In Sri
Lanka, ICP Asks
of Ban
Ki-moon's Son
in Law's
Praise of
Lankan Army,
Read-Out
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow Up on
Exclusives
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 1 --
Amid UN
scandals,
corruption and
nepotism, Ban
Ki-moon is now
on a two week
tour seemingly
meant to
preview how he
could be as
South Korean
president,
visiting
Singapore,
Myanmar, now
Sri Lanka,
China and
Laos.
This
comes days
after Ban's
spokesman
admitted to
Inner City
Press in New
York that Ban
signed the
letter
appointing his
own son-in-law
Siddharth
Chatterjee to
the top UN job
in Kenya. Film here.
For
Ban Ki-moon's
visit to Sri
Lanka, which
is seen as one
of the (many)
major failures
of his UN
tenure, Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric,
“During the
Secretary
General's time
in Sri Lanka
will he be
meeting
directly with
C V
Wigneshwaran /
the Northern
Provincial
Council? Has
such a request
been made? If
so, is it
being granted
and if not,
why not?”
Dujarric
responded that
Ban “will meet
with local
leaders in the
north. Will
have more info
closer to the
date of
travel;” Inner
City Press has
asked to be
kept updated.
Inner City
Press has
asked Dujarric
and is
awaiting
response to
"On
the SG's son
in law
Siddharth
Chatterjee,
please
describe in
activities in
Sri Lanka
including with
the IPKF --
locations, and
if available
confirmed
kills --
including in
light of this
piece he
authored;
Please state
whether Mr
Nambiar is
also part of
the delegation
in Sri Lanka;
if so, why; if
not, why not,
given he was
sent there as
envoy in
2009."
For now,
this:
"The
Secretary-General
met with the
President of
Sri Lanka,
H.E. Mr.
Maithripala
Sirisena, on 1
September
2016.
The
Secretary-General
pledged his
continued
support to Sri
Lanka’s broad
and impressive
reform agenda,
including to
the
reconciliation,
transitional
justice and
peacebuilding
processes. He
expressed hope
for increased
momentum in
these
important
areas. He also
endorsed the
comprehensive
Peacebuilding
Priority Plan.
The
Secretary-General
was encouraged
by the
President’s
leadership and
commitment to
stay the
course and
ýfulfil the
aspirations of
the Sri Lankan
people in
bringing
lasting peace
and prosperity
for all.
The
Secretary-General
commended the
President for
his leadership
on the 2030
Agenda for
Sustainable
Development
and climate
change. He
welcomed the
Government’s
initiatives to
incorporate
the
Sustainable
Development
Goals into the
national
development
framework. "
Inner
City Press has
Sri Lanka
questions
pending with
Ban's spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric.
For
the interim,
including in
light of the
recent
non-recusal,
we link
to and
quote this Sri
Lanka piece by
Ban's son in
law Siddarth
Chatterjee:
“The
Sri Lankan
Army deserves
all our
respect,
gratitude and
admiration.
These are men
who have
proved worthy
of their
calling, and I
pray that
their fortunes
reverse and
they are able
to inflict on
the Tamil
Terrorists(not
Tigers, as
tigers have
honour too), a
final decisive
blow, that
puts the LTTE
in the dust
bin of
history. It is
a period that
calls for
strong nerves,
single-mindedness
(of purpose)
and intuitive
convictions
that success
can still be
yours after
these
reverses. They
are men of
sterling
character, and
I hope they
overcome and
demolish the
LTTE, this
organization
of
pathological
tyrants and
killers.”
Among these
Sri Lankan
Army heroes
are several
who would be
put on trial
for war crimes
by any
legitimate /
international
investigation,
an issue which
Ban is
skirting.
We'll have
more on this.
In advance of
Ban's latest
junket, he or
his propaganda
team granted
selected
interviews to
prepare the
ground --
“interview”
conducted in
writing,
without
disclosure of
who wrote the
answers.
Pro-Ban
editorials by
out of date
diplomats were
arranged (for
example here,
see comments).
But how can
blatant
nepotism be
explained
away?
Inner City
Press on
August 26
asked Ban's
spokesman
which of Ban's
aides it was
who spun the
Korea Times on
Ban's chances
to become
South Korea's
president in
2017, video
here.
Under
Ban the UN has
become so
lawless that
Ban's
son-in-law
Siddharth
Chatterjee was
just named
UN Resident
Representative
in Kenya
without Ban
recusing
himself.
Inner City
Press reported
and asked
about this on
August 25. On
August 26,
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
confirmed that
Ban had not
recused
himself, had
in fact signed
the letter
giving his own
son in law the
job, see
below.
It was
repeatedly
reported that
Ban would be
in Kenya today
for the 6th
Tokyo
International
Conference on
African
Development
Summit,
TICADIV or
TICAD6. Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric if
Ban would go
there and was
told to wait
with bated
anticipation.
Now Ban is NOT
there - right
after his
promotion of
his own son in
law there was
exposed.
How
is this
acceptable in
an
international
organization?
Or this: Ban's
mentor Han
Seung-soo is a
UN official
allowed to be
on the boards
of directors
of Standard
Chartered,
which has UN
banking
contracts, and
Doosan which
makes sales to
countries Han
gives “UN”
speeches to.
On August 25,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
Ban had
recused
himself from
any role in
his
son-in-law's
promotion, video here.
Inner
City Press:
Mr. Chatterjee
was named the
UN
representative
in
Kenya.
So I wanted to
know, what’s
the process
for the naming
of a resident
representative?
And given this
he’s the
son-in-law of
the
Secretary-General,
was there any
recusal
made?
I’m not saying
he’s not
qualified.
I’m not saying
he’s not a
long-time
official.
I’m just
wondering what
is the
process…[inaudible]…
for someone
being named…
Spokesman:
The regular
process was
used.
The fact that
he is, indeed,
the son-in-law
of the
Secretary-General,
I think, does
not take away
anything from
his very
strong service
over the
years…
Inner
City Press:
I’m asking
about the
process.
Spokesman:
Thank you.
Dujarric's
only response
is that
Chatterjee is
qualified.
That was not
the question.
After Inner
City Press
highlighted
this, Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric
returned on
August 26 with
a
"supplemental"
statement,
which still
confirmed that
Ban had not
recused
himself, had
in fact signed
the approval
of his own son
in law for the
promotion. Video here.From
the UN
Transcript:
Spokesman
Dujarric: I
also just
wanted to give
you a little
bit more
details on the
issue you had
raised
yesterday with
Mr. Chatterjee
and expand on
what I'd
said.
Mr. Chatterjee
was chosen
through the
regular
process which
is basically
that the
candidates are
chosen by an
interagency
advisory panel
which… which
does not… and
especially in
this case… did
not involve
the
Secretary-General.
I think he has
been fully
aware of the
situation and
has kept well
away from the
selection
process.
For RCs, the
candidates are
chosen and
recommended by
the
interagency
panel.
The name of
the
recommended
candidate is
then given to
the
Secretary-General
to sign off
on. He
does not
involve
himself… and
as I said,
especially in
this case…
involve
himself in the
selection… in
the selection
process.
And I would
just, again,
reiterate Mr.
Chatterjee's,
I think, very
strong
qualifications
in his career
with ICRC and
the UN over
the years.
Inner City
Press: I
looked into
it, too.
It seemed like
they sent it
to the UNDG
Chair and the
Secretary-General.
That's why I
was asking
yesterday.
Spokesman:
No, I
understand.
The
Secretary-General…
the
Secretary-General
is very aware
of the
sensitivities
of this case
and has stayed
well away from
it. The
final
signature…
because the
way this works
is the
Resident
Coordinator
represents the
UN, and it
needs the
agreement of
the host
country.
So, the letter
of
appointment,
in a sense,
has to be
signed by the
Secretary-General.
But, his name
is given to
him by the
interagency
panel.
Nor
have the
questions
about Han
Seung-soo, who
refuses Ban's
supposed call
for public
financial
disclosure,
been answered.
Instead, Inner
City Press
which has
asked about
each of
Chatterjee's
promotions
though the UN
system under
Ban (for
example to
and from
UNOPSincluding
censorship
by the son in
law, like Ban)
and in the
past ten
months about
Ban's and his
head of
communications
Cristina
Gallach's
links with
the John Ashe
/ Ng Lap Seng
UN bribery
scandal, was
ousted from
the UN in
February 2016
(audio
here) and
had its
investigative
files evicted
onto First
Avenue in
April
(video here).
NYT
here.
Since then
Inner City
Press has been
BANned
from covering
UN events
on the second
floor unless
it has a
minder which
stays with it
all the time;
sometime Inner
City Press is
told there are
not enough
minders, and
coverage is
entirely
prohibited.
This is
censorship
under Ban
Ki-moon.
Gallach's
DPI is giving
Inner City
Press' long
time shared
office to an
Egypt state
media, Akhbar
Al Yom, whose
UN
representative
Sanaa Youssef
rarely comes
to the UN, and
never asks
questions -
Dujarric
refused to
confirm this
obvious fact,
saying he
"does not take
attendance" --
but who is a
former
president of
the
Ban-friendly
UN
Correspondents
Association.
Inner
City Press put
the question
of recusal to
Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric
entirely
civilly,
without
(there)
calling into
question
Chatterjee's
qualification
or history
(including in
Sri Lanka, to
which Ban
Ki-moon is
ironically
headed for a
visit). Watch
this site.