Asia-Pacific, Headlines, Human Rights

BURMA: Even Basic Freedoms Still Lacking, Says UN Expert

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Mar 26 2004 (IPS) - The most disturbing indicators of the human rights situation in Myanmar (Burma) are the absence of basic freedoms and the prolonged imprisonment of political dissidents, who in some cases have been behind bars for 14 or 15 years, said United Nations expert Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.

The U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar (as it is officially known under the military junta) said, "There are no basic freedoms" in the Asian country, and called for the immediate release of political prisoners.

The report Pinheiro presented Friday to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights estimates there are 1,300 political prisoners in Burma and states that arrests have continued this year.

Pinheiro’s latest mission to Burma took place in November 2003. A request for another visit was denied by the country’s military authorities with the argument that it would overlap with other delegations from multilateral organisations.

Rangoon was referring to a Mar. 1-4 visit by Malaysian Razali Ismail, special representative of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and the mission sent by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Razali visited Burma as part of the mandate from the U.N. General Assembly to facilitate national reconstruction and democratisation in the country, which has been in the hands of military governments since July 1988.

The ILO, meanwhile, has been assessing the military government’s response to reports that forced labour continued to take place inside its borders.

Pinheiro’s mandate, meanwhile, comes from the U.N.’s highest human rights authority – the Commission – and forms part of the country-specific proceedings, which in this year’s six-week sessions also involve Burundi, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the occupied Palestinian territories.

He told IPS that just a few days ago the Rangoon authorities had communicated their willingness to receive him. "We are discussing mutually convenient dates," he said.

The U.N. special rapporteur received information from envoy Razali about the military junta’s plans to convene a national convention in the latter half of 2004 to draft a constitution.

Pinheiro said he is taking them at their word, adding, "They have started the process, they are going ahead."

In this apparent process of democratisation, the Brazilian human rights expert underscored the importance of the Bangkok Initiative, an international forum of support for national reconciliation in Burma, which last December won a commitment from Rangoon to organise the national constitutional convention.

"The Bangkok Initiative is a positive thing… but I hope that its members will help me to demonstrate to the Myanmar authorities that it is very convenient to include human rights requirements in the plan," Pinheiro said.

The plan for transition to democracy, dubbed the "road map", was announced in August 2003 Prime Minister Khin Nyunt.

If the political transition moves forward, "and basic freedoms begin to be implemented," Pinheiro says he sees no reason to oppose restoring foreign assistance for the country.

He says it would be a mistake to wait for the consolidation of democracy before helping the country.

"If this process goes on, I think that the obstacles for engaging, helping, supporting" Burma will disappear. "The main concern is the rights of the population." I would highly recommend cooperation, "If the government demonstrates that it is willing to engage," said the special rapporteur.

Nevertheless, the his report expresses concern about human rights violations, particularly those that occurred on May 30, 2003 in Depayin, which marked a further setback for the country’s record in this area.

In the Depayin incident, Aung San Suu Kyi – 1991 Nobel Peace laureate, and leader of the National League for Democracy – and her supporters were attacked as they travelled in a car caravan. Left along the roadside were the 50 to 70 people, injured or dead, says Pinheiro’s report.

The U.N. expert called for the release of all those who were detained in Depayin, particularly Aung San Suu Kyi and three members of the League’s hierarchy, U Tin Oo, U Aung Shwe and U Lwin.

The Burmese government maintains that, of the 153 people arrested in relation to the Depayin incident, 151 have been released. But Pinheiro received information from other sources that put the total number of people detained that day at 250.

He said that since his last visit to Burma, a group of students have received sentences of seven to 17 years for distributing leaflets critical of the road map and the national convention.

The special rapporteur also said he had heard that nine people were sentenced to death on treason charges for alleged conspiracy to bomb government buildings and to assassinate members of the military junta, which is known as the State Peace and Development Council.

Myanmar ambassador in Geneva, U Mya Than, told the Commission on Human Rights that the Depayin incident was unfortunate. But, he added, it could have been avoided if Aung San Suu Kyi "acted in good faith and cooperated with the authorities."