Published: 18/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
The United Nations' human rights envoy to Burma is nearing the end of a six-day trip to the country. So far he has been able to visit several political prisoners in Rangoon's Insein prison and in two regional prisons - one in Karen state which borders Thailand and the other in Kachin state bordering China.
Political prisoners, and their release, have been the top issue for the special rapporteur, Tomas Ojea Quintana, on this his second visit to Burma. He still hopes to meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi before he leaves the country tomorrow, according to UN sources.
Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN human rights envoy, is currently on a visit to Burma.
But most analysts and diplomats in Rangoon believe the envoy's trip is only a "showboat" mission, agreed to by the junta to give them face before the meeting of Southeast Asian leaders (Asean) in Thailand later next week.
"The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] invited the UN VIPs only to prevent a strong declaration being adopted at the Asean summit criticising them," a senior diplomat told the Bangkok Post on condition of annonymity.
Pro-democracy activists and human rights advocates believe the visit is very timely, as more than 300 political dissidents have been sentenced to stiff jail terms in the past six months - around 20 leading student activists from the pro-democracy movement were each sentenced to 65 years in prison for their alleged involvement in the anti-prices protests or "Saffron Revolution" in September 2007.
But the regime's scant regard for UN officials and the need for an improvement in the human rights situation was reinforced when, on the eve of the envoy's visit, the junta extended the National League for Democracy's deputy chairman U Tin Oo's house arrest for another year, and sentenced two other party activists, Nyipu and Tin Min Htut, to 15 years in jail on three offences, including the Electronic Act which means breaking the regime's ban on the unauthorised use of computers. More importantly, their lawyers were denied access to the court during their trial.
On the eve of his visit, UN officials told the Bangkok Post that the envoy had hoped to meet senior members of the junta, opposition leaders and representatives of the country's ethnic minorities. He is particularly keen to talk to Mrs Suu Kyi, according to UN sources, but is not overly hopeful that a meeting with her will be arranged.
During his mission to Burma last August, Mr Quintana suggested to Burma's ruling junta that they should implement four key human rights elements before the national elections, which are scheduled to held in 2010. These include legislative reforms to ensure human rights protection, the progressive release of political prisoners, the independence for the judiciary and training on human rights for the army.
But it is the issue of political prisoners that is certain to dominate this visit. The UK-based human rights group Amnesty International says the number of political prisoners doubled last year to over 2,100. The opposition NLD has begun a renewed campaign for the release of all political prisoners. Last week the NLD launched a petition calling on the country's military rulers to free all political prisoners, including the group's leader, Mrs Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 13 of the last 20 years under house arrest.
The signature campaign is aimed at showing the government and the world that Burma's people support freedom for all political dissidents, said Nyan Win, the NLD spokesman. These signatures will be collected from all over Burma, despite restrictions on political activity by the country's military rulers, he added.
"The release of political prisoners is by far the most important issue for Burma at the moment," said the Burmese dissident and democracy campaigner, Aung Din, now living in exile in the United States. "How can there be free and fair elections if most of the opposition politicians are behind bars," he added.
Mr Quintana is also expected to seek clarification of the legal status of Mrs Suu Kyi's detention. Lawyers for the opposition leader insist that under the country's draconian security regulations, she can only be held for a maximum of six years. That was what happened last time when she was released in July 1995, a few days shy of six years under house arrest. This should run out at the end of May, according to opposition sources. But as the opposition leader was held in prison immediately after her arrest in 2003 and was allowed to have a hysterectomy before being returned to house arrest, the regime believes October is the date her detention started.
Most analysts and diplomats in Rangoon believe there is no way she will be released any time soon. The regime does not want senior opposition figures to compete in the elections planned for next year, or boycott the process, though they would like a token contest to prove the elections are free and fair. The Constiution already bars Aung San Suu Kyi from standing, as she was married to a foreigner - the renowned British academic and Tibet scholar Michael Aris.
No matter what the regime may be thinking, political prisoners and a genuine dialogue between the military and pro-democracy leader are the key issues that are going to dog them in the international arena, as well as at Asean. The regime knows this only too well, and over the last few months has been conducting a diplomatic charm offensive.
Three weeks ago, Ibrahim Gambari, the UN special adviser to the UN secretary-general, made another unsuccesful foray into Burma's piolitical minefield. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guiterrez is also expected to visit Burma in the next few weeks.
Mr Quintana made his first visit to Burma last August, and is keen to see what developments there has been since, before he reports to the UN Human Rights Council, scheduled for later next month.
But most analysts and activists are undertsandably pessimistic that the UN envoy will emerge from this visit with any concrete results.
"We have seen it all before, the regime allows high-profile UN visits to help deflect international attention and pressure from them," said Zin Linn, the former political prisoner and spokesman for the Burmese government-in-exile.
"They come, they talk and they leave, and nothing really changes."
Source: Bangkok Post
