By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 3,
updated -- As
Myanmar offers
Rohingya the
“choice” of
re-classifying
themselves as
Bengalis or
being put into
camps or
worse, Inner
City Press on
September 29
asked:
Inner
City Press:
It’s been
reported that
the Government
of Myanmar is
building camps
for those
Rohingya who
don’t accept
reclassification
as Bengalis.
The camps are
under
construction
and the
proposed offer
to Rohingyas
has been
reported on.
So given that
seems to be
happening,
what is the
response of
Mr. Nambiar or
the
Secretary-General?
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric: Let
me look at
those reports
and get back
to you.
The
next day
Dujarric
returned with
this sunny
version of
events:
“In
response to a
question
yesterday on
Myanmar, I
think by you,
Matthew, the
office of the
Secretary-General’s
Special
Adviser on the
country notes
that a status
verification
exercise has
recently
commenced in
Rakhine, as
part of the
implementation
of the Rakhine
Committee
Action Plan.
This process
is ongoing,
and it is
hoped that a
significant
number of the
members of the
Rohingya
community
currently
inside the IDP
camps, as well
as those
outside, will
become
eligible for
citizenship
following this
verification
exercise.
Meanwhile, in
respect of
those persons
who may not be
deemed
qualified for
citizenship,
it is hoped
that they will
continue to be
treated fully
in accordance
with
established
international
humanitarian
and human
rights
principles.”
There
is a problem
with this
formulation,
“continue to
be treated in
accordance
with human
rights
principles” --
the current
refusal to
allow the
right of
self-identification
outright
violates human
rights law,
even according
to the UN’s
new special
rapporteur on
human rights
in Myanmar,
Yanghee Lee.
So
when UNDP's
Regional
Director for
Asia Haoliang
Xu, along with
OCHA's John
Ging, came to
the UN Press
Briefing Room
on October 3
and talked
about
Myanmar's
progress,
Inner City
Press --
initially
unbranded --
asked about
the rights of
the Rohingya
to
self-identify
as such.
Xu
said that the
work is
controversial,
one has to
understand
history. This
seems to
indicate an
acceptance of
the denial of
the right to
self-identify.
After a late
arrival from
the old UN
Correspondents
Association
insisted on
branding the
press
conference
“UNCA” (now,
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance),
Inner City
Press then
offered thanks
to Ging from
FUNCA, and
asked if
different
parts of the
UN system have
a different
view of human
rights, and
this Rohingya
question.
It was
claimed that
no, that the
special
rapporteur on
human rights
in Myanmar is
of course the
expert. But
why then is
UNDP giving a
different view
of human
rights?
Ging
made a pitch
for increased
humanitarian
aid to North
Korea. Inner
City Press
asked which
countries have
provided the
$26.6 million
in aid that he
cited, and an
answer has
been promised.
Ging to his
credit comes
and does
briefing when
he returns
from trips,
and returns
with answers.
Watch this
site.
Update:
Ging's office
at OCHA did
return with
this list of
donors to
DPRK: "The
international
donors to
humanitarian
assistance in
the DPRK in
2014 are as
follows:
Sweden,
Switzerland,
Canada,
France,
Norway,
Germany,
Republic of
Korea and
Finland."
We'll
have more on
this.
, 
