The UN system has been exposed for using figures that it cannot verified as accurate about the recent civilian casualties in Sri Lanka, in official statements to the media and communications to donor countries in relation to Sri Lanka.

The figures of 2800 civilians killed and more than 7,000 injured from January 20, in the No Fire Zone at Mullaitivu, as claimed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay, are not supported by the United Nations as verifiable figures. So are similar figures circulated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to donor countries.

This has been admitted by Sir John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, in answering a media person in New York, March 24. This situation has also been accepted by Neil Buhne, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka.

Responding to a question about a document from OCHA stating there were 2,683 deaths between Jan. 20 and 7 March, 2009, which was a very specific number, also used by Human Rights Watch, Sir John said “the reason we have not come out with this as our figure is because, as I have said before, we cannot verify it in a way that you want to be able to verify, if you put it as your public figure”.

He added: “So you have seen an internal document, you have seen what the High Commissioner for Human Rights said. She gave a figure as well. Those figures are roughly comparable”.

What the Under-Secretary-General was referring to were the figures given by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Press Statement of March 13, and the figure in the internal document of the OCHR, which he said were roughly comparable, but cannot be verified to be accepted or issued as an official figure by the United Nations.

About allegations of repeated shelling at the No Fire Zone by Sri Lankan troops too, Sir John Holmes admitted that it was not possible to apportion blame to any party, as there was no proper verification. This is what he said: “On the heavy shelling point, the Government has said and constantly said that they are not using heavy weapons in that area but as I have said before, the evidence suggest the opposite, that there is some shelling too going on, although it is very difficult without being there, that is the problem, we are not actually there on the ground. No one is there on the ground to verify it in any meaningful sense. It is hard to know who shells and falling where so it is very hard to apportion the blame.”

In Colombo the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne has also stated he is unable to confirm the veracity of the figures of civilian casualties since 20th January 2009 in the conflict area of Mullaitivu District, contained in an official report issued by his Office recently. He made this disclosure at a meeting yesterday (24th) with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama held at the Foreign Ministry, in response to a query from the Minister.

The Foreign Minister informed Mr. Buhne that the figures of 2,683 civilian deaths and 7,241 injuries cited in the report titled, "Sri Lanka: Civilian casualties Vanni Overview - March 2009" emanating from his Office, have not been attributed to any reliable or independent source. The assertion in the report that two thirds of the documented casualties had occurred in the NFZ (no-fire zone) is patently false, since the security forces take extra-ordinary precautions to avoid causing civilian casualties, including exercising maximum restraint in not resorting to retaliatory fire at the LTTE, which has brazenly violated International Humanitarian Law by directing fire at the Government troops from artillery guns and heavy weapons that it had deliberately positioned among the civilians within the NFZ.

Moreover, the Government with the assistance of the ICRC has up to 18th March evacuated by sea, 4,120 sick and injured persons, as well as 1,485 accompanying carers. This has been corroborated by the ICRC in a report issued on 17th March 2009. It is self-evident that only after all sick and injured persons have been accommodated from the conflict area, that accompanying carers would have been taken on board. Thus, the figure of 7,241 injuries also cannot be credibly established. Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka categorically rejects the report, which has unfortunately received wide circulation within the international community.

Mr. Buhne acknowledged that the report had been prepared by his Office, and was meant only for circulation among the donor community, but could not independently verify the authenticity of the figures of civilian casualties mentioned in the report.

Minister Bogollagama expressed his deep displeasure at such unsubstantiated information being incorporated in an official report of the UN, which would ipso facto lend it credence. He urged the UN Resident Coordinator to issue a formal clarification on this matter, in order to rectify the negative and damaging inferences that may be drawn from the said report.

Foreign Secretary, Dr Palitha Kohona and senior officials of the Foreign Ministry were present at the meeting.