A letter to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

IRIN, humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, posted the following news story on June 30.
SRI LANKA: Rains raise fears of malaria setback
Following is the response of the Lanka Polity Editor:

Dear Sir,

As concerned citizens of Sri Lanka, we highly appreciate the efforts of the UN humanitarian agencies to better the lives of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. But the present situation of the country in which the authorities are engaged in spreading the view that the UN and other international agencies that raise humanitarian and human rights situations are 'enemies of the nation', the UN media needs to be extremely cautious when reporting.

Your reporting is the only responsible source to estimate the situation in the guarded refuge camps in Sri Lanka’s north. Most of the other news sources are directly biased to the military style propaganda of the government and the remaining elements of the rebels.

We want to show a basic error in this report. You write “Health experts warn that the arrival of monsoon rains in July could increase the risk of waterborne diseases for tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps in northern Sri Lanka,” Actually, the monsoon rains have arrived in the Southern, Western and Central regions that receive rain from the southwestern monsoon. There can be some rain in Northern, Eastern and North Central Provinces but it is not the monsoon for them. These areas receive rain from the Northeastern monsoon that arrives only in November, December every year. The four months ahead are the driest months for these areas. You can consult the Meteorological Department and verify the facts. We think that your or your “health experts” warning is baseless regarding the “increase the risk of waterborne diseases” if it is due to the monsoon rains.

This kind of carelessness in reporting actually fuel the malicious allegations against the UN that portrays the reports as destructive pro-rebel propaganda that aims at creating a bleak picture and panic.

Therefore, we urge your organization to be more responsible regarding the basic facts when reporting and to maintain high credibility in your reports.

Thanking You,

Editor, Lanka Polity