Myanmar Times :
Government and military officials yesterday ignored criticism by Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, that the government had failed to carry out democratic reforms halfway through its term.
Lee, who is on an 11-day visit to Bangladesh and Thailand to meet with Myanmar refugees, said “democratic freedoms are ever fragile,” in the country.
“Communities are divided based on religion and ethnicity, and members of minorities face marginalisation and discrimination. Ethnic nationalities continue to be subject to domination by the central government and the military, despite the official stance that they are working for peace to be brought to the country,” she said in a statement last Friday.
U Zaw Myint Pe, a former member of the Maungdaw Investigation Commission, which probed allegations of human rights abuses in northern Rakhine State, said Lee was wrong. “It’s no use responding to her, as it will just lead to another cycle of claims and counterclaims,” he said.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of the Tatmadaw (military), said the military will not respond to Lee’s claims because she was biased and the government and military have already explained Myanmar’s “complicated situation.”
Lee had sought to be allowed to enter Myanmar during her trip to the region, but the government kept the door firmly closed to the envoy, maintaining that her assessment of the situation in the country was partial and tainted.
Last Friday, Lee expressed grave concern about the repressive environment prevailing in the country, saying it discourages people from “speaking out freely about human rights violations and injustices.”
She added that journalists and human-rights defenders continue to be targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and the
authorities need to end this mistreatment and immediately release all those unjustly imprisoned.
“Disagreements, criticism and debate are healthy and necessary in any functioning democracy. The human rights situation in Myanmar has been further complicated by fighting in several regions of the country,” she said.
U Aung Hla Tun, deputy minister of Information, said that freedom of the press in the country has greatly improved since the National League for Democracy took power in 2016.
“However, I agree that there is still some room for improvement when it comes to access to information,” he said. “It’s crucial to improve mutual trust and confidence between the media and government officials, but the media needs to observe professional ethics.”
U Aung Zaw Oo, a director of the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters, agreed with Lee’s statement that human rights advocates in the country face grave threats.
“While the human rights situation has improved in dealing with civilian authorities, criticising the Tatmadaw is very perilous,” he said.
Government and military officials yesterday ignored criticism by Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, that the government had failed to carry out democratic reforms halfway through its term.
Lee, who is on an 11-day visit to Bangladesh and Thailand to meet with Myanmar refugees, said “democratic freedoms are ever fragile,” in the country.
“Communities are divided based on religion and ethnicity, and members of minorities face marginalisation and discrimination. Ethnic nationalities continue to be subject to domination by the central government and the military, despite the official stance that they are working for peace to be brought to the country,” she said in a statement last Friday.
U Zaw Myint Pe, a former member of the Maungdaw Investigation Commission, which probed allegations of human rights abuses in northern Rakhine State, said Lee was wrong. “It’s no use responding to her, as it will just lead to another cycle of claims and counterclaims,” he said.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of the Tatmadaw (military), said the military will not respond to Lee’s claims because she was biased and the government and military have already explained Myanmar’s “complicated situation.”
Lee had sought to be allowed to enter Myanmar during her trip to the region, but the government kept the door firmly closed to the envoy, maintaining that her assessment of the situation in the country was partial and tainted.
Last Friday, Lee expressed grave concern about the repressive environment prevailing in the country, saying it discourages people from “speaking out freely about human rights violations and injustices.”
She added that journalists and human-rights defenders continue to be targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and the
authorities need to end this mistreatment and immediately release all those unjustly imprisoned.
“Disagreements, criticism and debate are healthy and necessary in any functioning democracy. The human rights situation in Myanmar has been further complicated by fighting in several regions of the country,” she said.
U Aung Hla Tun, deputy minister of Information, said that freedom of the press in the country has greatly improved since the National League for Democracy took power in 2016.
“However, I agree that there is still some room for improvement when it comes to access to information,” he said. “It’s crucial to improve mutual trust and confidence between the media and government officials, but the media needs to observe professional ethics.”
U Aung Zaw Oo, a director of the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters, agreed with Lee’s statement that human rights advocates in the country face grave threats.
“While the human rights situation has improved in dealing with civilian authorities, criticising the Tatmadaw is very perilous,” he said.
