HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN MYANMAR

Contact between the Myanmar Government and the leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) had not yet led to a structured political negotiation on the future of the country, according to Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar.

The Special Rapporteur, who recently reported to the General Assembly on his fourth visit to Myanmar, told a Headquarters press conference this morning that NLD leaders had informed him that there had been no negotiation and no discussion of what might be the next step, nor had there been any discussion of elections or the right of political parties to operate freely.

However, said Mr. Pinheiro, the Myanmar Government believed that they were already engaged in dialogue because they were now talking with the General Secretary of the NLD, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose freedom of movement was restored last May.

[Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and several other political figures were detained after the 1990 election where she stood as a candidate on the NLD platform.  The Government did not recognize the election results.]

In the past, there were no such talks.  There had been verbal contacts, and Suu Kyi had met with the leaders of the Government, including the head of Myanmar’s military intelligence.  The military leaders also told Mr. Pinheiro that the General Secretary of the NLD had three meetings in the last two years with Senior General Than Shwe, who is also the Prime Minister.

The Special Rapporteur said that since the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, there had been no incidents of retaliation against those who meet with her.  He had met with her at the NLD offices, and political leaders were now free to travel and to contact and reopen their party premises.  He added that this was a positive development –- except that there had been no political negotiations.

However, he said the NLD office was still under strict surveillance, and the party needed to obtain permits before anything could be printed, including party cards.  “This is so ridiculous; the Government is so worried about any unrest; they try to control everything so tightly, Mr. Pinheiro said.  The Government also seemed unprepared as yet to engage with the NLD in the assessment of the humanitarian situation, including food security and health issues.  But he added that the NLD believed that this would happen later.

On the issue of political prisoners, Mr. Pinheiro noted that the Government was not contesting the number of those held, but that the pace of release had been very slow.  Since January 2001, 435 political prisoners had been released; as of May, another 155 were set free, leaving about 1,450 political figures still in prison.  But he added that of the 40-50 people detained after May, only five remained, including a solo protester outside Yangon City Hall, who was said to have been sentenced today to 14 years’ imprisonment.  Mr. Pinheiro said he was going to convey his bewilderment at the sentence to the Government of Myanmar.

The Special Rapporteur said he had told government leaders that prisoners who had not committed violent acts must be immediately and unconditionally released, and that those involved in politically motivated acts of violence should qualify for future amnesty.  During his last visit, he had full access to recently released prisoners, visited prisoners and lock-ups, and met police and military authorities.  He had also raised some social issues.

Myanmar’s economic situation, he said, was still weak, with terrible inflation that was currently making life difficult for the people.  Things were much harder for people living in border areas than for those in the cities.  He stated that police officers received the equivalent of $2 per month, while judges earned $5 monthly.  Education had been affected by years of political turmoil, but primary and secondary education now fared better.  A new university had also been established, he said.

His last visit, Mr. Pinheiro said, began on 17 October, when he met in Yangon, the capital, with government officials.  He later met with the General Secretary and members of the NLD, representatives of ethnic and other political groups, the United Nations country team, the diplomatic community, international civil society organizations, the international and local business community, as well as religious leaders and recently released political prisoners.

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