On
Haiti,
UN Passes Buck
on Probe of
Abuse to
Brazil, Stalls
on
Cholera Claim
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 28 --
The UN can be
shameless,
particularly
but not
only in Haiti.
While the UN
refuses to
respond to a
formal claim
about
introducing
cholera to
Haiti, and
slowly studies
without
comment the
recent beating
of three
Haitians by UN
peacekeepers,
it
loudly
presents
itself as the
defender of
human rights
in Port au
Prince.
What of the
adage, Doctor
Heal Thyself?
On
December 28,
Inner City
Press asked
the Office of
the
Spokesperson
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon three
sets of
questions
including this
one:
"On
Haiti,
as the year
ends, please
state the
status of the
UN's "study"
of the filed
cholera
compensation
claim, and of
any standing
claims
body which the
claim says is
required by
the SOFA.
Also,
on deadline,
what is the
status of
MINUSTAH's
promised
review, or
confirm or
deny
this
account... 'On
December 13,
2011 in the
afternoon,
Joseph and
Abel JOSEPH
GILBERT, aged
respectively
twenty-nine
(29) and
twenty
(20) years
boarded a
water delivery
truck
registered ZA
08937...
Agents of
Brazilian
contingent of
MINUSTAH
arrested them
without any
explanation...
Gilbert
Joseph, Abel
and Joseph
Armos BAZILE
were
tortured in
the courtyard
of the Joint
Educational
Institution of
La
Saline, etc.'"
When
Inner City
Press first
asked about
this incident,
the UN replied
the next day
that it was
being
investigated.
But since
then, nothing,
as with the
question of
the cholera
claim.
On
December 28,
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman's
office replied
as follows:
From:
UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Wed, Dec
28, 2011
at 4:08 PM
Subject:
Questions
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
On
cholera
in Haiti:
We've said the
claim has been
received and
is being
studied. We
don't have any
further
comment at
this stage.
UN's MINUSTAH
on patrol,
humility not
shown
On
the
MINUSTAH
review: DPKO
advises that
the UN
Stabilisation
Mission
in Haiti,
MINUSTAH, and
the Conduct
and Discipline
Unit in the
Department of
Field Support
at New York
Headquarters
are aware of
the
reports of
alleged
misconduct by
members of the
Brazilian
battalion
of the
Mission. As
with all cases
of alleged
misconduct,
the
responsibility
to investigate
and take any
action, as
appropriate,
lies with the
Troop
Contributing
Country. The
case has
therefore been
referred to
the Permanent
Mission of
Brazil.
So
the UN claims
a
"zero
tolerance"
policy, but in
fact takes no
action
itself,
leaving the
entire
"responsibility
to investigate
and
take any
action... with
the Troop
Contributing
Country."
Shameless?
Negligent?
There are
other words.
Watch this
site.
, 
