Kohona dismisses reports of intimidation as ‘absolute nonsense’

by admin
Nov 14, 2012
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Palitha Kohona has rejected claims that UN staff were intimidated and refused visas in Sri Lanka, during the final phase of the conflict, in an interview to the BBC earlier this week.

Speaking on the eve of a UN internal report being released, Kohona dismissed all notion that UN staff were intimidated, stating,
“That’s absolute nonsense.... To say that Sri Lanka was intimidating the United Nations, a very small country, and the United Nations being what it is, I think that’s absolute rubbish.”
When questioned on the subject of UN officials being refused visas, Kohona responded,
"I think that you are talking nonsense again. Sri Lanka was... There were hundreds of UN staff in Sri Lanka at the time. They were given visas to come into the country I don’t think any UN staff member who applied for a visa at the time was refused admission."
"Q: Do you know that for a fact?"
"As I said, I do not THINK that they were refused admission."

"Q: Do you believe the decisions taken at the time of the Sri Lankan conflict by the Sri Lankan Government were the right ones? Today, do you believe that is the case?"

"Absolutely... The decisions made at the time were the best decisions for all the people in the country."
In fact, Kohona himself commented on the expulsion of Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Sri Lanka James Elder from the country in September 2009, after his visa was refused. See our post and Kohona's comments here.

A video of the interview can be found here.

Palita Kohona was the subject of an investigation by the Australian Federal Police for war crimes, after his alleged role in the surrender of political leaders from the LTTE, who were subsequently gunned down by Sri Lankan forces

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