOs
[non-governmental
organizations] which would
regulate, it purports not only
international NGOs but at the
UN, to the degree that it's
separate from that. I
know that OCHA [Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs] sometimes coordinates
with NGOs that have these
concerns, but it would
regulate the UN, as
well. Is the UN aware of
this law? Do they
believe it would apply to
them? And what's the
status — and I'm sorry to ask
you this again, but — of the
envoy that was discussed in
September and fully mandated
in December? Spokesman:
There's no update on the
envoy. The discussions
are ongoing. I mean no
updates to announce. The
discussions are obviously very
much ongoing. We're
aware of the law. You
know, the presence of the UN
is regulated through the
Charter and through
international obligations that
Member States have. But,
obviously, I've… we've seen
the law as being debated, but
I will leave it at that
principled response." Yeah,
principled. On March 8, Inner
City Press asked Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: if you have
any comment. The US
Holocaust Memorial Museum
stripped a human rights award
from Aung San Suu Kyi based on
her response or… or lack of
response in the
Rohingya. I wanted to
know if you have any kind of,
I guess, comment on… on that
and also what the status of
the envoy… many Member States
now, whenever the issue comes
up, are saying they urge
António Guterres to move
forward? Spokesman:
Consultations are being
had. And I have no
particular comment on the
decision… the, as we say, the
sovereign decision of the US
Holocaust Museum." For envoy a
name in circulation, rightly
or wrongly, is Kevin Rudd of
Australia. It would be quite a
come-down, since as Inner City
Press reported
(as picked up in Australia),
Rudd tried for UN Secretary
General in 2016. But hope
springs eternal, and Rudd
always tries to show a
sympathy to China's position.
What might he think of the
China Energy Fund Committee
bribery scandal which Inner
City Press, alone among the UN
press corps, is covering? This
week Rudd met with Guterres,
but there has been no read-out
(we've asked). We'll have more
on this. In DC, Senator
Ed Markey said passage of his
amendment to the Burma Human
Rights and Freedom Act
(S.2060) that strengthens
accountability measures for
sexual and gender-based
violence perpetrated against
the Rohingya by Burma’s
military. More than 600,000
Rohingya civilians, mostly
women and children, have fled
Burma into Bangladesh to
escape violence. “We need to
bridge the impunity gap that
re-victimizes Rohingya
survivors and fails to hold
Burma’s military officers
accountable,” said Senator
Markey. “Widespread sexual
violence suggests that these
crimes were not incidental but
a calculated tool of terror.
The international community
must send a strong signal that
militaries cannot use sexual
violence as a tool of war.” A
copy of Senator Markey’s
amendment can be found here."
On February 1, new Security
Council president Kuwait said
there will be no Council trip
there this month. From
Washington, US House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Ed
Royce (R-CA) said, "The
depravity in Burma today is
absolutely gut-wrenching. Wa
Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are known
by many as brave and decent
reporters. They remain in jail
on absurd charges for one
reason only: they were doing
their jobs. And just this
morning, we learned that at
least five new mass graves
have been uncovered near a
former Rohingya village in
Rakhine State. The village
itself appears to have been
totally destroyed. This is
just one of countless
atrocities that have been
carried out by Burma’s
military and security services
against the Rohingya Muslims
in recent months. The ethnic
cleansing must stop. The U.S.
House has called for action
against those responsible and
is looking for the
administration to follow
through.” Back on January 11,
Inner City Press asked
Guterres' spokesman, video here, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: In
Myanmar, you may have seen
that the… the
commander-in-chief of the
military has basically
admitted that… that these
bodies that were found in
something called Indin were,
in fact, killed by the army
and… and Buddhist villagers,
he described it as. So,
it's a rare admission.
So, I wanted to know, one,
what's the UN's reaction to
it? And, two, if… what
steps the Secretary-General
has taken on the GA's [General
Assembly], you know, mandate,
I guess, to have…?
Spokesman: On the… when
we have something to announce
on the envoy, we will.
We've heard and understood the
instructions in the General
Assembly. I think what
is important is that those
individuals who are
responsible for perpetrating
these heinous acts be brought
to justice." Yeah - like the
UN has been brought to justice
in Haiti and elsewhere. On
January 10, the Myanmar military's
commander in
chief, Min
Aung Hlaing,
has said that
villagers
and security forces killed “10
Bengali terrorists” found in Rakhine
state's Inn
Din village
last year.
“The army will take charge of
those who are responsible for
the killings and who broke the
rules of engagement. This
incident happened because
ethnic Buddhist villagers were
threatened and provoked by the
terrorists.” Shades of Sri
Lanka. On January 3, Inner
City Press asked Guterres'
deputy spokesman Farhan Haq,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: given the
budget's inclusion of funds
for the naming of a Myanmar
envoy. Has the
Secretary-General taken any
steps? What's the timeline for
actually naming such a person?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
we don't, at this stage, have
an announcement to make about
the naming of a person.
Once we do, we will. But
now that the budget has been
agreed, we will comply with it
and proceed with the naming of
an official." When? Tellingly,
when Inner City Press asked
Guterres' Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric about the widely
circulated Guardian story
quoting "The meeting with the
state counselor was a cordial
courtesy call of approximately
45 minutes that was,
unfortunately, not substantive
in nature,” Patten wrote to
United Nations
Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres," Dujarric told Inner
City Press is he "not aware of
letter. Will check." Here's
the exchange: "ICP 12/27 - 1:
On Myanmar, confirm or deny
the existence and separately
content of the reported letter
from Pramila Patten to the
Secretary General last week
informing him that Aung San
Suu Kyi refused to address in
her meeting with the UN envoy
the detailed allegations of
rapes by the Myanmar Army, and
what the Secretary General
intends to do about it (the
refusal, and the rapes). NOT
AWARE OF LETTER. WILL CHECK."
With no answer on January 2,
Inner City Press asked
Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq,
UN transcript here: Inner City
Press: could I ask one another
thing that I asked last week,
which was this reported letter
by Pramila Patten of the… the…
the Special Adviser on sexual
violence and conflict.
I'm sure you saw the story
quoting from a letter from her
to the Secretary-General,
saying that Aung San Suu Kyi
refused to… to address the
issue of alleged rapes by the
Myanmar army of
Rohingya. And so, one…
somehow last week, they
couldn't… you couldn't confirm
that even such a letter was
written. Did she write a
letter at the end of her
mission, that's one
question. And the second
one is, can you confirm what
The Guardian reported as the
content, which is that Aung
San Suu Kyi didn't engage
whatsoever on these serious
allegations? Deputy
Spokesman: Well, we're
in touch with her
office. Once we have
any information from her
about her Myanmar mission and
what she had to say about Aung
San Suu Kyi's actions, we'll
let you know. Inner City
Press: But, do you have the… I
mean, did she write a letter,
or is The Guardian wrong?
Deputy Spokesman: I
can't confirm that at this
point. We're in touch
with her office." Nothing. On
December 20, Inner City Press
asked Stephane Dujarric, the
spokesman for Guterres who is
going on vacation until
January 2, about Myanmar's
most recent move. From the UN
transcript:
Inner City Press: Myanmar is
blocking the Yang… Yanghee
Lee, the Special Rapporteur on
human rights, and I'm
wondering whether the
Secretary-General… what he
thinks about it, whether
anyone in the UN system is
pushing back. Spokesman:
I think it's
regrettable. We feel
that all countries should
cooperate with the human
rights mechanisms.
Special Rapporteurs, as you
know, are independent of the
Secretary-General, but we do
hope to see the decision
reversed." Hope without action
is just hot air. Doctors
Without Borders / Medecins
Sans Frontieres MSF says
"At least 9,000 members of the
ethnic Rohingya minority
died—most of them from
violence—in Rakhine State,
Myanmar, between August 25 and
September 24, according to
surveys conducted in refugee
settlement camps in
Bangladesh. Of the reported
deaths, 71.7 percent were
caused by violence. Using the
most conservative estimates,
at least 6,700 Rohingya are
estimated to have been killed,
including at least 730
children under the age of
five. The survey findings
demonstrate that the Rohingya
people have been targeted;
they are the clearest
indication yet of the
widespread violence that began
August 25, when the Myanmar
military, police and local
militias launched 'clearance
operations' in Rakhine in
response to attacks by the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army. Since then, more than
647,000 Rohingya (according to
the Inter Sector Coordination
Group as of December 12) have
fled from Myanmar into
Bangladesh." On December 12 in
the UN Security Council
meeting on Myanmar, US
Ambassador Nikki Haley said,
“We cannot allow more time to
pass. There is no denying that
these atrocities, including
ethnic cleansing, have taken
place.... Before they can
return, Burmese authorities
must create an environment
that is safe. There must be a
cultural change, which only
Burmese leadership can do.
While we are hearing promises
from Burmese authorities, we
must see action.” What about
from Guterres, who too long
defended the pro-military
stance of his representative
Lok-Dessallien? Where in the
UN is she working now? Inner
City Press has asked, but has
not been told. Sexual Violence
and Conflict envoy Patten is
set to visit Myanmar December
14-16, while Guterres sells
himself on Wall Street. On
December 6, the US House of
Representatives the House of
Representatives passed H. Con.
Res. 90, which condemns the
Burmese military’s ethnic
cleansing of the Rohingya and
calls for an end to the
attacks and immediate
restoration of humanitarian
access to Rakhine State.
During debate of the measure
on the House floor Tuesday,
Chairman Royce said, 'For
decades, the Burmese
government has systematically
oppressed the Rohingya, a
Muslim minority living in the
Rakhine State of Burma.
Importantly, this resolution
not only condemns the attacks
against civilians by Burma’s
security services led by
General Min Aung Hlaing, it
also reaffirms the crimes
committed against the Rohingya
as ethnic cleansing. State
Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, a
Nobel Peace Prize winner and
the de facto leader of Burma,
must make it a top priority to
provide for the safety of
those in Burma, including the
Rohingya.'" And still, no UN
envoy, after Lok Dessallien.
On November 22 US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson said, "it
is clear that the situation in
northern Rakhine state
constitutes ethnic cleansing
against the Rohingya. Those
responsible for these
atrocities must be held
accountable. The United States
continues to support a
credible, independent
investigation to further
determine all facts on the
ground to aid in these
processes of accountability.
We have supported constructive
action on the Rakhine crisis
at the UN Security Council and
in the UN General Assembly’s
Third Committee. The United
States will also pursue
accountability through U.S.
law, including possible
targeted sanctions." After a
delay attributable to
Guterres' Secretariat, the
Committee on November 16 after
speeches by Saudi Arabia,
Bangladesh, Turkey, Somalia,
Egypt and the US on the one
hand and Myanmar, Belarus,
Russia and China (against), a
"we're not participating" by
Iran and a point of order by
Syria, approved the resolution
135 yes, 10 against, 26
abstentions. On the day it was
scheduled to be voted on,
November 14, Guterres'
Secretariat had not prepared
the required "Program Budget
Implication" document, akin to
a CBO score in the US
Congress, and therefore the
vote could not be held. Inner
City Press is informed it will
be held on November 16 at 10
am; after asking it's just
been told the PBI document is
now online here.
On November 15, Inner City
Press asked UN deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: it's
Myanmar related. It was
said when… on… one, if there's
any update on getting a… a
formalised Resident
Coordinator. And also it
was said that Ms. [Renata]
Lok-Dessallien, around whom
there was some controversy in
terms of dealing with the
Rohingya issue, it was said
that she's come back to
headquarters to assume another
role. And so I asked…
I've asked once before, but I
just want to know, what is
that role? Is it going to be
as Resident Coordinator in
another country? Is it for DPA
[Department of Political
Affairs]? What is the role?
Deputy Spokesman: "Well,
we don't have anything to
announce at present.
When we do, we will." So where
is Lok? What's she getting
paid for? Inner City Press
went to the November 14 noon
briefing and asked Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
why Guterres' Secretariat had
failed in this way. Dujarric
had no answer, nor if the past
is any guide will he get or
provide an answer. He didn't
answer, for the second day in
a row, detailed Press
questions about Guterres'
deputy Amina
J. Mohammed signing
thousands of certificates for
endangered rosewood already
sold and shipped to China. The
draft resolution, ready since
October, "Requests the
Secretary-General to continue
to provide his good offices
and to pursue his discussions
relating to Myanmar, involving
all relevant stakeholders and
including the concerns
addressed in herein, and in
this regard to appoint a
special envoy on Myanmar."
We'll have more on this. On
November 6 the UN Security
Council adopted a non-binding
Presidential Statement (here)
rather than the earlier
discussed draft resolution.
Afterward Myanmar's
representative denounced even
the Statement. Then at the
stakeout, Inner City Press
asked UK Deputy Ambassador
Jonathan Allen what he made
the Myanmar representative's
statement: was he representing
Aung San Suu Kyi or the
military? Allen replied that
what matters is what Myanmar
does. French Ambassador
Francois Delattre, responding
to a solicited question in
French, said that Presidential
Statements are of the same
value as resolutions. We'll
have more on this. Inner City
Press on October 30 asked
Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of
the UK, the UN Security
Council's penholder on
Myanmar, about the then-draft
resolution. Now on November 6
Rycroft's deputy Jonathan
Allen has confirmed that there
will be no resolution, only a
non-binding Presidential
Statement to be read-out on
the afternoon of November 6.
Periscope video here;
Inner City Press also asked
Allen about the blockade of
Yemen by the UK-supported
Saudi-led coalition, into
which Allen says inquiries are
being made. From the UK's
October 30 transcript: Inner
City Press: On Myanmar
[Burma], what’s the progress
on the resolution? When do you
think you might put it to a
vote? Amb Rycroft: "We’re
making good, careful progress
with our Council colleagues on
that. We want to keep everyone
together if we possibly can.
This is a difficult issue for
many of us. We are determined,
though, to step up, and we see
the atrocious situation of the
Rohingya in Rakhine state, and
for those who have fled into
Bangladesh... we now need to
work carefully to get that
into a resolution if there is
the appetite for that." When
Yanghee Lee, UN Special
Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in Myanmar, took
questions on October 26, Inner
City Press asked her about the
government not approving a
replacement for UN Resident
Coordinator Renata
Lok-Dessallien, who is now
leaving at the end of October.
Ms. Lee confirmed that the
government has rejected a UN
Assistant Secretary General
being sent, not wanting that
special attention. Later on
October 26, speaking of UN
Security Council proposals on
Myanmar at a quiet film event
hosted by one of the too-quiet
proponents, Yanghee Lee was quoted
going beyond what she said in
the UN: "#UN Special
Rapporteur on #Myanmar:
#SecurityCouncil needs to
adopt strong #Burma
resolution- appeals to #China
#Japan& #Russia not to
block." Well, on November 2
Rycroft confirmed what Inner
City Press had heard: the
draft resolution is quietly
being down-shifted to a mere
Presidential Statement, non
binding. On November 2, before
heading out of New York City
for the so-called Finnish
Workshop with the six incoming
Council members, Rycroft said:
"At the moment, it’s still a
draft resolution. It could
turn into a PRST if that’s the
way to keep the Security
Council together, and if we
were to do that, it would be
in order to keep the Security
Council together. There would
be benefit in having a single,
united message quickly to the
authorities in Myanmar, and if
the way to do that is to turn
what is a strong, balanced
text into a PRST then we will
do that." As to Russia, its
foreign ministry
spokesperson Maria
Zakharova
said, "we
are ready for a constructive
discussion of further steps of
the UNSC on this issue." And
given China's recent absention
on extending the mandate of
the Syria chemical weapons JIM
investigative mechanism while
Russia vetoed and Bolivia
voted no, many are left
wondering about... Japan, as
referenced by Yanghee Lee.
While some might mechanically
cite rifts between Japan and
Yanghee Lee's South Korea (see
for example Japan opposing
registration at UNESCO of
"comfort women" documentation,
Inner City Press story here),
there's more to be said about
Japan, Myanmar and the
Rohingya. Watch this site. In
the UN Press Briefing Room,
Yangee Lee on October 26 told
Inner City Press that a person
already in the country could
be interim Resident
Coordinator and that while a
new UN Special Adviser might
be necessary, it would be
important who that person is.
Some might ask, why not her?
Two hours later on October 26
Inner City Press aske UN
spokesman Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: on Myanmar
and the UN's presence there,
the Special Rapporteur,
Yanghee Lee, in a press
conference this morning, you
know, acknowledged that the UN
had asked for an Assistant
Secretary-General to replace
Ms. [Renata] Lok-Dessallien
and had been rejected by the
Government. She's… would
be in a position to
know. So, I take… given
that, can you say, one, why
hasn't… why… you know, can…
will you confirm it as a
Secretariat representative?
And where does it stand… given
that we're now 26 October and
the… the Resident Coordinator
is leaving by the end of the
month, where does it stand in
terms of having a replacement?
What did Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman
leave the country… what was
his understanding in terms of
who would be running the
country team in less than a
week? Deputy Spokesman:
I do expect, in the coming
days, we'll be able to have an
announcement about who will be
the Officer-in-Charge of our
operations in Myanmar.
We're not at that stage yet,
but, like I said, I do expect
to have an announcement
shortly, and we'll have the
details at this point. Inner
City Press: Given that she's
now said that an ASG
[Assistant Secretary-General]
was proposed… I'd asked you
about Mr. Magdy of… of UNDP
[United Nations Development
Programme], whether he was the
one, but it seems like… do you
have a problem confirming
that? She's also a UN
system official or Special
Rapporteur. Is she
wrong? Deputy Spokesman:
I'm not going to dispute the
words of the Special
Rapporteur. We don't go
into the discussions that
we're having on various
positions. Once we have
an announcement to make, like
I said, we'll make it.
We're not at that point just
yet. Yanghee Lee directed
Inner City Press to the Flickr
photographs on her mandate's
website; they are here,
including the toddler she
described in her closing
statement to the Third
Committee on October 25. This
is one side of the UN on human
rights; here is another: the
UN delivered a threat
to Inner City Press to
“review” it accreditation on
Friday afternoon at 5 pm. The
UN official who signed the letter,
when Inner City Press went to
ask about the undefined
violation of live-streaming
Periscope video at a photo op
by UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres, had already
left, minutes after sending
the threat. This comes two
days after Inner City Press asked Guterres about the
UN inaction on threatened
genocide in Cameroon, and the
UN claimed
Guterres hadn't heard the
15-second long question.
It also
comes after Alison Smale the
head of the Department of
Public Information which would
“review” Inner City Press'
accreditation has ignored threeseparatepetitions
from Inner City Press in the
six weeks she has been in the
job, urging her to remove
restrictions on Inner City
Press' reporting which hinder
its coverage of the UN's
performance in such crises as
Yemen,
Kenya,
Myanmar,
and the Central African
Republic where Guterres
travels next week, with
Smale's DPI saying its
coverage of the trip will be a
test of its public relations
ability. But the UN official
who triggered the complaint is
Maher Nasser, who filled in
for Smale before she arrived.
His complaint is that audio of
what he said to Inner City
Press as it staked out the
elevators in the UN lobby
openly recording, as it has
for example
with Cameroon's Ambassador
Tommo Monthe, here,
was similarly published.
A UN “Public Information”
official is complaining about
an article, and abusing his
position to threaten to review
Inner City Press'
accreditation. The UN has
previously been called
out for targeting Inner
City Press, and for having no
rules or due process.
But the UN is entirely
UNaccountable, impunity on
censorship as, bigger picture,
on the cholera it brought to
Haiti. And, it seems, Antonio
Guterres has not reformed or
reversed anything. This threat
is from an official involved
in the last round of
retaliation who told Inner
City Press on Twitter to be
less "negative" about the UN -
amid inaction on the mass
killing in Cameroon - and who
allowed pro-UN hecking of
Inner City Press' questions
about the cholera the UN
brought to Haiti and the Ng
Lap Seng /John Ashe UN bribery
scandal which resulted in six
guilty verdicts. We'll have
more on this.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Past
(and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047,
Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2018 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for