When Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Permanent Representative to the UN Palitha Kohona left their encounter with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday night, they paused at the elevator speaking to and about Mr. Ban.
As caught on television by Inner City Campaign and put online here, Kohona told Rajapaksa, about Ban, "He has already seen the picture we sent him.
As caught on television by Inner City Campaign and put online here, Kohona told Rajapaksa, about Ban, "He has already seen the picture we sent him."
This would look to relate to the pro-Rajapaksa government video "Lies Agreed To," itself a purported rebuttal of the Channel 4 documentary "Killing Fields of Sri Lanka."
Along with depicting Rajapaksa government war crimes, including a word of the White Flag murders involving Palitha Kohona and Ban`s chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, "Killing Fields" criticizes the UN`s and Ban`s performance.
But Ban`s spokesman Martin Nesirky had repeatedly told Inner City Press that Ban has yet not watch Killing Fields, despite long ago being granted a DVD of the documentary.
On September 22, Nesirky`s office told Inner City Press, that the "Secretary-General has yet to see the documentary "Killing Fields of Sri Lanka", but has been thoroughly briefed on the film`s contents." Now Kohona says Ban "has already seen the picture we sent him" - the rebuttal.
Similarly, as reported by Inner City Press, decisions to not show Killing Fields within the UN but to screen "Lies Agreed To" along with Kohona and his Deputy Shavendra Silva, were taken unilaterally by Giampaolo Pioli who accepting money from Kohona, for property.
The UN briefing room, and apparently Ban Ki-moon himself, saw the government`s rebuttal without seeing the underlying documentary movie about Rajapaksa - and perhaps Nambiar`s - war crimes. Watch this YouTube video, and this site.
Footnotes on footage:How was this video filmed, and what will the UN say about it? After the initial photo op, cameramen are usually shepherded off the North Lawn building`s third floor.
But this time, the Sri Lankan national UN Security officer seen directly behind Rajapaksa in the footage arranged for the 3 other photographers, all Sri Lankan, to rest up at the entrance to Ban`s office. Inner City Press stayed as well.
When ten minutes later the meeting ended, Ban escorted Rajapaksa, Kohona, Peiris et al. to the elevator, and Inner City Press filmed. There Kohona said the above to Rajapaksa, about Ban, well out of the hearing of Ban`s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, who stopped Ban on his way back in to the waiting Montenegro delegation and asked him questions. But what did Ban tell him? And what if anything will Nesirky say? more updates on innercitypress via twitter
That UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon runs scared, as one of his staffers puts it, more on Sri Lanka than other countries was again on display, but not to be photographed, on July 5. Ban was to meet with Ranil Wickremesinghe, described in Ban`s schedule as Leader of the Opposition.
But when Inner City Press asked to see the photo opportunity at the first of Ban`s meeting with Ranil, the double standards began.
As the film Sri Lanka Killing Fields was screened Tuesday on the westward face of First Avenue in New York, across the street at the UN Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon`s spokesman Martin Nesirky if Ban has yet seen the film, and for the UN`s response to its determination that Ban has not implemented the passport of his own Board of Experts on war crimes in the country.
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 5 - With Elliot Abrams slated to debate Peter Galbraith Tuesday on whether America's global wings should be clipped, moderated by ABC's John Donvan for the Intelligence Squared series, certain basic facts were expected to follow out.
Elliot Abrams was found guilty - and later pardoned - for misleading Congress about Iran - Contra.
The questions OCHA provided answers to now were a subset of the Sri Lanka questions Inner City Press initially asked the Function of the Voice for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, OSSG.
Days before Ban Spokesman Martin Nesirky said he wouldn't do any more questions from Inner City Press unless it acted "appropriately," apparently meaning not asking about compliance with UN rules, he said "ask OCHA." So on January 17, Inner City Press emailed the questions to OCHA's spokespeople.
Hearing nothing back from OCHA or Nesirky and his Deputy Farhan Haq to whom Inner City Press reverted with the questions, on January 26 Inner City Press asked OCHA deputy Catherine Bragg and them her spokespeople. OCHA said it had given answers to the OSSG. But, perhaps in execution of Nesirky's threat, the OCHA answers were never disposed to Inner City Press.
Finally OCHA re-sent its capitalized answers directly to Inner City Press:
What does [the UN] say to the protests in east Batticaloa about allegedly inequitable distribution of aid?
WE CANNOT SECOND Guess THE AID PROVISION OF THE GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY AS IT IS Pulling Together A Comprehensive POST DISASTER NEEDS ASSESSMENT. IN Major DISASTERS, IT IS NOT ABNORMAL FOR SOME OF THOSE Affected TO WISH AID PROVISION WOULD Come IN A Different Style THAN IT HAS DONE.
Also, as previously asked- Does the UN have any commentary on Sri Lanka's government ordering the International Committee of the Red Cross out of Northern Sri Lanka?http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91160
WE See THAT ICRC IS CURRENTLY DISCUSSING THE Future OF ITS Operations IN SRI LANKA WITH THE AUTHORITIES, AND Make NO Further Notice AT THIS TIME. PLEASE Refer TO ICRC FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS.
Or, as previously requested, on the new rules requiring NGOs and INGOs tonregister with the Department of Defense, etc
A Government HAS A Right TO Know WHICH NGOS ARE Operating Within A COUNTRY, AND TO Require REGISTRATION. OUR Care HAS Ever BEEN THE Power TO ACCESS POPULATIONS IN Want OF HUMANITARIAN AID.
When did Ms. Bragg apply for a visa to Sri Lanka, when was it granted and are there any conditions on the visa, regarding where to travel, whom to talk with, etc?
I AM NOT Mindful OF ANY DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING THIS VISA NOR OR ANY TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON IT.
Ban's Spokesperson's Office, despite Ban's December 17 and January 14 statements that Ban's Panel on Accountability in Sri Lanka could go to the area due to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's "flexibility," has been unwilling to do specific questions about visas for the Board and weather the administration would impose. Now they have been asked other questions. Watch this site.
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 11 - While the UN congratulates itself on its reactions in Haiti, it dismisses all criticism, including from Haitian women's NGOs, and has refused so far to remove the diplomatic immunity (or impunity) of a UN staff members whom a Haitian judge wants to wonder about the hanging death of a Haitian teenager inside a UN base.
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 4 - What is the UN doing in Cote d'Ivoire and whom is it protecting? After forces of Laurent Gbagbo raided the offices of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, Inner City Press asked the UN to substantiate whether one or four people had been killed, and to say where other that the Golf Hotel is it protecting, even equitable in Abidjan.
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 4 - What is the UN doing in Cote d'Ivoire and whom is it protecting? After forces of Laurent Gbagbo raided the offices of the opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, Inner City Press asked the UN to substantiate whether one or four people had been killed, and to say where other that the Golf Hotel is it protecting, even equitable in Abidjan.
UN Won't Disclose Ban's 1 on 1 Meetings This Month, Presidents Beyond Sri Lanka?
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 30, 2010 - While the UN issued summaries of about 100 meetings between countries' leaders and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during this month's General Debate, for between v and ten of these meetings there was an extra one on one session which was not included in the UN's summaries, it has emerged.
UNITED NATIONS, September 27, 2010 - With Darfur rebel Abdel Wahid Nur living in Paris, what is France's relationship to and plans for him? Inner City Press on Monday asked French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner about Nur, whom Kouchner had said would be joining the dialogue process in Doha. Kouchner shrugged that Nur had said that. Now what?
