Human Rights in Burma: No Excuse for Delay

The failure and mistake by the government was arresting and jailing the political dissidents in the first place.

Thein Sein should realize that he had a very high hurdle to clear in order to convince the domestic opposition and international community that he was sincere in his stated desire to bring true reform to Burma. He began the process by meeting with Suu Kyi, instituting media and internet reforms and suspending the Myitsone Dam project. But his categorization of the Kachin Independence Army as the equivalent of terrorists reminded everyone of his background as a top junta general and did serious harm to the process of national peace and reconciliation.

In addition, Thein Sein and his colleagues have implied several times over the last few months that all of the political prisoners would soon be released, only to put away the jail key after dangling it in front of everyone’s eyes. Also extremely worrisome was the president’s recent remark that there are no prisoners of conscience in Burma. Regardless of what technical legal argument Thein Sein could muster in support of such a claim, it was entirely insincere and unhelpful, and if the prisoners are not released soon threatens to undermine all of the credibility he has established to date.

With Clinton’s visit, Thein Sein has the opportunity to demonstrate that his government does not need to be dragged kicking and screaming toward major, irreversible reforms in the area of human rights. If he shows the political will to make immediate changes that end the nation’s armed conflicts and human rights abuses, then he will have earned the necessary patience from the Burmese people during the period that deeper institutional reforms are carried out, and the country can say that it is has truly entered a transition towards genuine democracy.