On
Sri Lanka, UN Insists It Stopped Counting the Dead, Silent on NGO
Expulsion, Blue Eyed Slander
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, June 1, updated -- Asked if the UN withheld its knowledge of
civilians deaths in Sri Lanka in May, as it withheld satellite photos
of the supposed "No Fire" Zone, the Spokesperson for
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday told the Press that "the
20,000 figure is not a UN number."
Despite some of the same
doctors the UN previously relied on having still been in the Zone
until the Army's final assault, Spokesperson Michele Montas said that
in May there was "no way to know" how many civilians were
killed.
But
when Inner City Press asked for an update on the location and
condition of the doctors who remained in the Zone offering treatment
and casualty figures, they were called heroes by Ms. Montas. Heroes
that the UN refused to believe? Video here,
from Minute 18:44.
In
the UN General Assembly, Mr. Ban categorically denied that the UN
downplayed civilian deaths. Ambassadors interviewed by Inner City
Press as they left the closed door briefing were generally not
impressed. Unrelatedly, Inner City Press asked several whether Ban
will give a more specific briefing about Sri Lanka to the Security
Council, which had a number of "informal inter-active dialogues"
as civilians died in the conflict zone.
Austria's number one
representative told Inner City Press he was going to meet with this
Turkish counterpart, the president of the Council for June, to
request just that. The U.S. number three representative Rosemary
DiCarlo said that a briefing of the Council by Ban is "still
possible." With the UN's credibility on the line, to dodge such
a briefing would be a new low.
UN's Ban in Kandy with Mahinda Rajapaksa, (c) M.Lee
In
Sri Lanka, alongside reports of Tamil-owned shops being attacked, the
Director of Sri Lanka's government Peace Secretariat Rajiva
Wijesinghe is now known to have told a press conference "there
are many blue eyed children in that [IDP] camp, you will know some
NGOs had a jolly good time." As a low level credit-war has
emerged, from who broke the 20,000 figure that the UN denies to who
took the photos of the conflict zone, we'll happily source and credit
the Wijesinghe quote to the Voice of America.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan defense
sources crow that "Ranvei Tvetenes, the Head of
Norwegian NGO FORUT was deported on night of Saturday 29th May,
2009." The UN screamed when some NGOs were expelled from Darfur.
But the UN was silent when a more systematic expulsion took place in
Sri Lanka. And now? We'll see.
Note:
on Monday outside the UN Security Council, Inner
City Press was
interviewed by on television about the controversy over the UN's
withholding of civilian casualty estimates in Sri Lanka, on which Inner
City Press
has reported since March. Afterwards, a UN media official tried to
convince the television reporter to omit and not broadcast the
interview with Inner City Press. It's amateur hour at the UN, with
this behavior running alongside loud claims that the UN doesn't cover
up. And there's more -- see
June 2nd development, here.
From
the UN's
June 1 noon briefing transcript:
Inner
City Press: Excuse me, but I wanted to get your response to these
things that were reported in Le Monde about Sri Lanka. I heard your
statement…
Spokesperson
Montas: The SG has [inaudible].
Inner
City Press: ...but there some very specific things. He quotes UN
sources in Colombo as saying, for example, that Mr. Nambiar told UN
staff and UN representatives to “keep a low profile”, that the UN
should be playing a sustaining role compatible to Government. Those
are quotes they ascribe to Mr. Nambiar. What I am wondering is, does
that mean he didn’t say that? I mean, having looked at the
article, as I am sure the UN has, and it also says that Neil Buhne,
the country director said that the death statistics should only go to
him, and should not be given to any other person. It sort of… it
paints a pretty, you know, I am sure you’ve seen it. The Times of
London has said, you know, Ban must do something, it’s like
Srebrenica. So does the specifics…?
Spokesperson:
These statistics that you mention, these statistics were estimates. As
you know, starting in the month of May, absolutely no numbers
could be verified, because the numbers we had were from the hospital
people, and health people who were on the ground and were
communicating with us, or our own people on the ground. In the month
of May we had absolutely no way of knowing what the casualty figure
was. The number of 20,000 is not a UN number.
[The
Spokesperson later added that as regards to the media reports on the
figure of 20,000 civilian casualties in Sri Lanka, it was verified
with the concerned United Nations staff who were present at meetings
of United Nations senior officials that no such internal report was
made at those meetings. She emphasized that the United Nations had
never underestimated the casualty numbers, nor engaged in any manner
in manipulating them nor in soft-peddling the message that was
communicated to the Sri Lankan Government on the necessity of
avoiding civilian casualties.]
Inner
City Press: Both the Times of London and Le Monde cite this to UN
sources in Colombo.
Spokesperson:
Well, actually, we checked. This morning, I was in touch with
Colombo and they have absolutely no idea where that number came from,
the 20,000 number.
Inner
City Press: Okay. So I guess I mean, what, the quote they ascribed
to Mr. Nambiar, I guess that the idea is somehow that staff there
feel that from Headquarters the message is keep a low profile. I
mean, unless both newspapers made up the quotes, somebody there said
them. So I am just wondering…
Spokesperson:
Well, I want you to really read what the SG said this morning. You
had this text earlier…
Inner
City Press: Okay.
Spokesperson:
…and where he categorically, I can give you the exact quote, in
fact you can get it yourself. He categorically dismissed some of
those allegations.
Inner
City Press: Okay. I know on Friday he met with the Turkish
Ambassador and I was told one of the topics was whether he wants to
brief the Security Council about Sri Lanka. That was an issue that
was going to be resolved in that meeting. Does he want to? I
understand some…
Spokesperson:
Well, whether it’s going to be something that the Security Council
is going to ask him. If the Security Council asks him to, he will. The
way he did for the General Assembly today, of course.
Inner
City Press: But it was said there that they sort of wanted to feel
him out to see if he wants to do it. See what I’m saying? Because
he did meet with…
Spokesperson:
Well, if he met with the General Assembly on this, he is of course
willing to meet with the Security Council on it.
Inner
City Press: And then just one practical thing?
Spokesperson:
Sure.
Inner
City Press: There is this issue that I know he raised when he was
there, of the doctors that were in the conflict zone and reported the
numbers. Has there been any, has he heard anything back? Has there
been any development on the status of the doctors who were detained
by the Government?
Spokesperson:
Well, as far as we know we understand they’re in good health for
now. And we noted that they have been detained. And what I’d like
to add is that these men are heroes, who have saved lives in some of
the toughest conditions imaginable. And they should be receiving the
maximum care and assistance possible. And the Secretary-General made
clear during his visit that detaining them is not appropriate. And I
think he is hoping that they will be released soon.
On
Sri Lanka, UN's Dodging Comes Home to Roost, UK Could Have Put on
Council Agenda
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, May 29 -- As UN sources in Sri Lanka were quoted that beyond
the 7000 civilian killings in the leaked UN estimates that Inner City
Press obtained and published at the end of April, one thousand more
civilians were being killed every day in May, responses at the UN in
New York grew ever more muted.
Inner City Press asked Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe if Mr. Ban will
push to brief the Security Council about the May 23 tour of Sri
Lanka. Ms. Okabe would not answer, saying "I have nothing to
announce." Because Sri Lanka never by vote put on the Council's
agenda, all members including Russia, China, Libya and Vietnam would
have to agree, to hear from Ban. But is he even asking?
Inner
City Press asked UK Ambassador to the UN John Sawers would what the
Security Council did and didn't do as civilian casualties mounted in
north Sri Lanka. Sawers responded that "we had the votes"
to put Sri Lanka on the Council's agenda, but chose not to, to
preserve "unanimity." He claimed that the Sri Lankan
government felt pressure from the Council and the Ban
administration's visits. Apparently they would have killed even more.
In No Fire Zone, burned trees, blasted ship, (c) M.Lee 5/23/09
At
a reception at the Russian Ambassador's residence on May 28, Inner
City Press asked Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN about
reports of Sinhalese mob violence against Tamils. He responded that
while the fears are real, the country hadn't had a death by communal
violence since 1983. He said that the newspaper editor arrested after
the Tamil Tigers' last attempted plane bombing of Colombo has been
released. The UN says that the doctors who remained in the conflict
zone offering treatment and casualty figures are still in government
detention.
On
civilian death figures, at Friday's UN noon briefing, Inner City
Press asked the UN's Marie Okabe is, beyond the previously leaked and
published figures of 2600 by March 7 and 7000 by the end of April,
the UN had compiled any figures at all in May. Ms. Okabe, alongside
reading a long and convoluted answer, said "ask OCHA." And
thus the run-around continues. We will continue to follow these
issues -- watch this site.
At
UN, Sri Lanka Sinks Lower than the Basement, Ban Criticized on Human
Rights
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, May 28 -- The status of interred civilians in Sri Lanka has
sunk so low at the UN that even for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to
be invited to brief the Security Council on his recent fly-over the
conflict zone has resulted in opposition from China, Russia, Viet Nam
and others.
In a closed door Security Council meeting Thursday, these
countries and others suggested that since there is no more conflict,
Ban should not brief the Council but rather the General Assembly. It
was arranged that Ban will meet private with Russia and Turkey, the
Council presidents for May and June. At most, Ban will brief the
Council in the UN's basement, put on par with Sri Lanka's Ambassador
to the UN.
Meanwhile Ban
was lambasted by Human Rights Watch for having offered praise to
Sri Lanka's interment camps, in a way that contributed to the
vote-down of a call for a international investigation yesterday in
the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Inner City Press on Thursday
asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe to respond to the Wednesday
press release of Human Rights Watch, which
said
that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had regrettably undercut efforts
to produce a strong resolution with his recent comments in Sri Lanka.
Ban publicly praised the government for "doing its utmost"
and for its "tremendous efforts," while accepting
government assurances, repeatedly broken in the past, that it would
ensure humanitarian access to civilians in need.
Ban
also distanced himself from strong language used in April by the UN
under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, John Holmes, who
warned that the fighting in Sri Lanka could result in a "bloodbath."
Unlike Pillay, Ban also failed to press for an international inquiry.
"Secretary-General
Ban shares the blame for the Human Rights Council's poor showing on
Sri Lanka."
Nearly
24 hours after this press
release went online, Ms. Obake said that
the UN hadn't seen it. Video here,
from Minute 11:50. She said
however that on these issues "the Secretary General has been
very clear in public, perhaps more clear in private." Perhaps.
UN's Ban looking up - toward a Security
Council or GA "informal dialogue"?
After the noon briefing, the following arrived:
Subj:
Your questions on Sri Lanka
From:
unspokesperson-donotreply [at] un.org
To:
Inner City Press
Sent:
5/28/2009 2:17:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Just
to add to what we already said at the noon briefing:
The
Secretary-General has repeatedly said wherever serious and credible
allegations are made of grave and persistent violations of
international humanitarian laws, these should be properly
investigated.
In
addition, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, while
noting that the Human Rights Council will not agree to set up such an
inquiry at this point, says that more information will come out, more
evidence will emerge about what did and did not happen. So an
international inquiry could still happen further down the line. The
Office also said that international human rights law is quite robust
-- there are different ways and means to get to the truth and provide
some measure of accountabilty. Sometimes it takes years, but this
Session and this resolution do not close any avenues.
But
Ban's speech upon arrival in Sri Lanka on May 22, and his Joint
Statement with the government exiting the country the next day, speak
for themselves.
In
a briefing primarily about Pakistan, Inner City Press asked the UN's
top humanitarian John Holmes if the doctors who remained in the
conflict zone to offer treatment and casualty figures are still being
detained and interrogated by the government of Sri Lanka. They are,
almost Holmes said they have received ICRC visits. Yesterday the head
of the ICRC said that his Red Cross has no access to some Sri Lankan
"interment" camps. Holmes said that he disagrees. Who is
one to believe? Watch this site.
In
Sri Lanka, Red Cross Barred from "Interment" Camps Despite
UN's Rosy Picture
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, May 27 -- While the International Committee of the Red Cross went
public Wednesday in Geneva with the fact that the Sri Lankan
government is running interment camps to which Red Cross workers do
not have access, in New York the UN's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe
said that "since the Secretary General's visit to Sri Lanka, an
interim measure has been agreed" in which aid agency vehicles
including trucks are allowed into all Manik Farm zones, only not in
convoys and not with agency flags. Video here,
from Minute 2:30.
Inner
City Press asked Mr. Okabe to square to the two statements, if there
are camps that the UN has access to that the Red Cross does not. Ms.
Okabe claimed that Inner City Press hadn't heard the statement by the
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -- in fact, it
was that very positive report that Inner City Press was questioning
-- and then said that OCHA's John Holmes had spoken about food needs,
to the "follow
up with OCHA." Video here,
from Minute
15:53.
The
question is not whether the UN has and can deliver food. The question
is, even as to the camps it can visit is the UN enabling and blessing
interment camps by providing funds and materiel? And what about the
camps that the Red
Cross has now said publicly it is being blocked
from visiting -- is the UN there? Or does the UN not care, or not
care that the public knows?
From
the phrasing of OCHA's update -- "since the Secretary General's
visit an interim measure has been agreed" -- many infer that UN
OCHA is more concerned about making Ban Ki-moon look good than about
raising the red flag when civilians are being cut off from aid and
monitors. The usually silent Red Cross is complaining, and the UN is
saying the government is going a great job, just needs more
resources. More resources for interment?
Guard in Manik Farm camp, (c) M. Lee May 2009
Also
in Geneva, the Human Rights Council's procedures allowed Sri Lanka to
claim the upper hand in the debate about whether its conduct in its
military offensive in the north should be investigated. Sri Lanka
rushed and was the first to table a draft resolution, congratulating
itself for its conduct and calling for more money. In a move that
left many of the supporters of the US's joining the Human Rights
Council shaking their heads, US diplomat Mark Storella urged the
47-member Council to reach a compromise, saying the United
States
"believes there is a basis for consensus."
The
consensus reached omitted any outside investigation, and calls for
more funding for Sri Lanka. Some wondered, wasn't the US joining the
Human Rights Council supposed to raise human rights standards, not
just demonstrate that the Obama administration calls for consensus
everywhere?
While
Tamils imprisoned in UN-funded camps in Sri Lanka want to be let go,
and to live without threat of ethnic violence or oppression, Obama
wants to be a friend of all the world and the UN's Ban wants so much
to be relevant that he praises the Sri Lankan government efforts and
funds them.
Inner
City Press has heard from local sources of Tamil store owners, for
example, being besieged by Sinhalese demands for money "since
you lost." The UN, which is supposed to be watching for such
dangerous signs and trends, is at least publicly and at the highest
levels blissfully unaware. As one source told Inner City Press, if
this is the way the Sri Lankan government and majority acts while the
world is (half) watching, imagine what they'll go later. Watch this
site.
, 
