By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 6, updated with video -- Sri Lanka's two top diplomats at the UN in New York took Press questions after they screened "Lies Agreed Upon," of which the invitation from the president of the UN Correspondents' Association stated, "Sri Lankan Authorities state, 'this video directly challenges the assertions contained in the UK Channel 4 video, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields.'"
Inner City Press asked Palitha Kohona about his role in what are called the White Flag murders of surrendering Tamil Tiger leaders in May 2009. Kohona's first answer included the suggestion that "I think you need to talk to Mr. Nambiar." Video here.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar has never answered Inner City Press' questions on this, but Nambiar told Al Jazeera that he "spoke to the foreign secretary at that time, Mr. Palitha Kohona."
But Kohona on September 6 answered Inner City Press that as foreign secretary he has "no role" in the military. Pressed, he conceded that he spoke with Nambiar at a reception in a hotel, but said he couldn't remember the substance of the conversation.
Nambiar said of Kohona, as well as Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, that "the response from them was that they would be treated likes normal prisoners of war, if they raised the white flag they would be allowed to surrender."
And then they were killed, at least Balasingham Nadesan and Seevaratnam Puleedevan.
Inner City Press asked Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative (and former military commander) Shavendra Silva about paragraphs in the UN Panel of Experts report which say his 58th Division was involved in the shelling of hospitals including the PTK hospital.
Silva first said that his 58th wasn't named. Video here. Once Inner City Press read out loud the paragraph, which names the 55th and 58th Divisions, Silva said the report is incorrect, it was the 53rd Division, the 55th was elsewhere.
Inner City Press asked about the doctors in "Lies Agreed To," and whether they were in government detention when they recanted what they'd previously said about the number of killed and the bombing of hospitals. The answer told to "just look at the video" and judge how free the doctors were. But Wikileaked cables from the US Embassy in Colombo say otherwise.
A US cable dated July 13, 2009 says that
"In a meeting with the Ambassador on May 20, the Defense Secretary indicated that it would probably not be safe to free the doctors until after passions had cooled. More recently a senior contact in the CID was demoted because he had worked to improve the detention conditions of the doctors and apparently had expressed too strong of a desire to improve their welfare... Credible local NGO sources have said the families were told the doctors may be released following such confessions and they may have had to videotape individual confessions for the president."
Once after Inner City Press' questions the session was called to a close, Inner City Press asked Silva why his government hasn't responded to the Panel of Experts' report. Kohona had argued that it is not a UN report, calling it the "Darusman" report for the chairman of the three person panel. Silva also said let the Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission finish its work.
The LLRC is harshly criticized in a report set to be released in Geneva on September 7. But it appears that the Rajapaksa administration's goal was to get its rebuttal video shown in the UN, while the underlying Killing Fields documentary was not shown in the UN, in what Rajapaksa supporters called a "victory."
Silva, Pioli & Kohona at UN, "Killing Fields" not shown
On the podium with Kohona and Silva was UNCA president Giampaolo Pioli, who was the one who agreed that "Lies Agreed Upon" could be shown in the UN. His question to Kohona was about the Red Brigades in Pioli's native Italy, now represented in that country's parliament. Kohona's reply was that Karuna, formerly of the LTTE, has already been incorporated.
Earlier on Tuesday, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's new deputy spokesman if Ban has yet taken the time to watch "Killing Fields;" so far, even from Tuesday's answer, it does not appear that Ban has watched it. And so it goes at the UN.
Note: the UN has answered multiple requests from Inner City Press to ask questions to Vijay Nambiar by pointing to a single statement he made on the topic of the White Flag murders, to Al Jazeera. While it never aired, Inner City Press obtained the certified transcript, which has Nambiar saying:
Nambiar the extent to which I was involved in this was a telephone conversation, a telephone message I got from a Sunday Times correspondent through the UK Foreign Office and through the UN headquarters where I was asked to check with the Sri Lankan authorities regarding the possible protection could be given to two of the Tamil leaders... When I received this call, I said that I will make an effort and contact the government authorities, which I did, the same day that is I think it's the 17 and 18 of May. I went and I spoke to the foreign secretary at that time, Mr. Palitha Kohona, the defense secretary, and subsequently I spoke to the president also. So, I raise this question …the Sunday Times correspondent talked about their wanting to surrender…they may want to do it to a third party…afraid for their lives…so I raised this with them and suggested …the response from them was that they would be treated likes normal prisoners of war, if they raised the white flag they would be allowed to surrender. Now that is the extent to which I was involved.
Q: This is what President of Sri Lanka told you..
Nambiar: Yes…the president also in response to my statement, he said the same thing, as did the foreign secretary and the Defense Secretary. (Bold added.)
