UN Human Rights Envoy Visits Myanmar; Olympic-size Evictions Rock Beijing; Gem Ban Strengthened Against Myanmar

By: Angela Lohman
Impunity Watch, Administrative Editor 

YANGON, Myanmar (Burma) – The new UN Human Rights Envoy for Myanmar, Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, started his first mission to the military-ruled Southeast Asian nation on Monday, four days before the 20^th anniversary of brutally crushed democracy protests.

Quintana, whose own parents were political prisoners under a military regime in Argentina, arrived in the former Burma late on Sunday and is due to stay until Thursday, the eve of the “8-8-88” uprising anniversary. 

According to a UN statement, the new envoy wished “to engage in a constructive dialogue with the authorities to improve (the) human rights situation of people in Myanmar (Burma).”

The new envoy is expected to meet a number of government officials as well as opposition politicians and leaders of some of Myanmar’s many ethnic minority groups. 

It is not clear whether Quintana will see detained opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in prison or under house arrest continuously for the past five years. But members of Kyi’s National League for Democracy have informed the public that they are keen to press Quintana on the issue of trying to secure better medical care for the detained Kyi.

It remains to be seen whether Quintana will make any headway in a country that has been ruled by a succession of uncompromising military dictators for the past 46 years. 

The last time a UN rights envoy paid a visit to Burma was in November 2007, two months after troops used force to end large anti-government protests. At least 31 people were killed and several thousands were detained. According to former envoy Paulo Sergei Pinheiro’s report, the detainees were subjected to cruel and degrading treatment.

Those who have fled Myanmar hope the envoy’s trip will trigger another uprising against the government; however, analysts and diplomats say that this is very unlikely. 

For more information, please see:

BBC – New UN rights envoy visits Burma - 4 August 2008

International Herald Tribune - New U.N. rights envoy starts mission in Myanmar - 4 August 2008

Reuters – New U.N. rights envoy starts mission in Myanmar - 4 August 2008

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BEIJING, China – Approximately 20 people angry about being recently evicted from their homes in central Beijing demonstrated not far from Tiananmen Square. 

Uniformed police quickly surrounded the residential street Monday where AP Television News video showed the group shouting and being kicked out of their homes while not receiving proper compensation from the government.

The demonstrators were unhappy about being evicted from their former homes in the area to make way for Olympic-related redevelopment. The area is being rebuilt into a commercial strip with businesses such as Nike, Starbucks, and Rolex. 

“Developers shouldn’t use the Olympics to take our homes. And we cannot stop protecting our rights because of the Olympics,” protester Ma Xiulan told AP Television News.

“We don’t oppose the Olympics. But it’s wrong for them to demolish our house. It’s wrong,” said a second protester, Liu Fumei. 

Beijing carried out a 40 billion US dollar makeover in preparation for the Olympics, and many older homes were destroyed as part of the modernization campaign.

China is sensitive to any public criticism of the Beijing Olympics, which begin Friday, and has stationed security agents throughout the city to watch for signs of unrest. Demonstrators around Tiananmen Square are rare and generally stopped quickly by police. 

It is unclear where the protesters were taken and whether they were detained. A duty officer in the Beijing police news office said he did not know what happened to them.

For more information, please see: 

BBC – Defiant Beijing family loses home - 18 July 2008

CNN – Report: Protests over Beijing home evictions – 4 August 2008

The Seattle Times – Olympic protests over Beijing evictions - 4 August 2008

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NEW YORK, United States – A new US law that bars gem dealers and jewelry retailers from importing rubies and jade from Myanmar is a major step in curtailing the “unethical international trade” in Burmese gems, Human Rights Watch said on July 29, 2008.

“The international trade in Burmese gems helps finance repression and puts millions into the pockets of Burma’s abusive rulers,” said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “With the new law, US retailers can no longer legally profit from the trade in Burmese rubies and jade.” 

Since 2003, the US government banned products from Burma; however, a loophole within the law permitted the purchase of Burmese-origin gems that were cut or polished in other countries such as India or Thailand. The new law that was signed by President George Bush on July 29 eliminates the loophole for rubies and jade, which are Myanmar’s top-selling gem exports. The law will not, however, cover all precious stones or forbid the sale of Burmese-origin gems legally imported to the US under prior rules.

Gems constitute Myanmar’s third most important export product, following oil and natural gas and agricultural products. According to some reports, global gem exports from Myanmar during the 2007 - 2008 fiscal year reached as high as 647 million US dollars. 

The European Union and Canada already prohibit the import of Burmese gems.

For more information, please see: 

Human Rights Watch – Burma’s Gem Trade and Human Rights Abuses - 29 July 2008

Human Rights Watch - US: Burma Gem Ban Strengthened - 29 July 2008