As
Myanmar Denied
Persecution
& Rape,
ICP Is Told UN
"Good Offices"
Are Over
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 5 --
Myanmar was
the quiet
topic of the
UN Security
Council on the
evening of
November 17,
between
meetings on
South Sudan
and Syria
chemical
weapons.
Inner
City Press was
informed that
while the US
requested the
closed door
briefing, the
US agreed as a
condition that
there would be
no outcome to
the
meeting.
And now,
Myanmar is not
listed in any
way, even in
the footnotes,
of the January
Program of
Work of the UN
Security
Council, click
here for that.
On
November 17
the briefer
was Vijay
Nambiar, Ban
Ki-moon's
envoy on
Myanmar as he
was,
disasterously,
on Sri Lanka.
And sources
tell Inner
City Press
that amid the
burning of
Rohingyas'
homes and
rapes and
killings in
Rakhine State,
Nambiar
advised the
Council to go
easy on
Myanmar and
give them
time. This is
is disgusting,
all
around.
The UN has
refused to
provide a
summary of
what Nambiar
said.
On
January 5,
Inner City Press
asked holdover
UN spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video
here, UN transcript
here:
Inner
City Press:
the Myanmar
Government had
set up a panel
to ostensibly
investigate
what was
happening in
Rakhine State,
and they've
issued their
report.
And it says
that there is
"no proof of
religious
persecution
and no
evidence of
rape," which
is contrary to
what almost
everyone else
has found, I
believe even
the UN itself
has
found.
So what is the
response of
the UN
system…
and also, is
there a good
offices going
forward?
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
No, Mr.
[Vijay]
Nambiar's work
has
concluded.
It was not
renewed for
the next
year.
That is not to
say that the
Secretary-General
will [not]
continue to
watch the
situation in
Myanmar
extremely
closely.
As the UN
system as a
whole will
continue, we
are… we have
not changed
our opinion in
terms of what
we've seen
through the
visit in
Rakhine State
and through
various
reports that
the UN system
has spoken
about and
continue to
express our
concern at the
situation
there and in
the
neighboring
countries as
people flee,
as we've seen
a mass
movement of
people out of
Rakhine State
into
neighbouring
Bangladesh, to
mention just
one.
On the morning
of December
27, Inner City
Press asked
three Ban
Ki-moon
spokespeople
question
including:
"Please
state when
Vijay Nambiar
is leaving the
UN / UN
payroll.
Again, please
state the
business
activities in
Myanmar of Ban
Ki-moon's
brother Ban
Ki-ho, not
only through
KD Power which
your Office
has stated it
understands
Ban Ki-ho has
left, but also
through Bosung
Powertec and
any other
company and
again, all
details of the
“UN
delegation”
the link
regarding
which Inner
City Press has
previously
provided your
office in
early
November."
A week later,
no answer, not
even a
confirmation
of receipt,
from the
spokesman
bragging he'll
stay on
another six
months - at
least.
On
January 3
Inner City
Press asked
this Stephane
Dujarric, UN transcript
here:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you, on
Myanmar, as
I’m sure
you’ve seen,
there’ve been,
over the last
week or so,
demolitions of
houses and now
a film or
video has come
out of police
beating
Rohingya.
So I wanted to
know… I’d
asked you, I
guess, between
Christmas and
New Year, is
Mr. [Vijay]
Nambiar
staying
on? Is
there any
future for
this good
offices
approach?
Spokesman:
No, as far as
I understand,
Mr. Nambiar’s
term has come
to an
end. As
for the future
of the office,
I will get
back to
you.
We’ve
obviously seen
those
reports.
We’re looking
into them, and
they are of
concern to us.
Inner
City
Press:
Right.
Because I saw…
there’s report
of a letter by
a local… I
guess his name
is Mr. Carter,
writing for
the UN, saying
that the
demolition of
the homes
would… would
inflame…
inflame, but
it wasn’t
clear whether
this was an
official UN
correspondence
or what it
is…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
I’ve answered
to the best of
my ability.
[inaudible]
Really.
, 
