Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has just returned from a five-day fact-finding mission in Myanmar, but before addressing the United Nations, he presented the latest analysis of the ongoing crisis in his talk, "Burma Report: The Facts on the Ground" last night at the Joukowsky Forum.
In his first public appearance since returning from the nation now in thick of a "Saffron Revolution," the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar and Cogut visiting professor at Brown's Center for Latin American Studies urged Brown students and faculty to stay engaged in the current conflict.
Forbidden entry to Myanmar since 2003, when the country underwent a change in leadership, Pinheiro was granted the rare opportunity of investigating the deaths and detentions imposed by the military government's, or junta's, violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in recent months. Pinheiro, who was appointed to his U.N. position in 2001 and has lectured at Brown periodically since 1997, will present a report on his findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Dec. 11.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country of roughly 50 million people and has been under various forms of military rule since 1962 when General Ne Win staged a coup that toppled the civilian government.
Though Myanmar has an extensive history of human rights violations, it took the spotlight on the international stage this August when the junta's overnight hike in fuel prices led to a new series of street protests. As Buddhist monks, who are widely revered throughout the country, joined the protests, tensions between the dissenters and the government elevated.
In September, tensions erupted in bloodshed, capturing the international community's attention as violent images taken by cell phone cameras were circulated almost instantly via the Internet and broadcast in global media outlets. Since then, international organizations and citizens worldwide have kept a close watch on the social and political climate in Myanmar. But the Burmese government, which pulled the plug on communicative technologies after the September uprisings, has not been eager to share its goings-on with the world.
Still, extensive media coverage coupled with consistent pressure from the United Nations continued to expose and underscore atrocities occurring in the country. In October, when the UN Human Rights Council drafted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the country had little choice but to take action. Pinheiro received an invitation from the government on Oct. 23 to visit Myanmar in November.
Pinheiro's trip was intended to "see the state of implementations of the provisions of the UNHRC's resolution." Pinheiro, however, can disclose little information before he officially presents his findings in December.
Last night, Pinheiro said, "I am still receiving information about other detentions, and am hoping by the 11th I will have more accurate estimates."
In spite of his mandated silence on certain findings, Pinheiro was clear that he did not return empty-handed.
"The trip was very useful because I visited with all the officials I asked to see," Pinheiro told The Herald in an interview. "The government shared with me most of the information I wanted."
According to recent press coverage, the Burmese government provided Pinheiro with autopsies of the people killed in the September protests. Pinheiro said he plans to release his own estimates of the number of deaths and detentions in his official report after he has sorted through the junta's records. Pinheiro also had the opportunity to visit Yangon's notorious Insein prison.
Despite the government's invitation and surprising cooperation, Pinheiro's access to the political prisoners was limited and surveillance of his actions was high. He was denied access to democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained Nobel Peace Prize winner who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest in Yangon.
"I would like to highlight that this was not a full-fledged fact-finding mission," Pinheiro announced to a packed house. "I was there for only five days with three assistants and not full access. I think it is very important to know the limitations of the visit."
Pinheiro said the format of his visit was an unusual one that he would not have accepted under normal circumstances. "It was very much organized by the government," he told The Herald.
"I accepted to go because this is a very delicate moment and I didn't want to lose this opportunity," Pinheiro added.
Though Myanmar's place in the international spotlight may fade, its human rights violations will not. There remain over 1,600 political prisoners, including 38 elected members of parliament, and reports of killings of both civilians and monks continue to surface. The Red Cross' operations in Myanmar were shut down by the regime last year.
"The government informed me that 3,000 people have been released, which means 3,000 have been detained," Pinheiro said of the current situation. "Even if waves of repression don't continue, there is still a lot of fear in the air."
"I think (Pinheiro's report) has the potential to create a renewed energy about Burma within the UN," said Patrick Cook-Deegan '08, the Northeast regional coordinator for the U.S. Campaign for Burma.
Though interest in Myanmar is high on Brown's campus - demonstrated by nearly 300 students' participation in a "red day" protest organized by the U.S. Campaign for Burma in late September - Pinheiro said the continuance of international support is imperative. "What is important is that students and the faculty continue to be concerned about the country and what is happening there, because the people who are marching peacefully, they are asking for values that the Brown community also values," Pinheiro told The Herald.
Pinheiro closed his lecture remarking, "My fear is that all of these marches will be forgotten and we will have missed an opportunity."
"I think that the world owes them in commitment so that the focus on the country continues. The international community doesn't give priority to this situation and real change needs commitment. It is really important to voice that and for Brown to be connected to what is going on."
Q&A: Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, visiting professor of Latin American studies
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, visiting professor of Latin American studies, first came to Brown in 1997, when Thomas Skidmore, then director of the Center for Latin American Studies, invited him to lecture. Pinheiro returned several times to teach and is now a visiting professor at the center. His involvement with Myanmar began in 2000 with his appointment as special rapporteur on human rights for the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The last time you visited was in 2003. How was this visit different?
It was different because the format of the visit was very different. This visit was very much organized by the government. It was useful because I visited with all the officials I asked to see.
For four years they didn't invite me, so I wasn't allowed to go because the special rapporteurs must be invited. There are 60 countries that do open invitations, which means that special rapporteurs can arrange a visit anytime they wish. They just contact minister of foreign affairs to organize a visit. In the case of Myanmar, I have to be invited. ... It's important to note that just because I haven't visited doesn't mean I haven't presented reports. I visit other surrounding countries and meet with human rights officials and activists to get information. ... Although (presenting reports) is my main duty, between one report and the other, besides the visit to the region, I am always in contact with the member states of the security council and Human Rights Council.
Why do you think they were open to your visit this year?
I don't know. I cannot understand their mind. What I presume is that there was a lot of attention by the Human Rights Council, the United Nations and the international media, and they thought it would be useful to have this relation with the rapporteur. It is interesting news for them, which is why they cooperate with me. I welcomed the invitation.
How would you describe the current political and social climate in Myanmar?
I was mostly going from one meeting to another. I cannot speak about the climate in society because I was barely in the streets - I was being transported from one place to another. I was meeting with officials, prisoners and some monks. I was only there for five days, not because I didn't want to stay more but because the government offered me five days.
You have said you can't disclose much information until the report is released, but can you talk about your interviews with the prisoners and monks?
It was useful in understanding conditions there. I will elaborate on that in my report that I am issuing on December 11 in Geneva. ... The report will be on the Web, the Human Rights Council Web site.
How did the Myanmar government's shutdown of communicative technology in late September impact your work?
The access to Internet was reestablished, but during the crisis the access was curtailed. The impact was great precisely because of the Internet, and mobiles with cameras and other technologies like that. You have an instantaneous vision of what is going on. This caused a great impact, and I think the government decided they needed to limit this.
