At ASEAN, Ban Ki-moon Pitches "Rights Up Front" But His UN Hid Evidence in 2009 in Sri Lanka, Talks Accountability But Didn't, on Cholera in Haiti

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 12 -- As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon schmoozed on the margins of the ASEAN summit in Myanmar, he brought up his "Rights Up Front" initiative without mentioning, at least in the read-outs, anything about its origins. In Sri Lanka in 2009, Ban's UN withheld information on the killing of civilians, and worse.

  Vijay Nambiar, Ban's envoy on Myanmar, has stopped short of calling for citizenship for the Rohingya, instead saying if they are kept stateless, at least they should be treated "with respect." With respect to what?

  In his UN - ASEAN speech, Ban congratulated Thein Sein and said, "Discrimination against minorities and vulnerable groups, and violence against women, are serious challenges in the region.  The UN stands ready to work with ASEAN and its Member States to strengthen national capacity to protect human rights, provide justice and promote accountability."

  Accountability -- when the UN is refusing any remedy for having brought cholera to Haiti, to the point of evading service of court papers.

  On Sri Lanka at UN headquarters in New York the disinterest and delegation continue. On November 11 an event was held about "War Crimes Records."  Inner City Press attended and asked about war crimes in Sri Lanka. Video here.

 Stating, as set forth below, that the UN itself withheld evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka in 2009, Inner City Press asked the panel for their thoughts on how the Human Rights Council panel will be able to prepare the report they are mandated to do, with the government refusing to give visas and trying to intimidate potential witnesses.

  The moderator said this was perhaps not the place to get answers on Sri Lanka. Why not? And UN Prevention of Genocide official Adama Dieng did respond, saying it is possible to produce information in real time.

 Patrick J. Treanor added that the command and control of a country, here the Rajapaksas and such figures as Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Shavendra Silva and Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona (see below), can be done from outside.  There, was that so hard?

  As reported by Inner City Press:

After claiming of Sri Lanka that "we don't count bodies," the UN has now involuntarily admitted that the "minimum number of documented civilian casualties since 20 January 2009, as of 7 March 2009 in the conflict area of Mullaitivu Region [is] 9,924 casualties including 2,683 deaths and 7,241 injuries," in a leaked document of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs obtained by Inner City Press. 

  OCHA's top official John Holmes, as well as spokespeople for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have repeatedly denied that the UN has such casualty figures.  Now it appears that unlike in other conflicts from Darfur to Gaza, the UN withheld the Sri Lanka figures, in effect protecting the Sri Lankan government from criticism.

   On February 17, 2009, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas for the UN's estimate of civilian deaths, and whether it was higher or lower than 1200. Ms Montas replied that "we are trying to save people, not count bodies." Video here, from Minute 22:48.

   On March 17, 2009, Inner City Press cited the just-obtained internal OCHA casualty figure of 9,924 including 2,683 deaths to the Ambassador of a European country active with OCHA, asking if Holmes had disclosed this number in the two "classified" briefings on Sri Lanka the Ambassador had mentioned. "Everyone knows the figures are controversial," the Ambassador said, insisting that he not be identified by name or country. "You won't hear these figures from OCHA." But internally, they are in writing.

Jump forward to November 3, 2014: Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman about Sri Lanka's allegations about "blank human rights complaint forms." There was no substantive answer; four days later, it was Prince Zeid from Geneva who spoke out.

   And now the Sri Lankan government has predictably shot back, blaming Zeid's statement for what they were already doing: banning the human rights investigators.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha has written to Zeid, "This type of action on your part would regrettably constrain constructive engagement which the Government of Sri Lanka has consistently sought to pursue." Right.

  In UN headquarters this is pattern used by the United Nations Correspondents Association under Giampaolo Pioli. 

  When Inner City Press reported as context for Pioli's unilateral decision grant an "UNCA" screening for Sri Lanka's war crimes denial film "Lies Agreed To" that Pioli had rented one of his Manhattan apartments to Aryashinha's counterpart in New York Palitha Kohona, Pioli said take the story off the Internet or he would get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN.

  When Inner City Press complained about this attempt at censorship, by a group that was ostensibly supposed to defend journalists and freedom of the press, these complaints including sent in writing to the private owners of Pioli's listed employers QUOTIDIANO NAZIONALE/LA NAZIONE/Il Resto del Carlino / IL GIORNO, Poligrafici Editoriale S.p.A. via Stefania Dal Rio, and to Voice of America -- 

this was used as the excuse to, yes, try to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN.  Here is Voice of America's letter, for which it said it had the support of AFP and Reuters, which then moved to censor its own anti-Press complaint to the UN, here.

  Writing to QUOTIDIANO NAZIONALE/LA NAZIONE/Il Resto del Carlino / IL GIORNO, Poligrafici Editoriale S.p.A. was said, by Voice of America, to have these companies "preparing a libel lawsuit" -- never filed. It was only meant to silence and censor. And now Pioli reappears, annointed by two year figure head Pamela Falk, to take the helm again at UNCA, become not the UN Correspondents Association but rather the UN's Censorship Alliance.

   In 2009 it was Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who went on the Rajapaksas' victory tour of the bloodbath on the beach. Some of Inner City Press' coverage is here.

 In 2011 Sri Lanka's denial of war crimes, “Lies Agreed To,” wasscreened inside the UN, hosted by the then-president of UNCA, become the UN's Censorship Alliance.

On November 3, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about a new development, transcript here:

Inner City Press: In Sri Lanka, a newspaper has reported that the Government is searching people down for having “blank human right complaints forms” to the inquiry of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. And since, obviously, there are people who are now charged with this and on the run, I wanted to know: Can you state from this podium or sometime today, are there even… do such forms even exist? Is there a blank form for this inquiry? And if so--

Spokesman Dujarric: I don't know. You may want to refer that question to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights here.

Inner City Press: Okay. Even if it were to exist, should people be hunted down for having these forms?

Spokesman Dujarric: Obviously, I can't tell you… I don't know of the existence of these forms or whether there is a police action against it. Obviously, it's important that people have the right to cooperate, should they wish, with any UN human rights investigation

The article is easy to find; it is in The Island, which got leaked one of Ban Ki-moon's wan reports on Sri Lanka. But eight hours later, nothing. 

 In the interim, the previous president of UNCA Giampaolo Pioli, who when Inner City Press reported on his screening of Rajapaksa's war crimes denial film and the fact that Pioli previously rented one of his apartments to Palitha Kohona, still Sri Lanka's Ambassador, tried to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN, made a new move.

  Pioli is positioning himself to again head UNCA, posting his name as the only candidate, endorsed by Pamela Falk of CBS who filled in for his for two years. UNCA has not been reformed in any way since its kangaroo proceeding against Inner City Press resulted in death threats.

  Inner City Press submitted requests under the US Freedom of Information Act to Voice of America, whose Margaret Basheer wrote at the time that the newspaper of UNCA's president -- Pioli -- was preparing to sue Inner City Press for libel for the entirely true report that Pioli rented real estate to Kohona -- pictured below with Pioli and Shavendra Silva.

 It was pure intimidation and big media abuse, an attempt to censor. Inner City Press raised the death threats from Sri Lanka to Pioli's private held newspaper in Italy -- which allows Pioli to, for example, make campaign contributions to politicians he is supposedly covering -- resulting in yet more threats of litigation, attempts to intimidate and censor. There are more more documents obtained under FOIA, and audio clips, most not yet published.

Since then, Inner City Press quit UNCA and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access. But Ban Ki-moon's UN continues to prop up its UN Censorship Alliance, giving it a big room for free to hold screenings in, setting aside all first questions for it, using it to pretend to be doing a good job on press freedom and such issues as Sri Lanka war crimes. We'll have more on this.

   

On Rohingya, Myanmar Rejects Talks with UN & ASEAN, UN Silent for 5 Days

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 30 -- In the last five days in Myanmar there has been a surge of violence against the Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine State. 

  The issue arose Tuesday morning in the UK House of Commons, where question after question concerned whether Foreign Secretary William Hague and his team are doing enough. Among the responses was that the "Burmese government" is doing its best to combat the violence, a claim many find dubious.

But at least the UK has tried meet with Myanmar diplomats. A statement issued later Tuesday quotes "Minister for Burma, the Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP" that

"Yesterday I called in the Burmese Chargé d’Affaires to the Foreign Office to discuss our serious concerns about the violence in Rakhine State and the casualties and displacement among Rohingya people. This follows My Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary’s meeting with Burma’s Foreign Minister in New York in September, and my own meetings during the UN General Assembly."

  But what of the UN Secretariat itself? Inner City Press asked Ban's Spokesperson's office for "anything on the recently worsening plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar and any UN response."

  The response? "On Thursday we issued a statement on Myanmar. That continues to stand."

That statement was now five days ago. Nothing since? Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been in his native South Korea for the past four days; his office has issued speech after speech, to the parliament and other grounds there, but nothing on this.

  Ban has a special envoy devote full time to Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar. But nothing has issued from him. In the interim, ASEAN has called for tripartite talks among it, the Myanmar semi-civilian government and the UN.

 The UN said nothing; Myanmar's government has rejected the talks. Is this due to Hurricane Sandy in New York? If at all, only in part. Watch this site.

On South China Sea, Experts Deem UN Irrelevant, Consumed with Syria, LOST

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 30 -- When two experts on the South China Sea dispute spoke and took questions for an hour on Monday, for the first forty minutes the words "United Nations" arose only once, as the beginning of the phrase "Law of the Sea Treaty," or LOST.

   Inner City Press asked, could the UN play any role in this dispute? Did Secretary General Ban Ki-moon even raise the issue during his recent travels?

   Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic & International Studies said the UN is "overwhelmed" with too much on its plate, mentioning Syria.

   Inner City Press recounted an interchange in the UN General Assembly in May of this year, when Philippines made a reference to the "West Philippines Sea" during a morning session on mediation. China's Deputy Permanent Representative Wang in the afternoon session chided "a representative this morning" and said he disagreed, that the "South China Sea" should be addressed "bilaterally."

   Joshua Kurlantzick, Council on Foreign Relations fellow for Southeast Asia, replied that the Philippines is in a weak position and throws things "up on the wall to see what sticks." He too found UN involvement unlikely. He also said that ASEAN has a weak hand, and has played it weakly.

   On this, a representative of US-government agency Radio Free Asia asked for a grading, on a scale of one to 10, of ASEAN's efforts, as well as whether "Mister Panetta" should send in more Marines.

   The grading effort was eschewed, but on Marines Ms. Glaser mentioned the new deployments to Guam and Darwin, Australia, adding that for any encounter with North Korea, Marines would be important. Ah, spheres of influence. Watch this site.

On Thai - Cambodia, UNSC Defers to ASEAN's Natalegawa, UN Replacement?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 8 -- Despite a request from Cambodia's prime minister Hun Sen for a UN Security Council meeting on the fighting with Thailand, the Council on Monday did not schedule a meeting, deferring instead to the mediation of Indonesia's foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, for ASEAN.

Inner City Press, which reported before the Council's consultations on the matter that two countries wanted to hold a meeting, is now told that in the consultations, Russia spoke in favor of having a meeting, saying this is what the Council is for.

As Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin left the Council on Monday, Inner City Press asked him about the Council having a meeting on Cambodia's request. We are not against it, he replied.

Inner City Press then asked the Council's president Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti if Hun Sen's public request that the UN establish a buffer zone around the Preah Vihear temple.

No, she answered, that request had not been made to the Council. Meanwhile, Thailand's prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he will call UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday.

Natalegawa was previously Indonesia's permanent representative to the UN, and knows the system well. His successor on January 31 told Inner City Press that ASEAN led by Indonesia is trying to get Western sanctions on Myanmar lifted, while getting Myanmar to agree to an ASEAN envoy to that country.

Some expect Natalegawa to be able to keep the Thai - Cambodia issue off of the Council's formal agenda, by the withdrawal of Cambodia's request just as a similar request was withdrawn in 2008, when Viet Nam was president of the Council. But for now the fighting has continued.

A buzz at the UN this week concerns the open dissatisfaction with Ban by several countries, including veto-wielding Security Council member Russia. If Ban were denied a second term, as the US denied one to Boutros-Boutros Ghali, the next five or ten years would be seen as belonging to the Asia group, just as Kofi Annan replaced Boutros for the African group.

What higher profile and more adept replacement could there be from the Asia group, some say, than Natalegawa? Watch this site.

As Thai - Cambodia Fighting Escalates, UN & Its Council Unresponsive, Repetition?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 6 -- As fighting escalates between Thailand and Cambodia, the UN and its Security Council presidency did not answer questions on the matter, even after Cambodia's prime minister Hun Sen wrote to demand an urgent meeting of the Council.

Inner City Press, which had asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesmen about the dispute starting February 4, asked the top two listed contacts at the UN Mission of Brazil, this month's Council president, to confirm the receipt and circulation to members of Cambodia's requests. More than 12 hours later, there was no response. Nor to detailed questions to Ban's two two spokesmen.

While one would expect the UN to be more responsive, perhaps this disinterest is related to the last time this border and temple dispute came to the Council, in 2008. Then, with fellow ASEAN member Viet Nam holding the Council presidency, pressure was brought to bear to keep the dispute at the national and regional level.

Finally, Viet Nam's Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, “Letter withdrawn.... problem disappear.” Will that happen this time?

Ban's spokesman on the morning of February 6 were asked this:

Does Ban Ki-moon agree that this UN affiliated process has increased tension and should be suspended? [Thai PM] “Abhisit said Thailand was attacked first so it had to respond. The country also viewed the areas around the Preah Vihear Temple as "very sensitive", therefore nothing should be done to increase the tensions between the countries. 'That means the World Heritage registration procedures [with regard to areas surrounding the ancient Hindu temple] should now be suspended. We have been warning the World Heritage Committee for quite some time,' Abhisit said.”

Twelve hours later, there was no response. Watch this site

Sri Lanka Spin on S. Africa and ASEAN Played Role in UN Panel, Khmer Rouge Rajapaksa

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/sri6bantor062310.html

UNITED NATIONS, June 23 -- In the wake of the UN belated disclosing the identities of the three members of its advisory panel on Sri Lanka war crimes, names that Inner City Press exclusively reported 25 hours before, on the evening of January 22 the politics behind the appointments were made clear to the Press.

Sri Lanka argued that its self investigation would be like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Fine, then: Yasmin Sooka of that Commission was included on the panel, at the suggestion of South African advisor to Ban Ki-moon Nicholas Hayson.

Sri Lanka fashions itself not just South Asian but ASEAN writ large. So Marzuki Darusman of Indonesia was included. Indonesia is ASEAN's bridge, on Myanmar and now Sri Lanka.

Nevertheless it was reported

A senior Sri Lankan official said appointing former Indonesian attorney general Marzuki Darusman as the head of the panel was “unfair” as he has been involved in the island before and has had disagreements with local authorities.

Mr. Darusman was a member of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) which quit observing human rights investigations in Sri Lanka in April 2008 after clashing with the local administration. 'In that context, having this Indonesian in the panel could lead to a serious conflict of interest,' the official who declined to be named said. He added that the government may come up with a formal response later.

Sri Lanka being so unprepared to fire back had no excuse. Inner City Press is informed that the Rajapaksa administration was informed in advance of the terms of reference.

Its Permanent Representative to the UN was for reason out of town, despite Lynn Pascoe's advance notice. One wag wondered, what do they say about rats leaving a sinking ship?

The inclusion of an American, Michael Ratner, most enraged the Rajapaksas. They need not worry so much: while this Ratner worked on the UN's hybrid Cambodia court, justice there is slow and seeded with corruption. And the UN's top legal officer refused to take questions from the Press on it.

The panel will be staffed, and meet in New York “in coming days.” We'll be there - watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/sri6bantor062310.html

At UN, Vietnam Is Asked About Beaten Monks, Says No Grounds To Bring It Up

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1monksviet101609.html

UNITED NATIONS, October 16 -- Nearly three weeks after some 400 Buddhist monks in Vietnam were evicted and beaten, and Vietnam took over the Presidency of the UN Security Council, on October 16 Inner City Press asked Vietnam's Ambassador and Council President Le Luong Minh about the incident. Video here, from Minute 3:09.

Ambassador Le Luong Minh at first look puzzled, then smirked. Inner City Press explained the "hook" to the Security Council, a report that "supporters are also asking the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to help them arrange a meeting with Vietnam's U.N. ambassador."

While U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice was present in the Council on Friday, when Inner City Press asked if the matter had been raised, Le Luong Minh said "no one has raised it, and there are no grounds for anyone to raise it."

When monks, admittedly a larger number, were cracked down on in Myanmar, the matter was quickly raised in the Security Council, and Myanmar is now on the Council's agenda. There are other less than reasonable exclusions from the Council's agenda, such as the tens of thousands of ethnic Tamils killed in Sri Lanka earlier this year. But when events like this take place in a country holding the presidency of the UN Security Council, it should not be surprising that they are raised.

Only this week, five countries ran for and won seats of the Security Council. When Inner City Press asked Brazil's Ambassador if she envisioned bringing up Honduras in the Council when she joins it in January, if it is still needed, she referred only to "regional organizations."

When Inner City Press asked Nigeria's foreign minister if Nigeria would like to bring up Guinea in the Council, he also referred to regional organizations. When Ban Ki-moon on October 16 announced a UN inquiry into the killings and rapes in Guinea, Inner City Press asked his spokesperson if the inquiry had the consent of the government, as the UN implied would be necessary in Sri Lanka. His spokesperson replied that a regional organization had asked for the Guinea inquiry.

ASEAN's inward gaze condemn many victims to suffer in silence. While often the Council accomplishes little for those on its agenda, it does let a government know it is being watched. In the case of Vietnam, the response was just a smirk. And so it goes at the UN.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1monksviet101609.html

With UN's Ban in Laos, Silence on Thai Unrest and Rights, Sri Lanka and Missile

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban1asia041109.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 11 -- With the Thai government having been forced by protests to call off today's ASEAN summit in Pattaya, from Laos UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's issued an “urgent” statement that “I deeply regret the postponement of the ASEAN and related summits and the consequent postponement of my attendance to the events. I understand the circumstances that led the Thai Government to take this difficult decision.”

Days earlier in New York, Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas had been asked if she or Ban had any views or comments on the already mounting protests in Thailand. On April 8 at the UN's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ms. Montas, video here --

Inner City Press: with the Secretary-General attending the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] ASEAN trip in Thailand, does he have any comment on the unrest that’s taking place there? Does he have any kind of, I guess either guidance, I mean I know on Moldova he said things should be done peacefully. Why in Moldova and not Thailand? Is there some, is the Thailand street violence less serious or what’s the distinction?

Spokesperson: Well, in the case of Moldova, we had people who were killed, so he’s not going to say anything about what is happening right now in Thailand. As far as we know, everything is set for him for the ASEAN summit and the ASEAN-UN summit. So he is going to go there.

Inner City Press: Is there any chance that… There have been some discussions, including by some UN officials that he might go to Myanmar either before or after the ASEAN summit. Is that now…?

Spokesperson: He is not.

The previous day, Ban had issued a statement that he “strongly believes that any disagreements regarding election results should be resolved by peaceful means and calls on all parties to refrain from violence and maintain calm.” It was directed, not at Thailand, the country he was about to visit, but at Moldova.

Also on April 7, Inner City Press asked Ms. Montas what Ban would raise in the only other stop on his Asian tour, Laos:

Inner City Press: yesterday, you announced that the Secretary-General is going to make an official visit to Lao People’s Democratic Republic on his way to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting. There are a lot of reports right now about Hmong people being pushed out of Thailand into Laos. Human Rights Watch for example has put out a report saying that this is a violation of human rights. Is this one of the issues he is going to raise in Laos?

Spokesperson: Most probably that issue will be discussed. (Video).

But by all accounts, Ban's visit to Laos was “human rights free.” The lone AP headline was “UN Hopeful on Future of Laos” and reported that Ban “cited improvements in health, education, life spans and infant mortality rates as well as greater integration with the global economy. He said the Laotian government was committed to achieving the millennium goals... He also said Laos would have to focus greater attention on the environment.”

So much for human rights. What about MDGs and the militarized “environment” for the Hmong? With time on his hands, Ban could personally try to have an impact on the “bloodbath” in Sri Lanka, but since he has of late declined to even call for a suspension of fighting, it seems unlikely. While several countries plan to go ahead with meetings in Pattaya about North Korea's missile launch, Ban's announcement said his entire visit to Thailand has been postponed in light of calling off the Pattaya ASEAN meeting, which he "deeply regrets." "deeply. By contrast, he only "regretted" North Korea's missile test...

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1asia041109.html