Burma cleans up prisons ahead of UN envoy’s visits
Posted on February 17, 2009
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Tomas Ojea Quintana
Some of Burma’s most notorious prisons holding political prisoners have been getting a makeover ahead of the visit by the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana.
According to reports by exiled media groups, prison authorities across the country have been spring-cleaning, supplying new uniforms and feeding prisoners better meals before the visit.
Quintana’s six-day visit began on Sunday with a visit to Pa-an prison, in Karen State. The prison houses at least nine political prisoners, including blogger Nay Phone Latt (see: Nay Phone Latt transferred to remote prison).
Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association who are championing Nay Phone Latt’s case have in the past described Pa-an prison as ‘known for its appalling sanitary conditions’. However, the Democratic Voice of Burma quotes a source as saying ahead of Quintana’s visit, authorities issued new uniforms to prisoners and allowed them to eat with spoons and forks.
Meanwhile, Mizzima News quotes Nay Phone Latt’s mother as saying the prison was cleaned recently. “I saw that authorities are cleaning and re-painting the prison,” she said.
As yet, there has been no confirmation of whom Quintana met during his visit, but Nay Phone Latt’s mother told Mizzima that her son was aware of the envoy’s visit.
On Monday, Quintana visited Yangon’s Insein prison, which houses several political prisoners. According to sources quoted by Mizzima, the visit coincided with the prisoners’ dinnertime, leading them to speculate that he observed food being given to the prisoners.
Burma’s military rulers have become experts at hoodwinking visiting UN envoys and using their visits to generate positive publicity for the regime. For example, the recent visit by the UN’s special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, who was allowed to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but failed to meet with junta leader Than Shwe.
Nonetheless, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon seemed to think this was a good visit and recently declared himself satisfied with Gambari’s progress!
Hopefully, Quintana will not be as easily fooled. The continuing sentencing of the junta’s critics to lengthy prison terms has raised international concern. With the latest sentences coming just last week, along with new reports calling into question the fairness of the hearings (see: Activists appear in court, but their lawyers are not allowed in), the junta cannot be allowed to fool anybody into thinking Burma’s justice system has any respect for human rights!
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