Incompetence, wastage and perversity overcome at Menik Farm

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, MP

As Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, which was responsible for coordinating humanitarian assistance in 2009, I am astonished at the effrontery of the Darusman Panel. Perhaps the biggest lie was the assertion that ‘Conditions in Menik Farm did improve over time after much protest from the international community and threats from donors to cut off funding.’

Third part of this article was published on yesterday.

I should have thought this ought to have happened long ago, and that this was the whole purpose of the local groups that are claimed to have been established. If those mechanisms were unable to achieve the desired results, you should have told me a long time ago, and I would have taken action in spite of the very limited resources of this Ministry which, unlike all the others you are supposed to work with, does not have branches in those areas.

I am also worried at the failure to coordinate implied by your inability to help me with regard to the statement in the CHAP report I queried. You have not answered my query re RDF which was about a proposed programme on SGBV for Police and Government officers. They have supplied a report about a much earlier query, but the report suggests that the situation for the 14 year old is as bad as before, contradicting what they had reported for August. I am delighted that the sewing machine saga might have a happy ending next year, but what you say quite contradicts what is in the report.

You might wonder why I seem to be wasting both my time and yours on a Saturday morning, but the short answer is that it is quite obvious that enormous sums of money have been squandered to little purpose - unless the obfuscation I have been faced with as to my questions regarding the CHAP report statement conceals a purpose that you, it seems, have little to do with.

It may be better therefore for UNHCR to stick to areas in which you have helped our displaced citizens so effectively, and just cut out the collaborations that waste time and energy and money. Working solidly in the two areas we discussed yesterday will I hope provide some solid support to the displaced as they return, and will fit within your mandate and our common goals.

I will copy this letter also to Mr Zwack, and suggest we meet again to discuss a staffing strategy with clearcut responsibilities that will relieve some of the tensions this obnoxious and secretive reporting system has created.

Yours sincerely

C. Michael Zwack

Annexe 2 (December 28)

Dear Mr Zwack

I was recently sent the account below from a website which has political affiliations, which go far to explaining the story. However the link below is to a gallery of photos, many of which have UNHCR stamped on the material in the background. I wonder whether you could have a look at these and let me know if you are aware when and where the photographs were taken. If there are any concerns in this regard, please share them with us.

A Human Rights activist from Sri Lankan capital Colombo, on conditions of anonymity told WarWithoutWitness that, Sri Lankan Military Intelligence Operatives are planning a secret undercover operation to execute most of the 10,000 odd Tamil Prisoners of War (PoW) before the forthcoming Presidential election to be held on Jan. 26, 2010. To be continued