On 14 February 2012, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Win Mra, Chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC), held a joint press conference regarding the visit to Thailand of the MNHRC from 12 — 15 February 2012 as guest of the Foreign Ministry, gist as follows:
1. Permanent Secretary Sihasak welcomed the visit to Thailand of Mr. Win Mra and Mr. Nyunt Swe, member of the MNHRC. He viewed the visit as “fruitful,” paving way for closer cooperation between Thailand and Myanmar, especially in the area of promotion and protection of human rights. Thailand, as a close friend and neighbour, welcomed all the positive developments that had taken place in Myanmar, particularly the recent establishment of the MNHRC on 5 September 2011 which was considered an important milestone in human rights in Myanmar. Thailand is pleased that the developments in Myanmar were being recognized by the international community and would continue to support Myanmar in the democratization and national reconciliation of the country.
2. Permanent Secretary Sihasak further stated that the purpose of the said visit was for both Thailand and Myanmar to exchange views and share experiences on human rights promotion and protection, as well as on bilateral cooperation. It is also part of the MNHRC’s tour to meet with the National Human Rights Commission in ASEAN member countries. In this connection, aside from visiting the Foreign Ministry and holding constructive discussions on a number of issues, including the positive developments in Myanmar and the significant role the MNHRC could play, exchanging information and views on immigration as well as human rights promotion and protection, the delegation also met with (1) National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, (2) Sub-Commission on Civil and Political Rights, (3) Sub-Commission on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (4) Legal Reform Commission and (5) Mahidol University, whereby Mr. Win Mra held a lecture there on the establishment of the MNHRC and its activities.
3. Mr. Win Mra, in turn, thanked the Foreign Ministry and Thailand for extending the invitation and was pleased to visit Thailand and interact with Thai counterpart agencies on human rights. In this regard, Mr. Win Mra responded to media inquiries, as follows:
3.1 On the exact number of political prisoners in Myanmar, Mr. Win Mra said that the number is still not definite, given the fact that it is hard to differentiate between political prisoners and criminals. However, the figure the MNHRC has at the moment is at 128.
3.2 On the degree of power the MNHRC has, Mr. Win Mra said that the present Government gives importance to issues of democracy and human rights, as could be seen in the recent establishment of the MNHRC. The MNHRC has received daily letters of complaints from the general public and forwarded them to the Government, together with the MNHRC’s recommendations. The MNHRC’s role would depend on the situation.
3.3 Regarding the role of the MNHRC in ethnic reconciliation, Mr. Win Mra said that the issue is essentially political in nature. However, the MNHRC looks closely into the issue of human rights violation and enforcement, and encourages peace and a durable solution be found within the country.
3.4 Regarding Thailand’s policy in closing temporary shelter areas for displaced persons from Myanmar and the need to return approximately 140,000 displaced persons to Myanmar, Mr. Win Mra said that he was not aware of the issue, but was ready to work on it. Permanent Secretary Sihasak added that before return, Thailand must ensure that the situation is safe for their return, as well as train and educate them in order to equip them with self-sufficient skills upon returning back home. This is a fine example of the close cooperation between both countries.
3.5 Regarding the question on how the MNHRC would utilize the experiences gained from the meetings with Thai counterparts, Mr. Win Mra said that the visit enabled him to learn about the mechanisms, petition management and ways to handle human rights violaters. In this connection, there remains many human rights-related issues in Myanmar that needs to be solved, for instance, land confiscation, human rights law, mismanagement by officials, as well as poor healthcare standards for Myanmar citizens.
3.6 On the comparison of the human rights situation in Myanmar before and after the general election, Mr. Win Mra said that there had been an increase in awareness and education of human rights within the country. From receiving 20-30 letters of complaints daily in October 2011, the MNHRC now receives up to 1,000 letters per day. In this regard, the MNHRC would work to promote and protect fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Myanmar.
To note, the MNHRC was established with a view to promoting and safeguarding fundamental rights of Myanmar citizens as described in the Constitution of Myanmar. Its responsibilities include (1) receiving and investigating complaints on the violations of the fundamental rights, (2) communicating with relevant government agencies and UN organizations on human rights promotion and protection, and (3) examining if the rights under the international human rights instruments to which Myanmar is a State party are fully enjoyed, as well as submitting recommendations on Myanmar’s signing of and acceding to appropriate instruments.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th