Unconditional release
IT will take the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Myanmar to show the international community that its leadership is serious to improve its human rights situation. The government has pardoned another 20 political prisoners ahead of the President’s historic visit to the United States this week, the first state visit by a Myanmar leader in almost 47 years.
Rights groups accused the former Myanmar military government of wrongfully imprisoning more than 2,000 political opponents, dissidents and journalists. In 1993, protesters and other political grouped walked out from a National Convention to draft a new constitution and called for international trade sanctions and boycott of the repressive regime. Upon taking power on March 2011, President Thein Sein started with government reforms and announced a review of all politically related cases.
Although ceasefire negotiations and economic reforms are taking place, the humanitarian needs in Myanmar remain to be a challenge. The continuing conflict in many of its areas has displaced a large number of populace confronted with food shortages, limited healthcare and lack of access to education.
It has been observed though that amnesties have been a pattern to coincide with high profile international and regional meetings as part of showcasing the government’s democratic reforms. Previously, the Myanmar government pardoned prisoners, including 59 political detainees, a day after the European Union lifted sanctions against them. However, it continues with repressive policies to ensure that no other political activities are done by
its citizens.
Human rights groups have reported that ‘almost all releases of political prisoners have only been released conditionally, meaning that if they engage in political activities which the government does not like they can be put back in jail where they will have to serve anew.”
The democratization process in Myanmar can only be improved by a strong international concern to pressure its government to improve its political situation by engaging with its citizenry. What could have been a historic role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in preventing conflict in fragile states like Myanmar has weakened with its policy of non interference that only emboldened repressive regimes.
In the homefront, hundreds of political prisoners continue to languish in jail with tramped up criminal charges. As we reflect on the development and international attention in Myanmar, the challenge remains the same for our own government to take concrete action in resolving the rising cases of human rights violations in the country. Email comments to roledan@gmail.com