By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 5 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon accepted credentials from and met with five nations' new Permanent Representatives on July 5, including Myanmar just after two more violent attacks on Rohingya Muslims (the new PR said don't use that word), South Sudan while the UN covers up the dead in Wau, and South Africa while Ban's spokesman leaves Press questions about censorship at state owned SABC unanswered.
First up was Hau Do Suan of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, who as Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric on July 1 said not to even use the term Rohingya. Ban Ki-moon has a Partners' Group on Myanmar which may itself be going out of business despite continued attacks. Tweeted photo here; Periscope video here.
Next was Jerry Matthews Matjila of the Republic of South Africa. Inner City Press asked Dujarric about reported censorship at state media SABC; Dujarric gave only a perfunctory and generic response, while cutting oral deals with the UN Correspondents Association resulting in Press ouster and eviction. Tweeted photo here; Periscope video here.
Then came Amatlain Elizabeth Kabua of Republic of the Marshall Islands, who before repairing to Ban's office with Ban's deputy chef de cabinet Patrick Carey, who was told of Under Secretary General Cristina Gallach's eviction order before it was carried out, but did nothing, said she wants to work with Ban on “our issues.” Tweeted photo here; Periscope video here.
Fourth or batting clean-up (or cover up) was Akuei Bona Malwal of the Republic of South Sudan, at a time when it is reported that UN peacekeepers stood down while mass graves were filled in Wau. At the end of the short closed door session, Ban appeared to inquire into previous PR Francis Deng and was told, I'll see him in two days.Tweeted photo here; Periscope video here.
Finally came Carmelo Inguanez of the Republic of Malta, talking about the UN's vital organs. Periscope video here. It was over; Ban is set to hit the road again while his spokesman Dujarric, in the office on July 5 but declining to hold any Q&A noon briefing, sit on most recently four question submitted before noon by Inner City Press. Watch this site.
For ten years as Inner City Press covered the UN in ever greater detail, showing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Herve Ladsous' inept overseeing and cover up of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers, dalliance withgenocide in Sri Lanka and prospectively Burundi, impunityfor cholera deaths in Haiti and until now for UN lead poisoning in Kosovo and cravenly pro-Saudi position on Yemen amid the airstrikes, it was never thrown out of the UN.
Now it has been, by Ban's Under Secretary GEneral Cristina Gallach with Ban's knowledge, and even as groups like the Government Accountability Project tell Ban to reverse the eviction and give Inner City Press back its long time office and Resident Correspondent pass, Ban's UN tellingly move to award Inner City Press' office to Egypt state media Al-Akhbar / Akhbar Elyoum and its rarely present correspondent Sanaa Youssef, who never asks questions, a former UN Correspondents Association president. This is Ban's UN.
