Burma’s first National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) began work in October, and has since become the focal point of aggrieved Burmese who use the body to file complaints of human rights abuses carried out by state actors. The group has also been given permission to access prisons across the country, and recently sent a team to Kachin state to meet with refugees displaced by the conflict.
What kind of work is the NHRC prioritising ? Firstly, individual complaints (from aggrieved people) : we are looking into them everyday and following up with necessary procedures. Some of the complaints submitted to us were not relevant with human rights issues but more to do with their individual rights and family matters. We said in the newspaper what can be attributed as (a human rights affair) and what can’t but they didn’t seem to understand. So currently we are discussing whether to conduct workshops to educate (people about) what human rights are. We are also coordinating with UNICEF. We also discuss when the time is right to make our voice heard on certain matters such as prisoners’ release. And we travelled to Kachin state in a group to study and discuss the situation there (with regards to the conflict and refugees).
But you used the term ‘prisoners of conscience’, which most top-ranking government officials have denied. Conscience means you express something, and people may interpret that differently.
Have you been visiting many prisons ? We haven’t made it so far but we have a plan to this month – to observe living conditions of the detainees inside prisons. We’re sure it will happen this month.