On
Sri
Lanka, UN
Panel 5 Months
Late, Threat
to Press
Copied to
Okabe
Ignored?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 11 -- The
UN under Ban
Ki-moon does
not follow
through
on Sri Lanka
accountability,
nor on Sri
Lankan
threatens
against
journalists
which emanate
from inside and
are even
copied to the
UN.
On
June 11 Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
lead spokesman
Martin Nesirky
two questions
about Sri
Lanka. First,
what ever
happened to
the four-month
panel
named in
September
2011, headed
by Thoraya
Obaid, to
review the
UN's
own
performance in
the bloody
final stages
of the
conflict in
Sri
Lanka?
And,
Inner City
Press asked,
what is the
UN's response
to a sample
threat sent to
Inner City
Press on June
9, copied to
the UN's
official in
Washington
Marie Okabe
and two others
in the UN,
that this
reporter
should "swim
like a brick"
-- does the UN
acknowledge
any role in
the
creation of
this climate,
given that Ban
advisers are
known to have
spread rumors
Inner City
Press is
funded by the
LTTE, just
because
Inner City
Press
questions make
Ban look bad?
Nesirky
said he
was not aware
of the threat
copied to
Okabe, that it
wasn't sent to
him. On the
panel, he said
its work
continues. But
it has already
been nine
months and not
the stated
four, Inner
City Press
followed
up.
Nesirky
said that
Charles
Petrie, an
official Inner
City Press has
written about
in
Myanmar and
Burundi, is
leading up the
panel.
When
did Petrie
replace Obaid?
Inner City
Press asked.
One wondered:
why didn't the
UN every
announce the
change?
Nesirky
said that
Obaid never
took up the
post. One
wonders: why
didn't the UN
every
announce that?
And what WILL
they do about
the threats,
and their
role? Watch
this site.
From
the
UN's
June 11, 2012
noon briefing
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: in
September it
was said that,
that, that
this panel
will
be reviewing
the UN’s own
performance in
the final
stage of the
conflict, when
up to 40,000
people were
killed. Ms.
[Thoraya]
Obaid
was named the
head of the
panel to look
at three
issues, it was
said
that it would
be completed
in four months
and it’s now,
I am
counting, it
seems like
it’s nine,
maybe it is
eight; anyway
I am
wondering,
what’s the
status of that
review? And
also, I am
compelled to
ask you this:
I’ve received
a copy, I have
received
some of these,
but this is a
threat that
I’ve received
from it
seems to be a
Sinhalese or
Sri Lankan
extremist,
saying I
should
"swim like a
brick," and
the reason I
am asking you
about
it is because
it was cc'd to
Marie Okabe
and two other
UN personnel.
And I am
wondering,
what is the
UN’s response
when you
receive this
type of a
threat? What
do they do
with it, what
happens, and I
want
to know what
they are
actually going
to do in this
case?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well,
I am not aware
of that last
one, Matthew.
I
don’t think I
was copied on
that one. On
the first
point, the
review as
recommended by
the panel of
experts is
under way, and
once
--
Inner
City
Press: Is
there some
explanation?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I beg your
pardon?
Inner
City
Press: Is
there some
explanation
for the
four-month
period being
more than
doubled now?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
This is
something that
is quite
complex and
quite
important. And
the review is
under way, as
I say. It is
being
headed by
Charles
Petrie, and it
is in full
swing, and
when we have
something to
say further, I
will let you
know; but we
don’t at the
moment.
Inner
City
Press: And on
this, when did
Ms. Obaid
leave, leave
the post?
Spokesperson:
She did not
take the post;
there are a
number of
difficulties
of a
personal
nature for her
taking it and
someone else
has taken the
post, Mr.
Petrie, who is
extremely
well-qualified
and is heading
that
review right
now.
, 
