Sri
Lanka
Report Held by UN's Ban & Nambiar Partially Describes White
Flag Killings Nambiar Involved In: Conflicts
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 24 -- With the UN still
withholding its Panel of
Experts' report on war crimes in Sri Lanka, The Island in its ninth
day of publishing portions of the reported that were leaked,
presumptively by the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa, has run the
“'White Flag' incident” section (see below).
This
section
raises questions about UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon not having
required the recusal of his chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, who was
involved in the incident -- about the the Panel of Experts itself.
The
Panel's report
as leaked to The Island describes part of the White Flag killings and
lists by name the involvement of Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brothers
Gotabaya and Basil and Permanent Representative to the UN Palitha
Kohona, against whom a filing has been made to the International
Criminal Court for his involvement in the presumptive war crime.
As
partially
described by the UN Panel of Experts, “Nadesan and Pulidevan, and
possibly Colonel Ramesh” conveyed a request to surrender to an
“official[] of the UN” and received assurances they would not be
killed through “intermediaries.” They were then killed.
While
the Panel's
reports, troublingly, does not disclose the involvement of Vijay
Nambiar, instead referring only to a UN intermediary as having
conveyed assurances that those surrendering would not be killed,
Nambiar has acknowledged being involved.
Inner
City Press,
which visiting Sri Lanka covering Ban's trip in May 2009, has
followed this issue closely, repeatedly asking for a statement by Mr.
Nambiar describing his role. Inner City Press was directed to a
single filmed interview Nambiar gave, in which he acknowledged a role
The
Panel of
Experts, named and essentially paid by the UN of Ban Ki-moon, was
remiss in not naming Nambiar. Given how and by whom the Panel's members
were named and paid, and their final work product, there was a conflict
of interest.
Ban
Ki-moon, many now conclude, has been remiss
in allowing Nambiar to remain involved in handling the report, even
inreviewing it for what the UN should do next. It is a blatant conflict
of interest.
Ban and Nambiar, Sri Lanka report still
not shown
Following
numerous
previous inquiries by Inner City Press into this, including Palitha
Kohona heatedly disputing the account that Nambiar gave, on April 12
and 19 Inner City Press again asked Ban's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq
if Nambiar would be involved or recused.
Haq,
who previously
denied the existence of the filing with the ICC which details
Nambiar's role in the White Flag killings, said that Nambiar is a
senior advisor and was involved in reviewing the report.
Other
leaked
portions describe Nambiar interfacing about the review with Kohona
and his Deputy, General Shavendra Silva, also reportedly involved in
war crimes at the end of the conflict.
Still
other leaked
portions allude to a February 22 meeting, which Ban's lead spokesman
Martin Nesirky in essence denied to Inner City Press took place,
between the Panel of Experts and Sri Lankan Attorney General Mohan
Peiris, in the office of another of Ban's advisers, Lynn Pascoe.
Late
arriving on
the scene, in Sri Lankan press accounts, is Ban's deputy chief of
staff Kim Won-soo, perhaps in belated acknowledgment that Nambiar
should never have been allowed to be involved in the report, which
partially describes the White Flag killings in which he was involved.
Now
it is said that
Ban will take a call from Minister G.L. Peiris. Even if the report is
released on April 25, along with a UN response in which Vijay Nambiar
has clearly been involved, it is too late, and poisoned by the
conflicted involved of Nambiar. This is all a new low for this UN.
Watch this site.
From
the
leaked Panel of Experts report:
The
"White
Flag" incident
170.
Various
reports have alleged that the political leadership of the
LTTE and their dependents were executed when they surrendered to the
SLA. In the very final days of the war, the head of the LTTE
political wing, Nadesan, and the head of the Tiger Peace Secretariat
Pulidevan, were in regular communication with various interlocutors
to negotiate surrender. They were reportedly with a group of around
300 civilians. The LTTE political leadership was initially reluctant
to agree to an unconditional surrender, but as the SLA closed in on
the group in their final hideout, Nadesan and Pulidevan, and possibly
Colonel Ramesh, were prepared to surrender unconditionally. This
intention was communicated to officials of the United Nations and of
the Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States,
as well as to representatives of the ICRC and others. It was also
conveyed through intermediaries to Mahinda, Gotabaya and Basil
Rajapaksa, former Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona and senior
officers in the SLA.
171.
Both
President Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Basil Rajapaksa
provided assurances that their surrender would be accepted. These
were conveyed by intermediaries to the LTTE leaders, who were advised
to raise a white flag and walk slowly towards the army, following a
particular route indicated by Basil Rajapaksa. Requests by the LTTE
for a third party to be present at the point of surrender were not
granted. Around 6.30 a.m. on 18 May 2009. Nadesan and Pulidevan left
their hide-out to walk towards the area held by the 58th Division,
accompanied by a large group, including their families. Colonel
Ramesh followed behind them, with another group. Shortly afterwards,
the BBC and other television stations reported that Nadesan and
Pulidevan had been shot dead. Subsequently, the Government gave
several different accounts of the incident. While there is little
information on the circumstances of their death, the Panel believes
that the LTTE leadership intended to surrender.
On
the morning of April 21, Inner City Press asked Ban's top two spokesmen
to "please
state
the role of Mr. Nambiar in reviewing the report." No response has yet
been received, more than 60 hours later.
We will have more on this. Watch this site.
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