On Sri
Lanka, ICP
Again Asks Ban
Ki-moon Spox
Of Sirisena
Backtrack,
Canned
If-Asked
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 30 --
Sri Lanka
represents one
of the lowest
points of the
last decade at
the UN, from
inaction in
2008 and 2009
to cover-ups
since.
On January 27,
2016, Inner
City Press
which covered
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
visit to Sri
Lanka in May
2009, asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Ban's failure
now to follow
up, transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
on Sri Lanka,
I've been
meaning to ask
for a few
days.
The President,
Sirisena, gave
an interview
with BBC
Sinhala and
said:
"There is no
room for
foreign
involvement in
the proposed
judicial
mechanism to
investigate
war crimes,"
which is
totally
contrary to
the resolution
sponsored in
Geneva by the
Government.
What does the
Secretary-General
think of this
reneging on
international
involvement…?
Spokesman:
I will take a
look at the
interview and
get back to
you.
Two days
later, there
was nothing -
except an NYT
editorial - so
Inner City
Press asked
again on
January 29, transcript here:
Inner City
Press: On Sri
Lanka, I asked
a couple days
ago whether
there's a DPA
(Department of
Political
Affairs)
response to
President
[Maithripala]
Sirisena
saying no
foreign judges
in the war
crimes
inquiry.
Do you have
any answer?
Spokesman:
Yes, I do...
On Sri Lanka,
the
Secretary-General
understands
that the
discussions in
Sri Lanka on
the
transitional
justice
mechanism,
including the
judicial
component, are
ongoing.
Broad-based
national
consultations
are about to
kick off, and
they will help
inform the
modalities of
the
mechanisms.
The
Secretary-General
also recalls
that the Human
Rights Council
resolution on
Sri Lanka,
cosponsored by
the current
Government,
affirms the
importance of
a credible
justice
process and
international
participation
in the
judicial
mechanism.
He remains
hopeful that
the Sri Lankan
Government
stands by its
commitments
and fully
implements the
resolution.
Apparently if
Inner City
Press, Ban's
spokesperson
would not have
read out loud
or otherwise
released this
statement
called an
"If-Asked."
We'll have
more on this.
Inner City
Press: in Sri
Lanka, since,
again, given
the
Secretary-General's
long
involvement in
this issue, a
journalist who
went into
exile based on
death
threats.
Sasi Karam
Puni Maruthi [sic
- it's
Sasikaran
Punniyamurthi,
apparently the
UN won't even
use Google]
has returned
and, upon his
arrival, was
arrested by
the
government.
It's a little
unclear…
basically it
seems like
arresting a
journalist for
what he
wrote.
Is this
something that
DPA
[Department of
Political
Affairs] or
peacebuilding…
Spokesman:
I will look
into it.
I had not seen
that report.
But
nine hours
later,
nothing. Nor
on Sirisena
backtracking
on
international
involvement in
any
accountability
for 2009.
After
Ban's
spokesman also
left Iner City
Press' January
7 question
about reports
of torture
under new
President
Sirisena, late
on January 7
Ban Ki-moon
issued a
statement of
pure priase
for Sirisena.
On January 8,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric to
explain, video
here, transcript here:
Inner City
Press: the
statement on
Sri
Lanka.
I'd asked, I
guess, Monday
and
yesterday.
Yesterday I
asked you
about these
new reports of
torture that
at least two
groups say
have occurred
even under
President
Sirisena, and
people there
are also
marking, you
know, the
seventh year
of a killed
journalist,
Lasantha.
So I'm
wondering, it
seemed like a
pretty, he can
write whatever
he wants, but
what is the
answer to the
Secretariat's
review of… of
torture
allegedly
occurring in
the last year
and of
unsolved cases
of dead
journalists,
et cetera?
Spokesman:
You know,
obviously,
unsolved cases
of harassment
and killings
of journalists
need to be
solved and the
perpetrators
need to be
brought to
justice.
On the reports
of torture, I
know our human
rights
colleagues are
aware of the
reports put
forward by the
NGOs that
you'd
mentioned
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you something
on Sri Lanka,
which is that,
in the last
couple of
days, the
President
[Maithripala]
Sirisena has
said that
there's no
requirement of
a special
court for
events in
later stages
of the
conflict and
also has
announced some
parcels of
land to people
in the north,
but there
seems to be a
demand by the
Tamil National
Alliance that
the military
disoccupy
land, that…
private land
that it
continues to
be in.
What's the
UN's response
to that?
What's the
UN's, I guess,
involvement,
including
through the
peacebuilding
commissioner
and any other
way…
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
I'll have to
check… [cross
talk] I don't
have an
update.
I'll check.
Three
day later,
nothing. On
January 7,
Inner City
Press asked
about reports
of torture in
Sri Lanka in
the last year,
under
President
Sirisena. Video here,transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: there
were two
reports issued
yesterday
about torture
in Sri Lanka,
not in the
past but in
the last year
as well while
Mr.
[Maithripala]
Sirisena has
been in the
Government, a
UK-based group
and a South
Africa-based
group, very
detailed
reports
including,
like,
locations that
they
found.
What is… I
mean… I guess…
Spokesman:
I will… I will
check.
While
not answering
any of those
questions, on
the evening of
January 7 Ban
Ki-moon issued
a statement of
pure praise of
Sirisena, here. Has
Ban's UN
turned the
corner on Sri
Lanka or not?
UNCA
head Giampaolo
Pioli, who
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN
for accurately
reporting that
Pioli had
accepted rent
money from
Palitha
Kohona, Sri
Lanka's
ambassador,
then gave a
"UN screening"
on a war
crimes denial
film in the
Dag
Hammarskjold
Auditorium,
has issued
this, only to
those who pay
UNCA money,
leaked by a
disgusted UNCA
member:
"Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
would like to
meet with UNCA
members and
all UN
correspondents
for the New
Year's visit
this
Wednesday, Jan
6th, 2016 from
10:35 to 10:50
am in the UNCA
room. It will
be an
opportunity
for him to say
a few words to
all of our
colleagues and
to exchange
his best
wishes. There
will not be a
Q&A
session but as
in every year
it is a great
occasion to be
together.
Please
attend."
Well,
no. Providing
a rah-rah
session with
no Q&A is
pathetic. And,
"all
correspondents"
will not enter
the UN
Corruption
Association,
which charges
money for
access to Ban.
But there are
questions,
including on
Sri Lanka. For
now, the
January 6
"event" was
canceled, so
Ban could
speak to / at
the press from
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout,
without taking
questions.
Ban's envoy to
Libya Bernardino
Leon was
exposed by
leaks as
having taken
instructions
and then a job
from the
United Arab
Emirates.
And Ban's head
of UN
Peacekeeping,
Herve
Ladsous,
is listed in
UN Dispute
Tribunal
documents as
having tried
to cover up
child rapes in
Central
African
Republic by
peacekeepers
from his
native France.
Inner
City Press,
which Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric did
not call on
despite
calling two
separate times
on the same UN
Correspondents
Association
scribe, asked
audibly, “Do
you have any
update on the
John Ashe
indictment?
Bernardino
Leon? These
were major
developments
this year.” Vine here.
But Ban
refused to
answer the
question. He
walked out of
the briefing
room, shaking
hands scribes.
The press
conference
began with
Dujarric
setting aside
the first
question for
the head of
UNCA, who
thanked Ban
for attending
an event on
Wall Street for
which UNCA
charged $6,000
to sit with
Ban. This
is the UN
Corruption
Association.
A
question on or
to cover up
the sexual
abuse scandal
was arranged,
with Agence
France Presse
congratulating
Ban for this
response to
the sexual
abuse scandal.
(Senegalese
Babacar Gaye
was urged to
resign,
Ladsous who on
camera linked
the rapes to
“R&R," video here, remains in
place.)
Ban read out a
wan answer on
Burundi;
his deputy
spokeperson
refused an
Inner City
Press question
on Burundi at
the previous
day's noon
briefing.
We'll have
more on this.
Ban once
promised
monthly press
conference but
his last one
was three
months before,
then nine
months before
that. On
September 16
with the UN
being less
than
successful in
mediating in Yemen
and Libya,
Syria and
South Sudan,
accused of
rapes in
Central
African
Republic and
killing 8,000
in Haiti with
cholera (after
40,000 died in
Sri
Lanka with
little
response from
the UN),
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon was
asked, What is
your legacy?
Dujarric
himself cut
off Inner City
Press
questions on
what Ladsous
said, and
declined to
answer on
Reddit in an
“Ask Me
Anything.” (He
didn't say
he's ANSWER
everything,
one wag
pointed out.)
But
even beyond
the scandals,
Ban did not in
his opening
statement
mention
Somalia, or
CAR, or
Darfur; none
of the
questions
selected by
Dujarric was
about Africa.
(One wire
points out
Africa was
part of a
UN-at-70
question;
noted.)
Inner City
Press also
tried to ask
about Burundi
-- nothing -
and South
Sudan, on
which we are
preparing a
story.
It was
Voice of
America with
the “What is
your legacy”
question. Ban
said he'd
answer next
year. Inner
City Press
might answer
sooner. Watch
this site. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
