The United Nations children's fund UNICEF strongly refuted reports on Monday that its spokesman expelled by Sri Lanka over the weekend was spreading propaganda in favour of Tamil Tiger separatists.
UNICEF's spokesman in Colombo, James Elder, was informed that his residency visa was being revoked and that he had until Sept. 21 to leave the Indian Ocean island. A senior Sri Lankan official said Elder was expelled after comments he made about the impact on children of a 25-year war with Tamil Tiger rebels that ended in May, adding that Elder's remarks mirrored reports on pro-Tiger website TamilNet.
"U.N. officials must not get involved in domestic politics, and certainly a U.N. official should not say or do things supportive of a terrorist organisation," said Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona, a former U.N. official. "James Elder either wittingly or unwittingly used information that was on TamilNet that was unacceptable to the government of Sri Lanka," he told Reuters.
Kohona also said the government was considering some representations made by UNICEF and may review its decision to expel Elder.
UNICEF's chief of communications in South Asia, Sarah Crowe, said the organisation "strongly refuted" reports that Elder's remarks supported the separatist rebels.
"Whatever statements James has made, they have been approved by UNICEF and are on behalf of UNICEF and we stand by them," Crowe told AlertNet in New Delhi. "We can only try to imagine what horrors children went through in this conflict, just as they would in any other conflict in the world."
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UNICEF's spokesman in Colombo, James Elder, was informed that his residency visa was being revoked and that he had until Sept. 21 to leave the Indian Ocean island. A senior Sri Lankan official said Elder was expelled after comments he made about the impact on children of a 25-year war with Tamil Tiger rebels that ended in May, adding that Elder's remarks mirrored reports on pro-Tiger website TamilNet.
"U.N. officials must not get involved in domestic politics, and certainly a U.N. official should not say or do things supportive of a terrorist organisation," said Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona, a former U.N. official. "James Elder either wittingly or unwittingly used information that was on TamilNet that was unacceptable to the government of Sri Lanka," he told Reuters.
Kohona also said the government was considering some representations made by UNICEF and may review its decision to expel Elder.
UNICEF's chief of communications in South Asia, Sarah Crowe, said the organisation "strongly refuted" reports that Elder's remarks supported the separatist rebels.
"Whatever statements James has made, they have been approved by UNICEF and are on behalf of UNICEF and we stand by them," Crowe told AlertNet in New Delhi. "We can only try to imagine what horrors children went through in this conflict, just as they would in any other conflict in the world."
Full Article Reuters Alertnet
no UN ? 
