SCMP-Junta shocks critics with righ

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Subject: SCMP-Junta shocks critics with rights move

South China Morning Post
Friday, July 30, 1999
BURMA

Junta shocks critics with rights move
WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok

The military regime has startled its critics by moving to set up a human
rights commission with Western help.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer let slip on Wednesday night
that his country's commissioner for human rights, Chris Sidoti, would go to
Burma next week to discuss the creation of such a body.

It is rare for the cautious junta to accept a visit that would inevitably
result in talks on extraordinarily sensitive issues.

The Government has been widely criticised by the international community for
its intolerance of even minor flashes of dissent.

Human rights agencies have repeatedly claimed that the junta acts in a nasty
manner against ethnic minority civilians in rebel areas.

Even if they tried to create a tame white-wash machine it was hard to
imagine that such a commission would not stumble into controversy, said
Debbie Stothard, the co-ordinator of the Alternative Association of
Southeast Asian Nations Network on Burma.

"Human rights violations are so overwhelmingly obvious in Burma it is going
to be difficult to try to deny that," she said.

Australian diplomatic sources described the news as "encouraging".

The original plan had been to keep next week's scheduled visit by Mr Sidoti
secret until after the talks had been wrapped up in a bid to avoid
controversy, they said.

Speaking at this week's Asssociation of Southeast Asian Nations' (Asean)
meeting in Singapore, Mr Downer said: "This issue remains active, they have
a real interest in this particular proposal."

Mr Sidoti has a respected track record of human rights work, including
missions to China and Vietnam.

Burma has perhaps been forced to follow other Asean countries in moving to
set up a human rights commission after it was recommended by an association
working party.

It remains to be seen how effective commissions inspired by an organisation
often criticised for failing to address human rights will be.

So far only the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have set up such
councils.

Even relatively benign Thailand has debated vigorously who will run its
commission and what teeth, if any, it might have.


Burma's ruling generals had a history of signing conventions - like one
signed recently on women's rights - which have had no real meaning,
observers said.

The country was effectively suspended from the UN's International Labour
Organisation this year for a blatant practice of forced labour.

In a country where the judiciary, like every facet of Government, was
subservient to the military, it would be "interesting" to see what happened
to human rights recommendations made by any future commission, said Ms
Stothard.

The judiciary refused to even entertain lawsuits alleging illegal detention
and harassment filed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy last year, she said.