In
Myanmar, UN
Belatedly Speaks
on Kachin, After
Press Q
Through CBS
Block
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 26 --
In Myanmar
earlier this
month, Vijay
Nambiar of the
UN was
petitioned
earlier this
month in
Kachin State
to intervene
for more than
50 villagers
trapped by the
army in Putao
District's
Nhka Ga.
But it now
appears
that until the
question was
asked at the
UN on October
24, nothing was
done.
Inner
City Press was
contacted and
told nothing
had been done
by the UN, and
so asked the
question at
the October 24
noon briefing:
Inner
City Press: I
am told Mr.
[Vijay]
Nambiar met
with the
Kachin Baptist
Convention
about
villagers in a
far part of
Kachin that
are reported
to be trapped
by fighting
and they made
a plea to Mr.
Nambiar for
the
UN to somehow
get involved.
What’s been
done since
that? It was
done earlier
in October
before the
mid-point of
the month and
I
wanted to know
what if
anything has
been done.
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: I’ll
check with Mr.
Nambiar, who,
as you know,
has
been in the
region quite
recently, so
let me see
about that.
Then
Nesirky's
office sent
this:
Subject:
Your
question on
Myanmar
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at]
un.org
Date: Thu, Oct
24, 2013 at
5:32 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
During
his recent
visits to
Kachin, the
Secretary-General’s
Special
Adviser on
Myanmar, Vijay
Nambiar, met
with a number
of groups
representing
civil society
in Kachin,
including with
the
representatives
of the Kachin
Baptist
Convention
(KBC). He
heard
directly of
the grievances
between the
parties and
the effect of
the
standoff
between the
Kachin
Independence
Organization
(KIO) and the
military on
the civilian
population in
the area. The
Special
Adviser
has been in
touch with the
authorities,
as well as
with the KIO,
in
regard to the
causes
underlying
this tension.
He strongly
advised
restraint by
all concerned
and against
any action
that was
liable to
provoke
further
tension as
well as for
the protection
of the safety
and security
of the
civilian
population in
the area.
This
answer was not
inserted into
the UN's
transcript,
as certain
other answers
are. Inner
City Press
asked about it
again, see
below.
Then
lo and behold,
the UN in
Myanmar
belatedly put
this out:
Yangon,
25
October 2013:
The UN is
deeply
concerned by
the situation
of
civilians
affected by
renewed
clashes
between
Myanmar Army
troops and
the Kachin
Independence
Army (KIA) in
Mansi
Township,
Southern
Kachin
State.
Fighting
between the
two sides
broke out on
22 October
2013
near the
villages of
Nam Lim Pa and
Mung Ding Pa.
The
UN estimates
that 1,200
internally
displaced
people live in
Nam Lim
Pa and some
500 civilians,
mostly
children, are
sheltering in
a
church in Mung
Ding Pa. Many
displaced
children have
been hosted
for
long time in a
boarding
school in the
area, and are
now again
trapped
in a conflict
zone. While
some people
have been able
to escape the
violence, many
are unable to
move to safer
locations. “I
am
seriously
concerned
about the
civilians
being caught
in any
cross-fire,
especially
children and
the elderly,”
said Mr Nigam,
Resident and
Humanitarian
Coordinator in
Myanmar. Mr
Nigam strongly
urges all
parties to
respect
civilian’s
fundamental
right to
freedom of
movement and
allow safe
passage to
their areas of
choice.
The
UN and
partners
delivered
assistance
through
cross-line
operations to
this area for
1,300 IDPs in
July 2012. A
further
mission
planned for
September 2013
was canceled
because of
renewed
fighting.
Local
partners are
currently
unable to
reach these
locations, and
the
displaced have
only food for
a few days,
according to
local sources.
“Hostilities
must
cease and
access to the
displaced
people for
humanitarian
partners be
granted
immediately as
these people
are in urgent
need of
assistance,”
Mr Nigam
stated.
Meanwhile at
the UN, praise
of Myanmar
continues,
even as IDP
camps in
Kachin are
overrun by the
government.
There was this
report:
"Nambiar is
reported to
have responded
to
KBC's requests
to intervene
by telling the
church
representatives
to
raise the
issue with the
relevant
Burmese
officials.
Despite the
fact
that KBC has
asked on
several
occasions for
the villagers
to be
allowed to
leave Nhka Ga,
the military
has yet to
allow this to
take
place,
according to
KBC
officials."
On
October 25
Inner City
Press went to
the UN press
conference by
Special
Rapporteur on
Myanmar Tomas
Ojea Quintana.
The UN had put
his
with two other
officials on
migration, one
of whom spoke
for ten
minutes
praising his
own country.
Finally
Inner
City Press
asked Ojea
Quintana about
Kachin He
did not answer
on the
specifics --
perhaps he
will look into
it -- but said
that there is
no recourse
for people in
land disputes.
Perhaps
we'll still
hear from Mr.
Nambiar, what
was or was not
done.
More
was not
possible, in
part because
the UN insists
on
automatically
giving the
first question
such press
conferences to
the Executive
Committee of
the UN
Correspondents
Association.
The
head, Pamela
Falk of CBS,
goes and asks
questions many
of the answers
to which she
never reports.
Now, a day
after her
questions, a
Google News
search for CBS
and Ojea
Quintana finds
only...
Inner
City Press'
story about
the press
conference.
The question
was just to fill
space --
blocking other
questions.
The second
questioner,
also from the
UNCA
Executive
Committee,
solicited a
ten minute
answer
praising her
own
country. This
is UNCA. What
makes it so
offensive is
that this
organization
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN.
This is why it
works so well
the the UN.
During the
Myanmar
briefing, the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
put an
objection on
the record. Video
here, from
Minute 40:14
and see first
two questions.
We'll
have more on
this.
, 
