UN
Won't Answer
Publicly on
Sri Lanka
Letter to Ban
Protesting
Ouster of ICP
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
8 -- On
February 19,
Inner City
Press was
thrown out of
the UN, on two
hours notice,
after having
put critical
questions to
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric.
On March 3
Dujarric's
Deputy Farhan
Haq refused
for a second
day to comment
on a protest
of the ouster,
held at the UN
Compound in
Jaffna,
northern Sri
Lanka. English;
Tamil;
UN
Q&A Video.
That is
today's UN:
UNaccountable.
Now Ban's UN
won't even
allow the
question to be
asked - and
speaks for USg
Jeffrey
Feltman, that
he will have
no comment on
how this
thuggish
behavior by
the UN in New
York plays in
Sri Lanka,
which the UN
purports to
care about. March 2 video here and embedded
below.
On March 4,
Inner City
Press changed
tacks and
asked Ban's
spokesperson
Haq about a
letter,video here,
While Haq
refused to
comment, Inner
City Press on
March 8 asked
lead UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, video here, from the UN
transcript:
Inner City
Press: I
just want to
ask very
briefly, while
you were away,
I tried to get
an answer on
this, and I
feel it should
be
answered.
There was a
protest in
Jaffna of the
UN compound
having to do
with the
decision by
DPI
[Department of
Public
Information]
to remove my
accreditation
and
office.
And there was
also a letter
from a
Northern
Provincial
Councillor
that was… to
Ban Ki-moon
citing… going
all the way
back to
Shavendra
Silva and
various
irregularities,
from their
point of view,
in the UN
thing.
And I wanted
to know, what
is the UN's
response that?
Spokesman:
If there was a
letter written
by someone to
the
Secretary-General,
it will be
answered to
that
person.
People are
free to
demonstrate.
(Vine
here.)
Inner City
Press: I
want to ask
about Sri
Lanka, and I'm
asking about a
letter,
physical
letter, that
was addressed
to the
Secretary-General
from the
Northern
Provincial
Council, which
is a body that
Mr. [Jeffrey]
Feltman, for
example, has
met with in
the
north.
The letter
says that
Inner City
Press has been
critical of
UN-affiliated
personalities
who are
alleged of
sidelining or
siding with
genocidal
commanders
involved in
war crimes
against the
Tamil
people.
And finally,
it says, we
are shocked to
learn that, on
19 February,
the
Under-Secretary-General
of DPI
(Department of
Public
Information),
Cristina
Gallach,
signed a
letter giving
two hours to
Mr. Lee,
summarily
expelling him
from the
premises,
revoking his
press pass…
Deputy
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew,
you're not
expelled from
the
premises.
We are in the
premises right
now.
[cross talk]
Inner City
Press:
Right.
Right. [What
about office
and Resident
Correspondent
pass?]
Deputy
Spokesman:
I see you in
front of
me.
[cross talk]
Inner City
Press: I know
that you like
that
point.
The end of the
sentence is
revoking his
UN resident
correspondent
pass and
access to his
office.
And so I am
asking you, as
a response to
a letter from
the Northern
Provincial
Council of Sri
Lanka, what is
your response
to the
letter?
They also say
there was no
due
process...
the
combination of
the two, the
lack of
coverage of,
for example,
Mr. [Vijay]
Nambiar's
dealings in
the white flag
killings, Mr.
Shavendra
Silva being a
senior
peacekeeping
adviser to Ban
Ki-moon,
followed by
this act
without due
process,
unprecedented
and totally
disproportionate
penalty...
So I'm asking
you, what's
the response
to the letter?
Deputy
Spokesman:
I have no
response to
the letter,
and I have no
comment on
this. As
you're well
aware, the
concerns that
we have about
the peace
process in Sri
Lanka, the…
and the end of
the fighting
are a separate
matter from
your
particular
issues with
the Department
of Public
Information,
on which I
would have no
comment.
[cross talk]
Inner City
Press:
And what's
your concern
of a
journalist
being in this
room…
That's what
I'd like to
know.
What is so
extreme about
a journalist
being in this
room and
saying, when
DSS
(Department of
Safety and
Security)
asked me to
leave, I'll
leave that
justifies the
things that
are described
in this
letter?
Can you
explain?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Matthew, I am
not going to
get into why
you have a
problem with
your
accreditation
with the
Department of
Public
information.
You have an
issue… [cross
talk]
Inner City
Press:
Well, they've
asked Ban
Ki-moon.
You speak for
Ban
Ki-moon.
Is Ban Ki-moon
going to
answer the
letter?
[cross talk]
Deputy
Spokesman:
The decision
on your
accreditation
is a decision
taken by the
Department of
Public
Information.
[cross talk]
It's based on
actions,
having to do
with actions
that you took,
indeed, in
this very
room, that
were
hindering…
[cross talk]
Inner City
Press:
In a meeting
that wasn't
listed as
closed, not in
the UN Journal
of anywhere
else as
closed.
I'm just
asking.
Should they
write to
Cristina
Gallach?
They've
written to the
wrong
person…
[cross talk]
Deputy
Spokesman:
You can say
whatever you
want, but it's
not my place
to argue with
you about the
decision…
Inner City
Press:
It's a letter
to Ban
Ki-moon.
You speak for
Ban
Ki-moon.
So I'm asking
you for a
response to
the letter.
Deputy
Spokesman:
This is a
decision
taken… you can
talk over me
as much as you
want but it
doesn't
preclude the
reality of it.
Question:
No, I see you
trying to
move… if
you'll just
stay
stationary,
I'll be quiet.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Okay.
Yes.
Nabil?
On
March 3 Inner
City Press
again
endeavored to
ask Sri Lanka
questions,
including
about the UN's
role in
killings
there. Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
tried to PRE
cut off the
questions. Video here, from the UN transcript:
Inner City
Press: I
want to ask
about Yemen,
DPKO
[Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations]
and Sri
Lanka.
On…
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: Sri
Lanka or
you? Is
it really
about Sri
Lanka?
Inner City
Press:
Well, why
don't we just
wait and see,
you
know?
Because I
thought
actually
people can ask
questions in
here.
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
You're
perfectly
entitled
to. It's
just that you
have this
adorable way
of saying what
your subject
titles are for
your
questions, and
they seem to
not match what
the actual
questions are.
Question:
There was a
protest in
Jaffna.
That's
actually not
what I was
going to ask
about.
You could
easily take a
look at
it. And
I think it's
outrageous
that you
didn't answer
it. But,
I have another
question on
Sri Lanka. ...
Inner City
Press:
Here's a Sri
Lanka question
you seem to
have tried to
stop in
advance, but…
Deputy
Spokesman:
I wasn't
stopping in
advance.
I just don't
like false
advertising.
Inner City
Press:
If the UN is
protested in
Sri Lanka, I
think it is a
Sri Lanka
question.
And I actually
think you do
answer about
protests of
the UN
elsewhere.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Sure.
Inner City
Press:
And, in fact,
if VICE News…
Deputy
Spokesman:
Is this a
protest having
to do with Sri
Lanka, or is
it about you?
Inner City
Press:
If VICE News
asks you about
Turkey locking
up VICE News
journalists in
Turkey, do you
say, don't ask
about VICE
News?
I'm just
asking
you. So,
if the UN does
something that
people
protest, you
don't
answer?
But, here's my
question.
There's a
letter from a
group called
the Tamil
Relief Fund,
and it is
saying the
following… it
is saying that
not 40,000, as
reported in
Mr. Ban's
report, but
70,000
civilians were
killed in
2009.
And it says
that the UN
has not
conducted any
credible
investigation
in it and
that,
therefore, a
number of
parties,
including the
UN, should not
invest in…
with the
Government who
had just
committed,
they say, a
genocide.
And I'd like
to know the UN
side of this
letter, how do
you
respond?
Does the UN
feel that it
conducted an
inquiry, a
sufficient
inquiry, into
the number of
people killed
and that
there's been
accountability,
and how does
the UN justify
its now more
accommodative
stance given
the facts
alleged in
this letter?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well, you'll
have seen what
we've been
saying about
the
[Maithripala]
Sirisena
Government and
its efforts to
investigate.
We're trying
to encourage
an effort to
get to the
bottom of what
happened in
the end of the
conflict with
the
Tamils.
And we want to
make sure that
there's an
actual
good-faith
effort by the
Government of
Sri Lanka to
do that, and
we'll keep
pressing on
that.
Inner City
Press:
According to
the UN, how
many people
were killed?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Hold on.
Yeah, yes?
UNCA /
ex-Reuters:
Just a
housekeeping
question.
Are there
transcripts
available of
press
conferences
in… oh, sorry.
Deputy
Spokesman:
Yeah, please
use that.
UNCA /
ex-Reuters:
Thanks.
Just a
housekeeping
question:
Are there
transcripts
available of
press
conferences in
Geneva like
Jan Egeland
this morning,
and do I have
to listen to
it live again?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Yeah, the
press
conferences
that they
have, the UN
Office in
Geneva
transcribes
those.
So, hopefully,
they'll be out
on the website
later.
Inner City
Press:
According to
the UN, after
all this time
and all this
interest,
according to
the UN, what,
approximately,
as close as
you can make
it, was… was
the
approximate
number of
civilians
killed in 2008
and
2009?
And also, has
the matter of
Mr. Vijay
Nambiar, close
senior adviser
of Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, and
his role in
communicating
with
surrendering
individuals at
end of the
conflict who
ended up being
killed with a
white flag in
their hand,
has this
matter been
resolved
within the UN
system to the
satisfaction
of Ban
Ki-moon?
Because it's
not to the
satisfaction
of people in
Jaffna.
Deputy
Spokesman:
We have
already said
where we stand
on the
question of
how Mr.
Nambiar
handled
that.
I'd refer you
back to what
we said
several years
back.
Regarding the
death tolls,
ultimately,
that's… the
figures had
been developed
and… and have…
are in the
hands of, I
believe, the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, so you
should ask
them.
All
right.
Have a good
afternoon.
This is
a new low for
the UN. From
the March 2 UN transcript:
Inner City
Press:
Yesterday, I'd
asked you
about a
protest that
took place at
the UN
compound in
Jaffna.
And you'd said
you had no
comment on it.
There's video
of it.
Many people
have said it
seems strange,
and they've
looked at
other comments
your office
has made on
other
protests.
The question
is…
Deputy
Spokesman:
And I… I
continue…
Matthew, I
continue… You
called…
Inner City
Press:
Right, what
I'm asking is,
when do you
respond to a
protest…?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew,
Matthew.
You called
this a
question about
Sri
Lanka.
This is
actually a
question about
yourself.
I have nothing
to say about
you and your
particular
thing.
Inner City
Press:
It took place
in
Jaffna.
Have you seen
it? Mr.
[Jeffrey]
Feltman has
seen it.
How does it
relate to the
work of the UN
in Sri Lanka?
Deputy
Spokesman:
It's a
question for
which neither
I nor Mr.
Feltman, by
the way, have
any
comment.
Have a good
day.
This is
a new low -
including for
Feltman. There
is a video of
the protest -
of which
senior UN
officials have
been made
aware. Now
what?
In a letter
that gave
Inner City
Press only two
hours, Ban's
Under
Secretary
General for
Public
Information
Cristina
Gallach told
Inner City
Press to
surrender the
key to its
long-time
shared office.
That
evening eight
UN Security
guards under
Deputy Chief
Michael
McNulty
physically
threw Inner
City Press and
its laptop out
onto First
Avenue in
below freezing
weather,
without a
coat. Audio
here; video as UN Security turns off
Inner City
Press' Periscope
livestream,
here.
On February
22, UN
Security
official
Matthew
Sullivan told
Inner City
Press it could
not even be
signed into UN
headquarters
as a guest, it
was Banned
from all UN
premises. Audio
here.
Since
then Nobel
Peace Prize
laureate Jose
Ramos-Horta
urged Gallach
to reverse her
decision,
taken without
one speaking
to Inner City
Press
concerning its
January 29
attempt to
cover, to
pursue its
series on UN
corruption
under Ban, an
event the UN
Correspondents
Association
held in the UN
Press Brief
Room. Video
of that event
- used against
Inner City
Press with no
opportunity to
be heard.
Business
Insider
was told, by
an unnamed
Gallach
spokesperson,
that it was
fine to throw
out a 10-year
journalist at
the UN without
any
opportunity to
be heard, article
here, and
on Yahoo
Finance.
A petition
to restore
Inner City
Press to
access to the
UN, and to its
office under
its long-time
but stripped
Resident
Correspondent
accreditation,
is
here, with
675 signatures
as February 29
and comments.
The DC-based Government
Accountability
Project,
which defends
UN and other
whistleblowers,
has written
that the
ouster of
Inner City
Press is
“retaliatory
in response to
independent,
critical
journalism.”
(Dujarric, who
previously
“lent” the UN
Press Briefing
Room to his
native
France's
President
Francois
Hollande, said
he disagrees
with GAP.)
Handwritten
signs at the
Jaffna protest
cited back to
questions
about Ban
accepting a
Sri Lanka war
crimes suspect
Shavendra
Silva as one
of his Senior
Advisers on
Peacekeeping,
and another
suspect
Palitha
Kohona's
involvements
with the UN
including the
White Flag
Killings with
Ban's chief of
staff Vijay
Nambiar.
See
photo here
from the
demonstration
outside the UN
compound in
Jaffna, Sri
Lanka.
There's video.
An anonymous
troll Twitter
account which
counts among
its few
followers
Cristina
Gallach,
Stephane
Dujarric, UNCA
board members
and Reuters'
Lou
Charbonneau
says darkly
this was not a
spontaneous
protest -
whatever that
means. The
UN's
Censorship
Alliance. Haq
on March 2:
Inner City
Press: on Sri
Lanka, I
wanted to ask
you, there was
a protest
overnight,
whatever the
time
difference is,
at the UN
compound in
Jaffna by
Tamils.
And I have to
say, the
protest was to
restore full
credentials to
Inner City
Press and open
press.
You can find
it, it was
reported in
Uthayan, which
is a
publication
that was
burned down
repeatedly by
the Government
that's been
spoken of from
this
podium.
So, I know
that Stéphane
[Dujarric]
yesterday said
he doesn't
agree with the
Government
Accountability
Project.
What is the
UN's response
to a protest
at its
compound in
Jaffna on this
topic of free
press?
Spokesman
Haq:
Matthew, I'm
not going to
comment on
your personal
case.
Inner City
Press:
I'm asking
about a
protest of the
UN.
Spokesman
Haq: I
know that
you're dealing
with DPI
[Department of
Public
Information].
While you’re…
Inner City
Press:
I'm not
dealing with
the DPI.
They never
spoke to me
before they
did it, and
I'm asking you
about a
protest.
Do you have a
comment?
Spokesman
Haq: I
would have no
comment on
this,
no.
Thanks.
And let's get
to our guest.
Beyond
Ban's
troubling
ambivalence
about war
crimes, most
recently for
example in
Yemen (which
he has a pro-Saudi
envoy) and
Burundi (where
his
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous is
embroiled with
the military,
as it commits
child rape as
part of the UN
mission in
Central
African
Republic),
a corruption
scandal which
Inner City
Press is
pursuing
threatened to
undermine
Ban's plan to
run for
President of
South Korea.
The UN's
response has
been to order
an audit by
its own Office
of Internal
Oversight
Services into
all UN deals
with Ng's Sun
Kian Ip
Foundation and
also-indicted
Sheri Yan's
Global
Sustainability
Foundation.
, 
