Buddhist monks led mass anti-government protests in September that were violently put down by security forces who opened fire on crowds and beat people in the streets.
The official did not say whether Quintana met monks who were personally involved in the protests.
Quintana's predecessor, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in November that at least 31 people were killed and 74 remained missing after the crackdown.
He also said that about 1,850 political prisoners were behind bars, and that the government had "accelerated" unlawful arrests.
Later Monday, Quintana was set to meet with the panel coordinating the relief effort for 2.4 million victims of Cyclone Nargis, which pounded Myanmar three months ago.
The so-called Tripartite Core Group includes representatives of Myanmar's government, the United Nations, and other Southeast Asian countries. The panel was created to address concerns that the junta was stonewalling the relief effort.
Quintana plans Tuesday to visit the hardest-hit regions of the Irrawaddy Delta, which suffered most of the damage from the storm that left more than 138,000 dead or missing, the Myanmar official said.
Before his trip ends on Thursday, he also aims to meet state officials, ethnic groups and political parties, and try to open talks with the generals on improving their human rights record.
Human rights groups, foreign governments and the United Nations accuse the junta of a string of abuses, including suppressing the democracy movement, persecuting ethnic minorities and imprisoning dissidents.
The official did not say whether Quintana met monks who were personally involved in the protests.
Quintana's predecessor, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in November that at least 31 people were killed and 74 remained missing after the crackdown.
He also said that about 1,850 political prisoners were behind bars, and that the government had "accelerated" unlawful arrests.
Later Monday, Quintana was set to meet with the panel coordinating the relief effort for 2.4 million victims of Cyclone Nargis, which pounded Myanmar three months ago.
The so-called Tripartite Core Group includes representatives of Myanmar's government, the United Nations, and other Southeast Asian countries. The panel was created to address concerns that the junta was stonewalling the relief effort.
Quintana plans Tuesday to visit the hardest-hit regions of the Irrawaddy Delta, which suffered most of the damage from the storm that left more than 138,000 dead or missing, the Myanmar official said.
Before his trip ends on Thursday, he also aims to meet state officials, ethnic groups and political parties, and try to open talks with the generals on improving their human rights record.
Human rights groups, foreign governments and the United Nations accuse the junta of a string of abuses, including suppressing the democracy movement, persecuting ethnic minorities and imprisoning dissidents.
At least 20 killed in Myanmar jade mine landslide
"A number of people panning for gold in the earth were buried alive," a person involved in the jade industry in Yangon told Reuters, saying they had heard about the July 30 incident through traders in the northern state of Kachin, where it happened.
Official media in the former Burma have made no mention of the tragedy, which the source said occurred at the Hmawzizar Jade Mine in Phakant, a major jade mining area about 1,500 km (930 miles) north of Yangon.
"At least 20 bodies had been found as of August 3," said the source, who did not want to be named.
Although one of Asia's poorest countries, Myanmar is a major gemstone producer and such incidents are not uncommon. At least 16 people were killed in a landslide caused by torrential rains in Mogok, the centre of Myanmar's ruby mining, in June.
Locals frequently blame the mining companies, especially those owned by cronies of the ruling military junta, saying they operate mines in Dickensian conditions with scant regard for the safety or welfare of the workers.
Myanmar, an international pariah after 46 years of unbroken military rule, produced more than 20 million kilograms of jade last year, contributing to nearly $650 million of foreign exchange from sales of precious and semi-precious stones.
Official media in the former Burma have made no mention of the tragedy, which the source said occurred at the Hmawzizar Jade Mine in Phakant, a major jade mining area about 1,500 km (930 miles) north of Yangon.
"At least 20 bodies had been found as of August 3," said the source, who did not want to be named.
Although one of Asia's poorest countries, Myanmar is a major gemstone producer and such incidents are not uncommon. At least 16 people were killed in a landslide caused by torrential rains in Mogok, the centre of Myanmar's ruby mining, in June.
Locals frequently blame the mining companies, especially those owned by cronies of the ruling military junta, saying they operate mines in Dickensian conditions with scant regard for the safety or welfare of the workers.
Myanmar, an international pariah after 46 years of unbroken military rule, produced more than 20 million kilograms of jade last year, contributing to nearly $650 million of foreign exchange from sales of precious and semi-precious stones.
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