For many years in Myanmar, the military held an authoritarian government which, under the justification of stability, particularly in border areas, committed systematic and gross human rights abuses.
A formally civilian government now has assumed power and the conflict situation in border areas is still unresolved. This must be a priority, and the challenge is, therefore, to initiate a peace process under the premises of civilian and democratic values. This means that the military has to move out of the scene.
I see a simultaneous process where the military starts a process of reform, as I recommended in my first reports, and the civilian authorities bring a substantive and comprehensive plan towards achieving peace and reconciliation. This plan must include guarantees of ethnic minorities’ fundamental rights, measures against discrimination, resource sharing, socio-economic development policies, and greater regional autonomy in managing affairs.
The prospects of a national conference on the issue will depend on the substance of the agenda.
At the same time, the control of the military by the civilian authority has to gradually increase, and practices that lead to human rights abuses must change dramatically. As a crucial step, measures to end prevailing and historic impunity need to be developed.
In addition, at this new political stage in Myanmar, access to conflict areas, both humanitarian and human rights, must increase. I hope in my next planned mission, February 2012, I will find an opening in this respect.
Prof. Tomas Ojea Quintana, Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma,
2011.12.04 The Irrawaddy - United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma