Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un3may4srilanka051809.html
UNITED NATIONS, May 18 – While from northern Sri Lanka local reports persist of wounded and dying civilians in the “No Fire” Zone, in New York on Monday the UN's top humanitarian John Holmes said the UN has come to believe that all or nearly all civilians are out of the zone. While this may be based on government provided imagery from drones or UAVs, it's said that many of the wounded are in bunkers that they dug, without food or medical care.
Inner City Press asked Holmes if the ICRC ships, off the coast for days now, have been allowed to land. No, he said. Inner City Press followed up, what could be the rationale for continuing to exclude the Red Cross, if the claim is that all fighting is over and no civilians remain? Another UN officials told Inner City Press, why don't you ask them, the Sri Lankan government?
While the UN declined to confirm it, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama announced Monday in Colombo that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be visiting the city on Friday, for 24 hours. Accordingly, Inner City Press has put in a request to, as other UN accredited media do, accompany the Secretary General on this trip in order to cover it in real time. The request has been made, among others, to Ban's chief of staff and envoy Vijay Nambiar, who is at present in Sri Lanka.
John Holmes said that Nambiar will be traveling to the IDP camps the government has established, which Holmes called “the largest in the world.” Local sources tell Inner City Press that these camps are being “cleaned up” in preparation for a UN visit. Holmes acknowledged that while the UN system now has a presence at the Omanthai screening center, it has no presence before then.
Inner City Press asked Holmes about the doctors who remained providing services and information in the conflict zone, and who have now gone missing, allegedly taken for interrogation or worse by the government. Holmes said he was aware of the allegations, but had no way to confirm them.
Asked how many civilians have been killed this year, beyond the 7000 in the UN documents Inner City Press obtained and put online some time ago, Holmes said “several thousand” had been killed. But that's less than seven thousand, a reported noted. Holmes said that seven fell within his definition of several.
As previously reported by Inner City Press, the UN withheld its analysis of satellite photos of the conflict zone. Now, reports come that the UN stopped taking or acquiring satellite photos on May 10 at the request or demand of the government. Holmes said that in the past, photos were available, just not the analysis, adding that Inner City Press usually has been information on these matters than he does. So... see you in Sri Lanka? Watch this site.
