By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban2mybiar021110.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 11 -- On Myanmar, the UN has yet to name a replacement for its previous envoy, Ibrahim Gambari. Amid reports of government soldiers torching villages and targeting medical workers in the Karen minority regions, Inner City Press on February 11 asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky is the UN was aware of these reports, and what it was doing.
"It is possible that the UN is aware," Nesirky said, adding that "I'm personally not aware." He said, "I see if I can find out who inside the Organization is following this and knows something about it." Video here, from Minute 5:49.
When Mr. Gambari was re-assigned to Darfur, Inner City Press exclusively reported (on December 14) and then the UN confirmed (on January 7) that that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar was taking over the Myanmar jurisdiction that had been Gambari's.
Mr. Nesirky was questioned extensive about this, including the still unanswered question by Inner City Press of how Gambari was compensated by the UN once the Iraq related portion of his take home pay was eliminated. (There is a similarly unanswered question outstanding from Inner City Press about how Ban's other advisor Robert Orr is paid.)
So, one would expect Mr. Nambiar to be identified as the person ostensibly following Myanmar and reports of torching of Karen villages. Inner City Press also asked about reports of the government increasingly denying and delaying visa for humanitarian workers trying to get to the regions impacted by Cyclone Nargis.
Mr. Ban made statements about saving people there. One would expect follow through, particularly by his chief of staff, at least on the Nargis humanitarian issues. But even the Tripartite Core Group, which includes representative from the Than Shwe military government, is painting a bleak view.
So where is the UN? Watch this site.
Footnote: the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is headed to the country again, after a November postponement that UN spokesman Nesirky has said he will look into and explain.
Will Quintana raise the Karen issues, and visit that region? On previous trips, he's acknowledged to Inner City Press, he traveled about the country with military helicopters and escorts. Perhaps if this continues, one wag speculated, they'll let him meet Aung San Suu Kyi.
