By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, October 27 -- The UN's bed bug problem is more extensive than thus far admitted by the UN Spokesperson's Office, Inner City Press learned late Wednesday afternoon.
Acting on a second tip from well place UN staff, Inner City Press asked Andrew Nye of the UN's Facility Management Service to confirm that bed bugs were found not only in the Capital Master Plan office (exclusively reported by Inner City Press on October 25) and furniture from the 19th and 20th floors, but also in the Office of Information and Communications Technology facility in the basement.
Mr. Nye immediately acknowledged that bed bugs were found in the OICT “second basement level.” Since this went beyond Spokesperson Martin Nesirky's incremental admissions of October 26 and 27, Inner City Press asked Nye if there had in fact been other finds, contrary to Nesirky's earlier statement that beyond the CMP, there were no other bed bug incidents to report. Video here.
Mr. Nye then said that bed bugs had been found in the “first, second and fifteen floors,” and that the UN will be meeting with the vice president of its anti bed bug contractor on October 28 to reconsider its strategy in light of the expanding problem.
Earlier, after Nesirky had said there were no more bed bug incidents to report, Inner City Press asked him about the OICT find. It is unclear why Nesirky was given at the October 27 noon briefing a two paragraph statement acknowledging only the CMP and 19 - 20th floor find, but not the OICT or first, second and 15th floor finds which were already known.
What else has yet to be disclosed? Watch this site.