UN's Pillay Sets Aug 25-31 Sri Lanka Trip, No Answer on Weliweriya Killings or Grandpass Mosque Attack (or DR Congo Rights Diligence)

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 15 -- In ten days the visit to Sri Lanka by UN High Commission for Human Rights Navi Pillay will begin, her spokeperson Rupert Colville announced this morning.

Three days ago on August 12, Inner City Press asked Colville's office:

"On Sri Lanka, does the High Commissioner have any comment on the Sri Lanka Army live fire at protesters in Weliweriya, killing at least three, and now the attack on the mosque in the Grandpass section of Colombo? Also, an updates on the High Commissioner's upcoming visit to Sri Lanka? Who will she meet with, where will she go, when will she report?"

  In Colville's stead, Liz Throssell replied, "I have contacted colleagues regarding your queries and will try to get back to you as soon as I have information on these issues."

  In the three days since, not only UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has before him without disclosing his own study of "Lessons Learnt" from the UN's inaction and even actions in 2009, but also Pillay's and Colville's office have had nothing to say on the murders at Weliweriya and the attack on the mosque in the Grandpass section of Colombo.

  One might argue Pillay is strategically staying quiet on these, either in order to opine once there, or as a way to get into the country. But will she visit Weliweriya?

  Here is the complete statement, listing Colville and Throssell as the contacts:

GENEVA (15 August 2013) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will make an official visit to Sri Lanka from 25 to 31 August 2013, at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government.

Pillay is scheduled to call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and meet government ministers and officials. She will hold talks with senior judicial figures, members of the National Human Rights Commission and the committee monitoring the National Plan of Action on the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Commission. She will also meet representatives of civil society and undertake field visits to the north and east of the country.

At the end of her visit, on Saturday 31 August, the High Commissioner is due to hold a news conference in Colombo.

We will cover it.

Inner City Press also asked Colville's office:

"While there are other questions, beyond the below, I wonder if you have any comment or guidance on the UN's continued support to the 391st Battalion of the FARDC, even after it's been implicated in the desecration of corpses and abuse of prisoners, after being one or two units implicated in the mass rapes at Minova? What does this say about the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy?"

What would be the reason for not answering that, in three days? Watch this site.

   

As UN Flies Governmentt Officials to Darfur, Murky on M23, Nothing on Katanga or Sri Lanka

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 12 -- UN Peacekeeping is in disarray, from Darfur in Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On August 12 Inner City Press asked UN spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey what the UN, which spends $1 billion a year in Darfur, was doing after 100 people were killed over the weekend in East Darfur. Video here.

  Del Buey replied that the UN mission had given a "special flight" to governmental authorities to the site, and sent "senior personnel" to provide technical assistance to a mediation.

  This ignores the number of Sudanese government officials who have been indicted for war crimes and genocide in Darfur, and echoes the UN flying ICC indictee Ahmad Harun to Abyei.

  Meanwhile in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the killing and displacement in Katanga has apparently drawn no response from the UN. Inner City Press asked Del Buey about Katanga, but there was no answer. Video here from 2:21.

  Inner City Press also asked if the UN still respects or abides by the Kampala agreement under which the M23 rebels pulled back to positions outside of Goma. Is the MONUSCO mission seeking to disarm or dislodge from these agreed positions the M23 rebels? Del Buey did not really have an answer to this question. He reiterated that the "Security Zone" is meant to protect civilians.

  Like the UN is doing in Darfur?

  In Sri Lanka, after having no comment on the Army's use of live fire against protesters of water polluted by Hayley's in Weliweriya, now the UN has no comment on the attack on a mosque in the Grandpass section of Colombo. Video here from 1:45.

Inner City Press has also put these Sri Lanka questions to the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Watch this site.

   

After UN Mute on Sri Lanka Army Killings, Mosque Hit, UN Talks Stress Relief

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 12 -- After the Sri Lankan Army shot and killed protesters of water poisoned by the Hayleys conglomerate in Weliweriya, Inner City Press has twice asked the UN in New York if Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has any comment.

  After not being allowed to ask this Sri Lanka question on August 1, on August 2 Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky said he'd check if there was a comment. When Inner City Press asked again, Ban's Associate Spokesperson Farhan Haq on August 9 told Inner City Press, still no comment. See August 9 video here, from Minute 5:02.

  On August 10, a Buddhist mob attacked a mosque in the Grandpass section of Colombo, and after that a curfew was declared.

  The UN in Sri Lanka convened on a meeting on August 12. What was it about? It was "Meet the RC" (Resident Coordinator Mr. Nandy.) 

  And what did the UN's Mr. Nandy speak about? He read from UN scripts about Youth Day; he gave "stress relief" suggestions: go for a run, do tai chi. Is mosque burning a stress relief technique? Killing civilians?

  These answers debased the UN system. Not only UNDP in Sri Lanka, but other agencies like UNFPA's Lene Christiansen and UNICEF's Reza Hossaini, got in on the act. Certainly there are constraints in being the UN in today's Sri Lanka. But the UN in New York's no comment on the live fire, and silence on the mosque attack, put these agencies in this absurd position.

  Thirty seven days ago, Ban's deputy Jan Eliasson told Inner City Press he was near to completing his report on what the UN should learn from its actions (and inaction) during the slaughter in Sri Lanka in 2008 and 2009.

On August 2, as it had tried to on August 1, Inner City Press asked Nesirky for the status of the report, and if and when it will be made public. 
Video here, from Minute 13:43.

Nesirky said the report has recently been given to the Secretary General, and he is "studying it." He expects the Secretary General to have more to say about it -- "next month."

Can it take so long to study this report? September? We intend to be here, despite a threat by the UN Department of Public Information to suspend or withdraw Inner City Press' accreditation for merely hanging the sign of the new media freedom organization the Free UN Coalition for Access on the door to its shared office.  

  After rather than defending media under fire UNCA chose to further target it, the Free UN Coalition for Access was formed to defend journalists. Now this UN targets FUNCA.

  Nesirky on August 2, when Inner City Press asked about threats to journalists seeking to cover the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo. said that Ban thinks journalists should be able to do their work without obstacle or intimidation.

The UN's Mr. Nandy's blithe blather about Youth Day echoed the non-responsiveness of the UN's DPI in New York, where when asked about declining media access and working conditions to cover the General Assembly when Ban was reading answers about Youth Day, DPI has entirely ignored the issues and questions from @FUNCA_info, and kept on tweeting photos of Ban, and comments about the Clintons, welcomes to Ambassador Samantha Power.

Meanwhile social media trolling started again on August 10from DPI's ongoing UN Censorship Alliance, which previously pushed, including by spying for the UN by first vice president Louis Charbonneau of Reuters, to get Inner City Press banned from the UN. Without obstacle or intimidation. Really? Watch this site.

   

On Sri Lanka, UN's Ban Ki-moon Has Nothing on Army Shots in Weliweriya, On Report Next Month, Press Freedom?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 2 -- The day after the Sri Lankan army opened fire on protesters in Weliweriya, and amid threats against journalists seeking to critically cover the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Inner City Press put these and one more Sri Lanka questions to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky.

  Four weeks ago Ban's deputy Jan Eliasson told Inner City Press he was near to completing his report on what the UN should learn from its actions (and inaction) during the slaughter in Sri Lanka in 2008 and 2009.

  On August 2, as it had tried to on August 1, Inner City Press asked Nesirky for the status of the report, and if and when it will be made public. Video here, from Minute 13:43.

Nesirky said the report has recently been given to the Secretary General, and he is "studying it." He expects the Secretary General to have more to say about it -- "next month."

Today is only August 2. Can it take four weeks to study this report? On the well documented live fire shooting, involving as should be of interest to Ban's UN ground water contaminated by Global Compact member Hayleys, Nesirky said he had nothing. Maybe next month?

We intend to be here, despite another threat by the UN Department of Public Information to suspend or withdraw Inner City Press' accreditation for merely hanging the sign of the new media freedom organization the Free UN Coalition for Access on the door to its shared office. Ironically, Nesirky told Inner City Press on Friday that Ban thinks journalists should be able to do their work without obstacle or intimidation. Really? Watch this site.