Why the UN withheld casualty figures and satellite information on the no-fire zone in Sri Lanka, while it released such information on Gaza was the question put to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Tuesday, by the Inner City Press (ICP). The Secretary General’s reply not touching the question reflected his continued hopes in private deal with the Colombo government. Tamil circles find it strange, that a UN that accepts its inability to send its team or life-saving food cum medicine supply to the no-fire zone, and unable to guarantee the human rights of the civilians already moved, is showing keenness only in further ‘evacuation’ of civilians and in helping Colombo in ‘any post-conflict facilitations’. While the ICP hints at hidden Indian hands behind the UN, the Tamil circles wonder whether the UN stand is the stand of the US also.
Answering the question, Ban Ki Moon, Tuesday cited his “quite lengthy telephone call with president Rajapaksa covering all the pending issues”.
He agreed there was not much progress either in ‘evacuating’ the people or in feeding them.
He said that he “again and again” urged the president to allow humanitarian teams to the conflict zone.
“Since they are still confronting militarily, this is a very difficult situation even for the Sri Lankan government to ensure safety and security” to allow such a team, he said.
On sending a team and supplies he further said that while Sri Lankan government is allowing them to approach through ship by ICRC, his position was that “they should be able to land and deliver all humanitarian assistance and assess the exact situation how many people are trapped and how the international community can help them evacuated safely to a safe zone”.
Whether the Secretary General is linking the issue of sending life-saving assistance to the issue of evacuation and sending the people to Sri Lanka’s prison camps is a question asked in the Tamil circles.
As typical to its practice of ‘equating the attackers and the attacked’ in its accusations, whether the UN is hinting that it is the tigers who are preventing them from landing and assessing the situation, is yet another question Tamil circles wonder at.
The Secretary General said that the Sri Lankan president had informed him of the release of all UN staff in the internment camps, named by the UN.
“UN stand ready to any ‘post-conflict’ facilitation”, Ban Ki Moon assured to Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile the Inner City Press on Tuesday highlighted the need for Ban Ki Moon sending another UN envoy fast, and not Vijay Nambiar.
ICP cited the bias of Vijay Nambiar’s brother Satish Nambiar, an Indian army officer.
Satish Nambiar, “as an individual and as a soldier”, was quoted by the Sri Lankan army, in praising president Rajapaksa and the outstanding performance of Sarath Fonseka.
“While perhaps Vijay Nambair — who refused to speak with the Press after his brief visit to Colombo — and his sibling Satish are not as close as the three brother who run Sri Lanka, still the above highlights the need for the UN to send another envoy, and fast, among other actions”, the ICP said.
How a small group of related identity work with motivation against Tamil interests, right from the Indian Establishment to the UN, and how the international community searching for solutions need to keep this group out, is what the hint one gets from the ICP reporting, said a political commentator.
So far the UN has not fulfilled any of the demands, pleads or aspirations the Tamil people raised in recent times through various demonstrations. On the contrary, at every stage it enforces the agenda of the Colombo government to ultimately make Tamils as subjugated prisoners. Its present actions tell Tamils what it means by ‘post-conflict facilitations’, commented Tamil circles.
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