UN Envoy Meets Political Prisoners

By SAW YAN NAING

UN Human Rights Envoy to Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana interviewed four political prisoners in Insein Prison in Rangoon on Monday, including Tin Min Htut, Nyi Pu, Kyaw Ko Ko, Daw Pone Nami (aka) Daw Mya Nyunt, and defense lawyer Nyi Nyi Htwe, according to the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Rangoon.

After returning from Karen State to Rangoon, the envoy was taken to the prison, where he inspected the prison hospital and met with a few selected prisoners.

Nyi Pu and Tin Min Htut are leading members of the opposition National League for Democracy. They were sentenced on Friday, the day before Quintana arrived in Burma.

On Tuesday, the envoy held meetings with foreign diplomats in Rangoon, according to Aye Win, a spokesperson for the UNIC in Rangoon.

He told The Irrawaddy, “He [Quintana] is now in Rangoon. Now, he is having meetings with foreign diplomats.” Details of the meetings with diplomats were not available, he said.

The UN human rights envoy arrived in Burma on Saturday for a six-day mission. He will hold a press conference before leaving Burma, sources said.

On Sunday, Quintana visited Pa-an, the capital of Karen State in southern Burma. He also visited Pa-an Prison where Nay Phone Latt, a young blogger, is serving a 20-year sentence, sources said.

During the trip to Pa-an, he met with several Karen groups, including Maj-Gen Htein Maung of the Karen National Union / Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council (KNU / KNLA Peace Council) and leaders of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), according to the UNIC.

The KNU / KNLA Peace Council and the DKBA are breakaway factions of the Karen National Union.

Unconfirmed reports said the envoy is also scheduled to visit Arakan and Kachin states, where a number of political dissidents were recently imprisoned.

Reports also said that the envoy would like to meet with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but the likelihood of that meeting is in doubt.

This is Quintana’s second trip to Burma since he took office in May 2008 after succeeding former UN human rights envoy to Burma Paulo Sergio Pinheiro in April 2008. He first visited Burma in August 2008.