Chronology of UN Visits to Burma
A duty to investigate arises as soon as a UN member state or a designated global monitor such as the ICRC receives verifiable information that heinous crimes are occurring. Since 1990, eight envoys have been appointed by the United Nations system to facilitate dialogue between the junta and the pro-democracy forces, and to carry out fact-finding missions in Burma. The timeline below, created by ALTSEAN, chronicles the visits and reports of UN envoys to Burma, all of which have been met with silence.
Download the full PDF version of the Chronology of UN Visits and Reports compiled by the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN)
On 6 May, the SPDC released Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after 19 months of house arrest. On the same day, the SPDC issued a statement entitled "Turning of a New Page", which read: "[...] We shall recommit ourselves to allowing all of our citizens to participate freely in the life of our political process, while giving priority to national unity, peace and stability of the country." Daw Aung San Suu Kyi commented on that occasion that it marked the end of the confidence building phase of secret talks between herself and the SPDC, which had been facilitated by the UN Special Envoy for Burma Razali Ismail in September 2000. Her release occurred following Razali's seventh visit to Rangoon. Pinheiro referred to the recent developments as a "new phase of testing confidence building in action". He also said that the atmosphere surrounding Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release was reported to be much better than it was in 1995. Pinheiro concluded by saying that the move from the "confidence-building phase to the beginning of a dialogue on substantive political and constitutional issues in Burma must be supported by all means available."
On 21 November, the SPDC released 115 prisoners, including members of the NLD. It was the largest single release of prisoners since the beginning of the process of confidence building between the SPDC and the NLD in October 2000.
In his December report to the Commission on Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma Paulo Sergio Pinheiro stated that the release of prisoners demonstrated the "continuing goodwill of the SPDC to ease the political atmosphere." Pinheiro said that as a result of the climate of political expectancy generated by the "secret talks" initiated two years earlier, repression of peaceful political activities had somewhat softened. "The 6 May 2002 statement by the SPDC was interpreted by many Burmese citizens as a signal that a page effectively had been turned and that the space for political activities was being reopened," concluded Pinheiro.
CHR, 58th session, 10 January 2002, E/CN.4/2002/45
CHR, 58th session, 18 March 2002, E/CN.4/2002/35
UNGA, 57th session, 9 August 2002, A/57/290
CHR, 59th session, 27 December 2002, E/CN.4/2003/41