UNICEF defends 'fishy' meals

Confronted with a serious accusation levelled by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) that the United Nations Children's Educational Fund (UNICEF) have a hand in a secret plot to supply 'Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) to the LTTE terrorists, the government has commenced investigations to probe into the allegation.

While urging the government to send the LTTE-friendly UNICEF officials home, the JVP also insists the government to shut down the UNICEF office in Kilinochchi temporarily to put a stop to all communication between the two of its offices in Colombo and Kilinochchi.

In an interview the 'Sunday Observer' Gordon Weiss, UNICEF spokesman said that the allegation was baseless and the MRE, in question were not just snacks, but for their staff consumption in an emergency. " The UNICEF is confident that the government would not close the Kilinochchi office as that is the only link to provide humanitarian assistance for children trapped in uncleared areas.

Following are the excerpts:

Q: The UNICEF is facing a serious allegation that it had brought food for the LTTE. What have you to say about this accusation?

A: It is not true. And they are not combat rations and the MRE is convenient because of its packaging which helps to keep the food for a long period of time. These are commonly used by humanitarian agencies around the world. These should be kept in every UN office in Sri Lanka, whether it is in Colombo or Galle or Jaffna. There should be enough food for every UN staffer in an emergency such as tsunami, earthquake or flood or a some sort of man made disaster. It is a standard operational thing and we have been practising this because we have to abide by the guidelines stipulated by the UN Security Services in New York. According to certain guidelines we have to have enough food in all our UN office premises to face an emergency.

It is a baseless allegation. This allegation is that the UNICEF purchased combat rations to supply the LTTE. This is wrong. Even we maintain an emergency stock of MRE in our Colombo office.

Q: For how long the MRE is sufficient?

A: Every UN office need to have a stock of food, enough for three days. It is a security measure. No one would eat MRE when they can eat rice and curry. So we do not consume them unless there is an emergency.

Q: Who is Jannifer Taylor and her involvement in bringing MRE?

A: She is the Operations Officer of the UNICEF. The UNICEF purchase MREs on behalf of the 12 UN agencies including ILO, FAO, UNDP, OCHA, WFP, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. All these agencies have dry rations in their offices around Sri Lanka. The UNICEF's job is on behalf of those UN agencies to purchase MREs for them and not only for UNICEF alone.

Q: Are there MREs in the North and East? What is the necessity of sending these food items for them?

A: These are not snacks. It is only in the event of an emergency when the food become scarce we need to have something in reserve. These are not food for soldiers. This is the normal procedure of all the humanitarian agencies throughout the world.

This is a part of the security measures as we travel long distances and work in combat areas often. The UN is extremely strict about its security because of a very costly insurance scheme.

If we get killed its costly for the insurance company; so these companies insist on a whole series of requirements - the MOSS requirements - stipulated by the UN Security Service. We are working in Wanni and we are strict about our security.

Q: To which UNICEF office are these MRE schedule to be distributed?

A: The whole consignment is for the 12 UN agencies and I am told that the portion of the REM of the UNICEF is to distribute in Colombo and Galle UNICEF offices but not our offices in the Wanni.

Q: Why are UN tags not seen on these MRE packets in this consignment?

A: These are commercially purchased. So there is no special requirement to have a special tag as these are for the UN offices and not humanitarian aid. If we are going to distribute these we would stamp them. These are simply the food stocks that should be kept in UN offices.

Q: But if these MRE are for UN officials and not combat rations, why they are in camouflage cover?

A: I have not seen the packets yet but they come via a military supplier. We buy utensils and tents from military suppliers.

Q: Is this supplier supplying MRE regularly?

A: They come from a different supplier. This particular supplier was used because he happens to be used by the Department of Peace Keeping operations in New York. So we are using their purchasing guidelines with this particular company because they were purchasing their stuff through the same company. It's a matter for us to purchase things easily.

Q: Are there any UNICEF officials, whose service is withdrawn from the North and the East?

A: No. Why would we withdraw the UNICEF staff. We are working in all sort of conflict areas around the world. That's when we are required.

Q: How does the UNICEF see the ban on TRO?

A: We have stopped working with the TRO from early 2006 and we do not have any association with the TRO. We are not working with the TRO and the ban will not affect our humanitarian work in the North and the East.

Q: Do you have any details about the children in Wanni?

A: There are still children recruited by the LTTE. The LTTE earlier this year said that they were not going to recruit any children were born after 1st January 1990. This means that still they have 17-year-olds, who we regard as children, in their armed forces. So the LTTE as far as we are concerned is contravening the domestic law and international law by still having under-aged children in the organisation.

Q: Does the UNICEF taken this situation about children into the international agencies?

A: Well, we have done the only action that the UNICEF can do. It is the negotiation with the LTTE to release these children and we have been doing it for many years with a greater and lesser degrees of success. But there had been instances where children had been released. But the fact is that still there are children, under 18-years, in the LTTE.

At the Oslo round of Peace Talks in November 2002, UNICEF was given a mandate to monitor child rights violations of the ceasefire agreement. As part of this mandate UNICEF compiles and verifies data on child recruitment, as reported usually by family members, and makes this information available regularly to partners, working with them to advocate against child recruitment.

According to UNICEF data-bases, as of 31 October 2007, there were 1448 outstanding cases of under-age recruitment by the LTTE. Of these, 290 were under the age of 18, and 1158 were recruited while under 18, but have now passed that age.

As of 31 October 2007 there were 223 outstanding cases of underage recruitment by the Karuna group. Of these, 169 are under the age of 18, and 54 were recruited while under 18, but, have now passed that age. UNICEF continuously checks its database on underage recruitment to ensure its accuracy. UNICEF only withdraws recruits from its database when it is able to verify their release through an official letter of release, or by establishing that the child is reunited with his or her parents. UNICEF estimates that its database only reflects a third of the actual number of children recruited.

Q: Are you going to negotiate with the LTTE in the future to release these child soldiers? What was the respond from the LTTE earlier?

A: The response from the LTTE and the TMVP with regard to the issue of underaged soldiers are just promises. Promises being broken and deadlines were passed without being fulfilled. We have stated publicly that the UNICEF consider when a deadline passes or promises are not fulfilled that is a bad sign. We have said quite insistently. But we are a humanitarian organization and are not empowered to into the LTTE camps and take the children out. We rely on negotiations. There are lots of actions in the Security Council these days on child recruitment.

Q: The JVP insists on the closure of the UNICEF office in Kilinochchi. What is your comment?

A: Whatever happens in Kilinochchi we will continue to fight to release the children in the LTTE regardlessly. Regarding shutting down the UNICEf office there, I am doubt that the government is in favour of that because we work with the Government Agent there in very specific programs to reach children. Otherwise we would not be able to carry out humanitarian work for children in Wanni if we do not have an office in Wanni. We usually work in conflict areas in 160 countries but never withdrawn our offices due to dangerous situations in these countries. Under humanitarian principles the UNICEF is there to provide humanitarian assistance when they need.

Q: How far is the UNICEF confident that your officers are not helping the LTTE?

A: We are confident that our officers are not helping any terrorist organisation in the country. When taking about helping it is channelling money and supplying goods to the LTTE. We are confident that our system is secure.

Last week at the CCHA, where the Ministry officials and the UN agencies get together to discuss our work we informed the government about our decision to carry out a full audit on our programs and the relationship with the TRO. It will begin next week and will present the outcome to the government soon.

Q: But in some occasions the military has found some equipment with the UNICEF logos in the LTTE camps, which were captured by the armed forces. How these stuff went to the LTTE's hands?

A: Well. It is quite normal when shifting lines of confrontation. The humanitarian assistance given to civilians are forced to move as a result of fighting and they are crossing the frontlines.

We cannot stop the armed people taking humanitarian assistance given to civilians. This is the issue of every humanitarian organisation.

JVP flex muscles

In a series of unearthing controversial allegations against the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the recent accusation on alleged plot by the UNICEF to sendreadymade food to the LTTE made by the Parliamentary Group Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Wimal Weerawansa has made the government to hold a full scale investigation into the issue.

Rejecting the claim by the UNICEF that the readymade food stuff are for the UNICEF staff working in the North and East, Weerawansa said that the JVP suspects that the organisation had purchased 5,640 packets of dry rations worth over US $ 54,800 for the LTTE, which is defeated and now finds its way for survival.

The JVP's Parliamentary Group Leader told the Sunday Observer that it is a fine cover-up by the UNICEF to declare the huge stock of MRE as food for the UN staffers. "The LTTE is now in a very serious situation without facing the military operations in Wanni. They need food for their survival soon when our armed forces are advancing", he said.

He reiterated that these were not normal MRE but combat rations, which were brought to be distributed to LTTE cardres, with the UNICEF approval. According to him, the packs were purchased from the 'Economat Des Armes' which is registered under the French Ministry of Defence and do not carry the UN stamp. "There are no labels stating "not for sale" on these packets", he said.

Weerawansa said that the JVP insist the government to look into the issue seriously while probing the allegation and also to close down the UNICEF office in Kilinochchi soon to stop transactions between the UNICEF offices in Colombo and Kilinochchi.

He said that the Government should take measures to expel UNICEF officials who have helped the LTTE.

The UNICEF, on Friday, decided to withdraw some of its local and foreign staff after Sri Lanka accused them of overstepping their functions, contravening the mandate of the organisation, the government said, even as it ordered a probe into allegations that the UN body had provided funds to an outfit believed to be an LTTE front organisation.

At a meeting, UNICEF country representative Phillipe Duamelle was requested by acting Foreign Secretary T. B. Maduwegedara to take appropriate action against some staff members who participated in a public protest here, organised by a local human rights group to condemn the killing of two Red Cross workers by unidentified gunmen.

Duamelle assured the Sri Lankan official of appropriate and stern action against the staff members, including the withdrawal of the concerned international staff and the termination of the local staff, the Foreign Ministry said.

Combat MRE

A field ration, or combat ration, is a canned or pre-packaged meal, easily prepared and eaten, transported by military troops on the battlefield.

They are distinguished from regular military rations by virtue of being designed for minimal preparation in the field, using canned, pre-cooked or freeze-dried foods, powdered beverage mixes and concentrated food bars, as well as for long shelf life.

Such meals also prove invaluable for disaster relief operations, where large stocks of these can be ferried and distributed easily, and provide basic nutritional support to victims before kitchens can be set up to produce fresh food. Most armies in the world today now field some form of pre-packaged combat ration, suitably tailored to meet national or ethnic tastes.

French combat ration

The French combat ration, the RCIR (ration de combat individuelle rechauffable) comes in 14 menus packed in a small cardboard box. Inside are 2 precooked, ready-to-eat meal main courses packed in thin metal cans somewhat like oversized sardine tins, and a hors d'oeuvre in a more conventional can or tin. Current main courses include items such as Boeuf en salade, Thon pomme-de-terre, Saumon au riz et legumes, Hachis Parmentier, Saute de lapin, Chili con carne, Paella, Veau Marengo, Navarin d'Agneau, Volailles legumes printantiers, etc. Hors d'oeuvres include: Rilletes de saumon, pate de foie de volaille, thon en sauce, terrine de poisson blanc, mousse de canard, etc. Each meal box also contains a package of instant soup, hard crackers, cheese spread, chocolate, caramels or hard candy, instant caf,-au-lait, sugar, cocoa powder, matches, a disposable folding ration heater and fuel tablets, and water purifying tablets.

Source: www.lankamission.org

Another UNICEF - LTTE deal !

Levelling another accusation against the UNICEF, the JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa alleged the UNICEF for fixing bullet proof armour to their vehicles recently for the benefit of the LTTE.

He told the 'Sunday Observer' that the JVP has documentary proof that the UNICEF had paid US $ 12,375 to a certain local company under the voucher number DV/2006/1250090/0000000490 for fixing the bullet proof facility. "Out of these bullet proof vehicles, today the UNICEF has only one such vehicle bearing WPHN9401, ply on roads", he said.

Weerawansa said that the JVP would reveal all the details on this particular deal between the LTTE and the UNICEF soon. He said that the JVP is confident that the rest of the bullet proof UNICEF vehicles are in the hands of the LTTE. "There are some more such secret involvements with the LTTE and we would disclose them soon", he said.

Meanwhile, the government has commenced a full scale investigation to probe the UNICEF's dealing with the LTTE and its alleged involvement in funding or giving any form of assistance for the terrorists through the TRO.