PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO, SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR” HAS EXPECTATION THAT THE NEXT VISIT OF AMBASSADOR RAZALI WILL PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED MOMENTUM.

19 April 2002




"I am very pleased to note that my friend and colleague, Ambassador Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General, will visit Myanmar from 23-26 April.

Although my mandate is of a fact-finding nature, while Ambassador Razali's is one of good offices to facilitate the political transition in Myanmar, our mandates are complementary. There is a confluence because democratic transition is of fundamental importance for the realisation of human rights. Consequently, I fully support the expectations that the seventh visit of the Special Envoy to Myanmar will provide much needed momentum to the process of confidence building and national reconciliation presently underway in Myanmar. Concrete results in this process are needed, moreover, if real and sustainable progress in the area of human rights is to be achieved.

In my report and statement presented to the 58th session of the Commission on Human Rights, I recalled several positive developments, including among others, the full cooperation of the Government of Myanmar with my mandate, the release of 263 political prisoners and of 318 female prisoners, dissemination of human rights information for the police and public officials, and cooperation with the ILO. Precisely because of these developments, I indicated that it was time for Myanmar Government to consider bolder moves to carry forward the present process towards political transition, including, as a matter of priority, the full and unconditional release of all political prisoners and the substantial enlargement of the space for functioning of civil society, political parties, and ethnic groups by creating non-discriminatory conditions for the exercise of basic freedoms. I also expressed my hope to see Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi resume her normal activities as a leader of a legal political party at the soonest possible date.

A substantive dialogue with the leaders of the NLD and all other political parties and ethnic nationalities on political and constitutional issues will provide a major stimulus to the improvement of the situation of human rights in the country. Only the building of an all-inclusive, accountable and transparent democratic process will be able to preserve and consolidate peace, with the realisation of human rights.




* *** *