UNITED NATIONS, March 9 -- Joint Australian - Sri Lankan citizen Palitha Kohona is the subject of a filing with the International Criminal Court for his role in presumptive war crimes in the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka. When contacted by the press, Kohona has refused to “dignify” the case.
On March 9, Inner City Press asked Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard about this filing against Kohona, who has also represented Australia before he represented Sri Lanka, and about the UN's and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's handling of his Panel on Sri Lanka, which has not visited the island. Video here.
“I'm not personally aware of all details of that case,” she answered. “We are a supporter of the ICC and a supporter of proper legal procedure and practice, one rule... is that political leaders should not comment on legal matters that are underway.”
While some of the journalists traveling with Prime Minister Gillard later called this a dodge, it's more than the UN has had to say. Without explanation, Ban Ki-moon's Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq has denied to other media the existence of the ICC filing against Kohona -- which also mentions and questions the role of Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar in the so called white flag killings
Ban's main spokesman Martin Nesirky, also not explaining Haq's statement, has refused to answer questions about Ban's Panel on Sri Lanka, saying that only the Panel can answer them. But the Panel has no spokesperson, and let its mailbox overflow and reject submissions from victims. Only at the UN.
Footnotes: Australian Labour Party MP John Murphy has been quoted, about Kohona, “I call on the government to independently investigate Dr Palitha Kohona, an Australian-Sri Lankan dual citizen and former DFAT official who participated in the surrender of the Tamil Tigers in the last days of the war. On 18 May 2009, several innocent Tamils were slaughtered while holding a white flag.”
One of the journalists traveling with Minister Gillard asked her if she'd told “Secretary Moon” that Australia is seeking a Security Council seat, as well as discussing a possible no-fly zone over Libya. She confirmed that Australia is seeking a seat, and insisted that there are no differences between her and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. We'll see.