The new UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur on Burma canceled a press conference in Bangkok on Wednesday, a sign that his first trip to Burma yielded little practical results, say activists.
Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Rangoon on August 3 on his mission to Burma and scheduled a press conference after he left Burma on August 7. No reason was given for the cancellation of the press conference.
During his trip in Burma, Quintana was not allowed to visit detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest. He was allowed short talks of about 10 minutes each with members of the National League of Democracy and Labour Minister Aung Kyi, the government’s liaison coordinator with Suu Kyi.
Earlier, Quintana told the media he had received "good signs" that the Burmese junta accepted the need for his mandate to investigate widespread claims of human rights abuses in the country.
However, members of human rights groups said the special envoy may have cancelled the press conference because he achieved little progress in brief discussions with the military regime during his four-day visit to Rangoon.
“He probably cancelled his meeting with the press because he lacked real information about human right violations in Burma that he can share it with the public,” said Maung Maung Lay, a member of Rangoon-based Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP).
