On Press to Demilitarize Jeju Island, UN's Ban Ki-moon Says It's Up to South Korean People & Government

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 23 -- Even before Secretary General Ban Ki-moon left the UN to head to South Korea, where he is now, Inner City Press twice asked asked Ban's Office of the Spokesperson, on August 4 and 15:

"does the Secretary General have any comment or position on the Gangjeong Peace Movement and August 3 Gangjeong Grand March for Life and Peace on Jeju Island?"

  Ban's office gave Inner City Press responses to other questions, but not this one. And so on August 23 at the day's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked:

Inner City Press: with the Secretary-General’s trip to South Korea, I had asked this in writing, but I felt now that he is there, I need an answer whether he has any position at all on this struggle there that’s gotten other people from other countries involved, fighting militarization on Jeju Island, where there is a proposal for a major military base, and I just wonder, while he is there, not only because he is South Korean, but just as a because it is a big issue, does he have a position?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: we will have to find out. I don’t have that information.

  Of course, Inner City Press had asked the question 19 days before. But it seems asking it in person focused the mind. Because on Friday night past 7 pm this response came in:

Subject: Your question on Jeju Island
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 7:42 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Regarding your question on Jeju island in the Republic of Korea, we have the following to say:

It is up to the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea to decide.

  Wow. Watch this site.

   

At UN, Ban Ki-moon Picks 4 Softball Questions, Egypt & Syria, No DR Congo or Haiti Cholera, Heads to South Korea: Of FUNCA

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 19 -- When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon did a belated press "encounter" at UN headquarters on Monday, one expected him to have to answer for what the UN actually does (and doesn't do) with its 100,000 peacekeepers in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and now Mali. But no.

In Haiti, it has become increasingly clear Ban's UN brought cholera and killed 8,000 people. On Friday, the Washington Post editorialized for the second time, specifically calling Ban's office's reply non-responsive. But Ban did not mention it, nor did any of the four questions selected by Ban's spokesperson.

  In a speech Monday morning, Ban bragged about his supposed Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. But in the DRC, his peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous still supports the Congolese 391st Battalion, implicated in 135 rapes in Minova and since then desecration of corpses. 

  But Ban didn't mention this; nor did any of the four questions selected. (Ladsous' spokesperson or spoon-feeder in chief Kieran Dwyer was in the room, and quite happy afterward. Ladsous refuses Press questions on these topics.)

  In Mali, the coup leader Sanogo has been made a general, and the UN has said nothing. Nor did Ban, nor did the questioners.

  Instead, the first question was given to UNCA, now known as the UN Censorship Alliance, and was wasted on a garbled softball question about Egypt. Ban was allowed to say he "finally" sent his envoy Jeffrey Feltman, which is the spin belatedly spoon-fed on August 16 to Reuters (which also "feeds" the UN, click here for that.)

  But as shown by Inner City Press on August 15 with audio,Feltman's trip was planned and arranged BEFORE the August 14 killing of hundreds of protesters.

  There was the obligatory question about chemical weapons in Syria, and one about a bone Ban threw over the weekend about discrimination against Israel. (This questioner to his credit pressed to follow-up).

 There was a question about the election in Zimbabwe -- a fine question, at least on Africa where most of the UN's work is, but not a country in which the UN has a peacekeeping mission or does much beyond covering up the spread of disease and then punishing whistleblowers.

  And then it was over. Ban insisted on calling his upcoming to South Korea an "official trip" and not a vacation. But Inner City Press long ago emailed Ban's spokesperson's office to ask for his position on the civil society movement to demilitarize Jeju Island there. No answer on that.

  It had been said that Ban would hold month press conference with more than four questions. It has not happened, but UNCA (formally the UN Correspondents Association) has done or said nothing. (We note, for fairness if nothing else, that UNCA's 2013 president Pamela Falk was not the one throwing UNCA's Monday softball, was not here for August 15 on Egypt either.)

  The new Free UN Coalition for Access, established in part to defend journalists from attacks by the UN and its UN Censorship Alliance, will now expand work on this. (Here is UN's reaction.) Watch @FUNCA_info and this site.

   

At UN, Mixed Messages on Haiti Cholera, No Comment on Crackdown in Jeju Island, South Korea

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 16 -- While the UN continues to say it is "studying" the claim filed with its last month for compensation for having introduced cholera into Haiti, the messaging from Nigel Fisher of the MINUSTAH mission in Port au Prince and from New York seems different.

On December 16 Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq about

Inner City Press: a quote from Nigel Fisher, that “I don’t think the UN has ever denied the possibility”, and then it goes into brackets, “that they could have been at fault”. And some have said that the UN did deny exactly that. And I wanted to know, again, one, the update on how they are responding to this claim for compensation for the cholera, but two is, again Mr. Fisher has been there a long time, but is that accurate? Is the UN not denying that they may have been responsible?

Associate Spokesperson Haq: Well, first of all, on the claim: yes, the claim has been received and is currently being studied. And at this stage, I wouldn’t have any further comment on that. Regarding the second thing about responsibility for cholera, as you know, we take that matter very seriously. In January 2011 appointed a panel of independent scientific experts to study all available evidence in order to determine the cause of the cholera outbreak and epidemic. The panel determined that it was not possible to be conclusive about how cholera was introduced into Haiti. So, in other words what Mr. Fisher says does not necessarily contradict that. It is just that there was no conclusive way of determining how the cholera was introduced, according to the panel.

This exchange after the UN, a day after Inner City Press asked, provided an interim answer on another report of abuse, in Fort Dimanche in Port au Prince:

Haq: I was asked yesterday about allegations against peacekeepers in Fort Dimanche, Haiti. The UN Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, informs us that it was made aware of these allegations through the press, following a press conference by the Réseau National de Défense des droits humains. The Mission is doing everything it can to establish the facts as soon as possible. It reiterates its zero-tolerance policy regarding misconduct by its personnel and it will examine all allegations with the utmost seriousness.

We'll see.


By contrast, the UN and Ban Ki-moon have repeatedly refused to comment in any way on authorities in Ban's native South Korea arresting and detaining peaceful protesters against a planned military base on Jeju Island there. Also on the December 16, Inner City Press asked:

Inner City Press: there is an ongoing struggle or stand-off in Jeju Island in South Korea, where various people have been arrested, including an elected mayor, and they seem to feel that there is some UN hook, and the arrests were made at a joint Republic of Korea-UN joint conference on disarmament. There are three UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] sites, and so I just wanted to know, I heard the Secretary-General had an extended answer about Korea during his press conference, including saying as a Korean citizen he is concerned. Can he be asked again if he has any view of whether this island that I know he has spoken about should be turned into a military base and the treatment of those protesting the militarization of the island?

Associate Spokesperson Haq: At this stage we have no comment about the situation in Jeju Island. If that changes, I’ll let you know. But for now we have nothing on that. With that, have a good weekend, everyone.

Watch this site.

At UN, Ban Won't Comment on Drones, Retracts Claims He Sent Syria Report to SC, No Q Allowed on Haiti, Jau

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 14 -- Saying he will make the UN relevant, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday was asked for his views on the increasing use of drones for cross border airstrikes.

Ban responded that he has no comment, it is up to member states what equipment they use. One wondered, would that apply to white phosphorous or cluster bombs? This is Ban's relevant UN?

Prior to Ban's "year end" press conference on Wednesday, Inner City Press twice asked his spokespeople if Ban had any comment on the deadly US drone and airstrikes in Pakistan and if Ban raised them in his meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Bonn, all without substantive answer.

Wedensday in response to the first of the 14 questionsthat were allowed to be asked, Ban claimed he has transmitted the report on Syria to the Security Council and General Assembly. After Ban was challenged on it, his spokesman Martin Nesirky handed him a note which he read out: the special rapporteurs don't report to the Secretary General.

Ban's most animated answer, some thought, was to a question about the Korean peninsula. He said he was answering and acting in part as a Korean citizen. What then about South Korean authorities arrest of peaceful protesters, including an elected major, protesting the militarization of JeJu Island? Inner City Press asked Ban's office about the issue, without any answer.

Since there's been no answer, we can only pass on new information: "On November 8 , three peace activists were arrested at Shilla Hotel, Jeju Island, South Korea, where Republic of Korea-UN Joint Conference on Disarmament and Non Proliferation Issues was being held. On November 29 the prosecutor brought charges of trespassing. The first trial will be on December 15. I heard that you asked the UN spokesperson... I would like to know if you got any kind of answer from the UN." The answer is no.

There were questions Ban was prepared for, such as his previous comment on whether the Palestinians should apply to join more UN agencies after the cut-off of US funds to UNESCO after Palestine joined. Ban looked and found an "if-asked" note, which he read trying to distinguish his stated support for the Palestinian people from concerns about funding gaps.

Ban eagerly claimed to be trying to cut the UN budget, saying in particular the travel budget will be reduced by increased use of video conferencing.

But there is increased grumbling about the cost and lack of transparency of Ban's own travel. Recent Inner City Press questions about this travel, including who pays for Ban's joint travel with the Qatari President of the General Assembly, have gone unanswered.

Since December 1, the UN has dodged questions about the shakeup (or re-shuffling) of Ban's team by saying Ban would soon speak and take questions. But at the December 14 "year end" press conference, no questions were allowed on this.

Ban & spokesman on Dec 14, Syria report & Haiti claim not shown (c) MRLee

At Ban's "year-end" press conference on Wednesday, Inner City Press was not called on to ask a question, despite being inscribed sixth in the pre-taken list for questions.

Since Ban in his opening said "in Haiti... people need our help," among the questions which Inner City Press prepared was:

"Last month a claim was filed with MINUSTAH and your office for compensation for cholera in Haiti, alleged introduced inadvertently by UN peacekeepers. We keep being told that the filing, which criticizes MINUSTAH and the UN for not having established a standing claims committee, is "being studied." What is your awareness of and position on the claim?"

Of the questions that were selected, many were general, about what Ban thought of the Arab Spring. One wondered, why not allow at least one question about what the UN actually does, rather than about Ban's views? Watch this site.

No UN Answers on Haiti, Korea Arrests Query Taken, Ban on Whistleblowers

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- The UN declining to answer questions has become more and more routine. But now the UN, or at least Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky, declines to even be asked questions.

On November 9, the day after Nesirky took three questions from Inner City Press and answered none directly and one only by including an answer in the UN's transcript of its briefing, barely 15 minutes into the noon briefing Nesirky told Inner City Press, "Only one more question."

Inner City Press proposed at least two questions, on arrests at a UN disarmament locale in South Korea and on whistleblower protections, noting that both are in the wheelhouse of the UN.

"Choose one," Nesirky insisted. Inner City Press asked the arrests on Jeju Island, where a naval base in planned. The arrestees include Youngsil Kang, resistence leader Brother Song, Sung-hee Choi andDunguree (Park Sung-soo).

Nesirky didn't answer about the arrests and crackdown, saying only that he would look into it -- as he said of UN treatment of claims on Haiti after it seemingly introduced cholera, and of failure to file public financial disclosure by numerous Ban administration officials, including his adviser on "global goods."

And so there was no chance to get Ban's response to the complaints against him and his report by the President of the UN Dispute Tribunal, Judge Memooda Ebrahim-Carstens. In essence, UNDT judges oppose a number of Ban proposals including precluding whistleblowers from getting review in the UNDT of adverse actions by the UN Ethics Office.

GAP is on record to "urge the Secretary-General to withdraw the proposed change to article 2.1(a) of UNDT's statutes. We also encourage him to hold accountable the person who wrote language that mischaracterized the Tribunal's case law, apparently to mislead the General Assembly."

Inner City Press in the course of its reporting is often approached by UN personnel, including senior officials, who say they are concerned about retaliation. And so to remove any review of the rejection of their claims would only compound this problem. What is Ban's answer? His spokesman Nesirky, without explanation, would not take the question on November 9.

Perhaps as with whether if not why Ban is meeting with Egyptian presidential candidate Amre Moussa, the UN will unilaterally answer the question, as if to bury the answer. Perhaps it will do the same on the situation on JeJu Island, South Korea. Watch this site.