Aus. HR Comissioner report

[maungt@xxxxxxxxxx]

Dear Friends,

The following is the HR Commissioner report distributed in the press
conference in Sydney at HR and Equal Opportunity Office on 5th of August
1999.

mmt- ABSDO




VISIT TO MYANMAR (BURMA) BY THE AUSTRALIAN HUMAN
                                RIGHTS COMMISSIONER

         Following discussions between Foreign Ministers I visited Myanmar,
as it is officially
         called, or Burma, as it is still generally known, from 1 to 4
August 1999. The
         Principal purpose of the visit was to discuss with officials of the
Government of
         Myanmar the nature, roles and flinctions of independent national
human rights
         institutions established in accordance with the relevant
international standards, the
         Paris Principles.

         While in Yangon Rangoon) I met with senior ministers and officials
of the
         Government, with the heads of mission of United Nations agencies
and of the
         International Committee of the Red Cross and with the vice chairman
of the National
         League for Democracy. A full list of the persons I met is attached
for information.

         My discussions with representatives of the government focused on
national human
         Rights institutions and on other avenues for exploring exchange and
cooperation on
         human rights matters.

         I must admit that I was surprised by the expressions of support at
several of these
         meetings for the establishment of an independent institution in
accordance with the
         Paris Principles. The Minister for Home Affairs, Tin Hlaing, in
particular assured me

         that his government was interested in pursuing this proposal. I
advised the minister of
         the various national institutions already established in the Asia
Pacific region and of
         the work of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights
Institutions in
         strengthening existing institutions and promoting the establishment
of new
         institutions. I expressed the view that there would be particular
difficulties in
         establishing a frilly independent institution in a political system
such as that in Burma
         but that we were willing to assist if the government decided to
pursue the proposal.

         I also discussed with ministers and government officials other
possibilities for
         exchange and cooperation, such as in human rights training for
civil servants, police
         and the military

         In my discussions with the National League for Democracy, Vice
Chairman U Tin Oo
         informed me that the NLD had misgivings and that in the NLD's view
my visit,
         though well intentioned, was misguided. We discussed the nature of
national human
         rights institutions and the work of the Asia Pacific Forum. U Tin
Oo expressed doubts
         that Burma would be prepared to establish an independent
institution. I assured him
         that only institutions that complied with the Paris Principles were
eligible for
         membership of the Asia Pacific Forum. I also emphasized my
commitment to discuss
         better mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights
with anyone who
         was open to that exchange.

         My visit has resulted in the identification of three areas for
immediate attention.

         First, we will work further with the Government of Myanmar to
provide more
         information about independent national human rights institutions
and the Government
         will give further consideration to establishing such an
institution. The Government
         will be invited this week to send an observer to the next meeting
of the Asia Pacific





                      Forum to see human rights commissions in action and to
meet with members of other
                      Commissions in the region. We will discuss on that
occasion what ftirther steps can be
                      taken to assist the Government in its consideration of
the proposal.

                      Second, the Government of Myanmar is interested in
exploring possible exchange and
                      cooperation in human rights training for government
officials and the police. We will
                      provide examples of possible curricula and processes
for this training within the next
                      month. We would also like to explore the provision of
human rights training to the
                      military. Other human rights commissions in the Forum
have extensive experience in
                      providing human rights training for police and
military and their assistance will be
                      sought for this proposal.



                      Third, the Government of Myanmar has proposed the
development of a joint project
                      dealing with the right health. Government officials
will give further thought to what
                      possible projects could be undertaken. We will also
develop project proposals in this
area for further discussion.

                      My visit to Burma was undertaken with understandable
caution on all sides. The
                      Government ministers and officials did not know what
to expect of me and I did not
                      know what might be possible in working with them. The
NLD of course also has
                      every right to be cautious. I can say at the end of
this first visit, however,

                      ?  that an exchange of views on human rights has begun
where none existed before
                      ?  that we have been able to identify some areas in
which cooperation may be
                         possible and
?  that there is evidently a strong commitment to taking the process
further.

                      Our objective has to be not exchange or discussion for
its own sake but better
                      promotion and protection of human rights in Burma.
Only time will tell whether
                      objective can be met.
         V


                            Meetings in Yangon (Rangoon) 2-3 August 1999


                   Government of Myan mar

                   HE Col Tin Hlaing, Minister for Home Affairs
                   HE U Win Aung, Minister for Foreign Affairs
                   Dr Than Nyunt, Chairman, Civil Service Selection and
Training Board
                   His Honour U Aung Toe, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
                   U Tha Tun, Attorney-General
                   Maj Gen Soe Win, Director General of the Myanmar Police
Force
                   Director General of the Prisons Service
                   U Ba Than Aung, Director General of the Chief Justice's
Office
                   Daw Thin Thin, Director General of the Attorney-General's
Office
                   Col Sit Myaing, Director General of the Social Welfare
Ministry
                   Lt Col Hla Mm, Office of Strategic Studies, Ministry of
Defence
                   Director of the Immigration Ministry
                   U Tin Maung Aye, Director, International Organisations
Division, Ministry of
                   Foreign Affairs
                   Representative from the Ministry of Religious Affairs
                   Dr Kyaw Win, Chairman of the Myanmar Red Cross Society
                   Ambassador Wynn Lwin, Myanmar Red Cross



                   International Agencies

                   Mr Patrice Coeur-Bizot, Resident Representative, UN
Development Program and UN
                   Coordinator for Myanmar
                   Mr Canh Nguyen-Tang, Chief of Mission, UN High
Commissioner for Reftigees
                   Mr Leon De Riedmatten, Head of Mission International
Committee of the Red Cross



                   National League for Democracy
                   U Tin Oo, Vice Chairman



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