By Matthew Russell Lee
UNdisclosed Location, March 22 -- As the UN gushes about World Water Day, there is a major hypocrisy not being covered: the UN brought cholera to Haiti when it dumped raw sewage into the water supply.
And after the death of more than 5,000 people and after sitting on the legal claims for 15 months, the UN tersely announced that the claims were “not receivable.”
Inner City Press has repeatedly asked for the legal and moral basis of this “ruling.” The UN has said it will not answer any more.
When UN officials like John Ging of OCHA, or the new UN Envoy on Youth, appear at the noon briefing, Inner City Press asks them about the UN's denial of Haiti cholera claims.
Ging to his credit said it hurts the UN's reputation. The Youth Envoy said he didn't know much about it, but a family member of his served in MINUSTAH in Haiti. OK, but: what about the dismissal?
Worst is UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, who had repeated refused to answer if DPKO has implemented ANY safeguards to try to ensure not spreading cholera elsewhere. This refusal to answer is unacceptable - but it is UN-accepted.
On March 18, after AFP and Reuters filed bogus complaints for being called lapdogs for taking from Ladsous' DPKO half-answers to questions that Inner City Press had asked Ban Ki-moon himself, on March 5, Inner City Press' office was subject to a non-consensual search and raid by the UN.
Then the UN demanded that the video Inner City Press openly filmed, in its own office, after the raid be removed from YouTube. World Water Day, indeed. Watch this site.
