UN Human Rights Envoys Strain to Praise Myanmar and North Korea, Callibrated Capitulation?

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, October 23 -- The UN system's surprising craven stance toward Myanmar's military government was on display on Thursday, as the Special Rapporteur on human rights in that country, Tomas Ojea Quintana, spoke to the General Assembly's Third Committee and to the Press. Quintana told the Committee that "restoration of full democracy cannot happen overnight; it will take generations. In the meantime.... I am appealing to you all to assist the government of Myanmar."

Inner City Press asked about assistance the military government has taken for itself, in the form of the 20 to 25 percent loss the UN suffered in exchanging money raised in the name of Cyclone Nargis into government-required Foreign Exchange Certificates, and only then into the local currency, kyat. A UN memo leaked to Inner City Press discloses the 25% loss. But Quintana refused to comment on this, or even on how he converted and spent money during his four day visit to Myanmar in August. Video here.

Likewise when Inner City Press asked about reports of the government conditioning the distribution of UN aid on the recipients working on road projects for the military, Quintana said to ask elsewhere. So what does he, in fact, cover?



Ban and Quintana, 25% loss to Myanmar's Than Shwe government not shown


Also speaking on Thursday was the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in North Korea, Vitit Muntarbhorn. He has not even been allowed into the country. Inner City Press asked him if there are, in fact, 300,000 people confined to 15 political prisons. He said that's what he hears, but cannot verify. Nevertheless he recommends "a calibrated approach within the UN so as to utilize leverage through the UN system to influence positive changes in the country."

Does that mean, for example, that the UN Development Program, which left the country after financial irregularities were exposed, should return to Pyongyang? While Muntarbhorn seemed to say yes, later on Thursday the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan said that there are many issues to watch about UNDP, that there must be sticks as well as carrots.

Both envoys, but particularly Myanmar's Quintana, were full of carrots Thursday, going out of their way to offer praise to the regimes no matter how flawed the logic. Myanmar has at least 2000 political prisons, and recently released seven, one by mistake. Still Quintana praised the Than Shwe government.

Muntarbhorn said "on the positive side, it can first be recalled that the DPRK is a party to four human rights treaties." But seen from another angle, that simply devalues the treaties.