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 17 April, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma Rajsoomer Lallah said that two years after assuming the mandate he had seen "no change in the political or human rights situation" in Burma. Lallah said that the military regime did not wish to engage in a political dialogue unless the NLD ceased its political activities.
In 18 August, SLORC Secretary-1, Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt, met with NLD Chairman Aung Shwe. The junta considered the meeting fruitful and expected it would be the first of a series of confidence-building talks between the regime and the NLD. However, the junta used the NLD's 21 August 1998 call for the convening of the parliament as a pretext for not holding follow-up meetings with the party Chairman.
In October, the SPDC justified the curtailment of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom of movement out of concerns for her own safety. The junta claimed that Daw Suu's call for a boycott of investment and tourism and her support of sanctions had rendered her "widely unpopular."
In his November report to the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed his "disappointment" for the lack of genuine, substantive progress on the part of the SPDC in addressing the recommendations of previous General Assembly resolutions.
CHR, 54th session, 15 January 1998, E/CN.4/1998/70
UNGA, 53rd session, 10 September 1998, A/53/364
UNGA, 53rd session, 10 November 1998, A/53/657