On Sri Lanka, UN Review to 2Q 2013, Any Silva Visit Screening & Kilinochchi Qs
By Matthew Russell LeeUNITED NATIONS, December 13, updated — A week ago, Inner City Press asked the UN what it would do in the face of the troubling report on its actions and inaction in Sri Lanka, penned by sometime UN official Charles Petrie.
The UN answered that Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson would lead a team to review the report.
Today, the UN announced a bit more: that Eliasson has asked UN departments, funds and programs to nominate people to participate in the review, and that the review is due in the second quarter of 2013.
Inner City Press immediately asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Martin Nesirky if any UN specialized agencies would be involved, for example the IMF (which stands accused of lending into increased military spending by the Rajapaksa government, even after 2009).
Nesirky reiterated, only funds and programs, and not agencies like the IMF.
Inner City Press asked how it was that the Department of Peacekeeping Operations allowed General Shavendra Silva of the Sri Lankan Army, showing up in the UN’s report as engaged in war crimes, to “inspect” its troops in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.
Doesn’t DPKO have some type of review?
Nesirky said he would ask DPKO. The chief of DPKO Herve Ladsous has refused to answer any Press questions, including about Silva as a “Senior Adviser on Peacekeeping Operations” and other human rights issues, see recent video here. How about Silva as a UN troop inspector?
The lack of standards in the UN was exemplied by a Shavendra Silva appearance in September 2011, complaints about which started a series of anti-Press moves profiled by the UK based Sri Lanka Campaign, here. Months later this has led to a new move in the UN: the Free UN Coalition for Access.
After a troubling report forwarded by the SlC, Inner City Press asked Nesirky about at least 20 women brought into a military wing of a Kilinochchi hospital and not allowed visits.
For the record, the SLC recites
Of the women recently recruited to the 6th Brigade of the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), 20 were admitted to the Kilinochchi district hospital on December 11, 2012 between 11.00 pm and 12.30 am.
They had recently been trained in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts
They were brought from Navam Arivu Koodam located in a village called Krishnapuram. Killinochi West
Upon arrival at the hospital, some of the women were unconscious.
They were immediately isolated from the other patients and subsequently detained in a small room in the hospital’s northern section.
The northern section of the hospital is not accessible to the public; it is used exclusively by army personnel.
Shortly after the group of women was admitted, a large group of army personnel (male and female) gathered at the hospital.
Only SLA doctors and nurses are looking after these female patients.
Nesirky said that the Eliasson review is separate, but that the UN maintains a presence in Sri Lanka. So do THEY have anything to say about the Kilinochchi hospital? Watch this site.
Update of 6:30 pm — Here was Thursday’s evening’s UN answer to Inner City Press’ noon question, note the last line:
From: UN Spokesperson – Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Subject: Your question at the noon briefing – a reminder
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Date: Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Subject: Your question at the noon briefing – a reminder
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
The Spokesperson later said that Major General Shavendra Silva was part of the Military-Police Advisors Community (MPAC) delegation visiting the United Nations Interim Force Mission in Lebanon from 28 Nov – 4 Dec 2012. The official MPAC programme included briefings and visits to UN positions. The MPAC is a group comprising permanent missions’ military attaches and police advisors, and the UN had no authority over the group of visitors that included Gen. Silva.
“Had no authority?” The UN has no say over who visits and inspects its peacekeepers? Watch this site.
Posted by Thavam
