Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/untrip5may6srilanka062409.html
UNITED NATIONS, June 24 -- While current UN humanitarian coordinator John Holmes has commended the Sri Lankan government for how they are running the UN-funded camps where they have detained 300,000 Tamil civilians, his predecessor Jan Egeland on Tuesday told the Press that we can "safely assume... horrors" in the treatment of "women in Sri Lanka, Tamils," due to the continuing denial of access not only to humanitarian review but also "witnesses." Video here, from Minute 26:06.
Last week Inner City Press asked for the UN's and Holmes' response to the Sri Lanka government barring even UN workers from bringing cameras into the internment camps. There was no response, nor to the disbanding of the investigation into killings such as that of 17 Action Contre la Faim aid workers near Kilinochchi.
On June 22 and again on June 24, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson about two UN system staffers grabbed up by the government, by plain clothes men in unmarked vehicles. Even though the UN in Colombo belatedly admitted what happened, Ban's spokesperson on June 24 told the Press "we are trying to get information on what happened, got your question yesterday." Video here, from Minute 10:10.
But it happened ten days ago, and was asked about on June 22. To many, it begins to be part of the cover-up.
Egeland was in New York for a UN Colloquium on Conflict Related Sexual Violence in Peace Negotiations. Inner City Press asked for his view of the UN's performance this year in Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka is the latest example of the world community letting a government get away with denying access, to witnesses, humanitarian relief, protection of civilians," Egeland said.
He said that the Responsibility to Protest, enacted by the UN in 2005, was "not upheld in Sri Lanka, the heads of state have failed." He predicted that conflict will brew because injustice is occurring. He added, that he was not saying this as a UN official, that he is now with the Norwegian Institute on International Affairs.
In the run up to the Colloquium, two current UN officials came to speak to the Press. Sri Lanka was raised by Inner City Press, and the UN Development Program briefer answered and then said, "that is all off the record."
Why can't the UN speak on the record about Sri Lanka, as staff are disappeared and civilians killed and locked up?
Why is it only an ex-UN official who can admit that on Sri Lanka, the UN emperor has no clothes? Watch this site.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/untrip5may6srilanka062409.html
