UN Envoy Meets Aung San Suu Kyi

by Ma Nguyen Tong

30-10-2002

The United Nations human rights envoy to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, wrapped up an 11-day mission to the military-ruled country by holding talks with the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. It was Mr Pinheiro's second meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi during his October 2002 visit, which had included meetings with political prisoners, judicial officials, state security chiefs, diplomats and ethnic parties. Mr Pinheiro spent more than an hour with the Nobel peace laureate and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) at the party's Rangoon headquarters.

The NLD overwhelmingly won 1990 elections but the military government refused to hand over power. Hopes for political reform in Burma were raised when Aung San Suu Kyi's was released from house arrest in May, but there had been little visible progress since then.

After a visit to Rangoon earlier in October, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Aung San Suu Kyi was "not very confident" about the junta's promises to work towards democracy.

Human rights

The junta invited Mr Pinheiro to try to ward off recent allegations of human rights abuses, including systematic rape by members of the army. Two organisations representing the Shan community said in a report earlier in 2002 that Burmese troops had raped more than 600 Shan girls and women since 1996.

Mr Pinheiro spent three days in Karen and Mon states as part of his investigation, but turned down a government offer to visit Shan state saying there was not enough time to make a full evaluation. In fact, there was a quiet, tacit agreement between the junta and he that he would find an excuse for not going and thereofre not discovering firsthand what actually went down.

Aung San Suu Kyi and Mr Pinheiro discussed the issue of political prisoners. Human rights groups said more than 1,000 political prisoners were still being held, and the opposition leader had been demanding their release.

On October 27, Mr Pinheiro met several political prisoners at the Tharawaddy prison, about 130 kilometres north of the capital. He also met prisoners in Rangoon's main Insein prison the week before.

The envoy left Burma late on October 28. He was expected to present his report to the UN general assembly the following month.

Diplomats said Burma was desperate to attract foreign investment, but the US and several European countries showed no sign of lifting political and economic sanctions against the isolated state.