The Burmese military junta allowed UN rights envoy Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana yesterday to meet five political prisoners in Insein prison.

The meeting lasted about two and-a-half hours starting from 4:30 p.m. He could meet student, lawyer, nun and MPs, the Rangoon based UN office said.

He met student union leader Kyaw Ko Ko, young lawyer Nyi Nyi Htwe, NLD MPs-elect Dr. Tin Min Htut and Nyi Pu, nun Ponnimi a.k.a. Mya Nyunt on Monday.

Mr. Quintana started his six-day official visit since Saturday to assess the human right situation in Burma.

He advised the Burmese government to release about 2,000 political prisoners who are languishing in jails and to amend the laws which infringe the fundamental rights of the people.

Moreover he urged the junta to educate and train its army to abide and respect human rights, reform the army and transform its current judicial system into an independent judiciary.

This is the second visit of the UN rights envoy. He first visited Burma in August 2008.

He visited Pa-an prison in Karen State on 15 February and also met 'Democratic Karen Buddhist Army' (DKBA) officials. The DKBA reached a ceasefire agreement with the junta in 1994.

Though he is reportedly planned to visit Myitkyina prison in the capital of Kachin State today, he was in Rangoon till 12:30 p.m. today.

Mr. Quintana sent his request containing a list of persons he wants to meet to the authorities in advance. But the chief of UN Information Department said that it is not yet known whether he could meet these persons.

Before his visits to these prisons starting from February 15 this month, the prison authorities were busy cleaning the prison cells, providing clean and new prison uniforms and providing better food to the prisoners.


About the prisoners who met Quintana
Kyaw Ko Ko
He is the leader of 'All Burma Federation of Students Union' (ABFSU) and he led the protest demonstrations against rising fuel prices on 28 August 2007 in Rangoon.

He was on the run after this demonstration and finally arrested at his home on 16 March 2008. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment by Rangoon Mingala Taungnyunt Township court on 9 February this year for the case and charged under Video Law.

MPs-elect - Nyi Pu (Gwa, Rakhine State constituency) and Dr. Tin Min Htut (Pantanaw, Irrawaddy Division constituency)
They signed the appeal letter addressed to UN Secretary General in July 2008 asking for political change in Burma and more intervention by UN in this regard. The authorities arrested these MPs-elect at their homes in August last year. The special tribunal heard their cases inside the Insein prison and charged them with cases under sections of crime against public tranquility (Penal Code), Electronic Law, Safeguarding National Convention Law and sentenced them to 15 years imprisonment each on the 13th this of this month.

Nyi Nyi Htwe
A young lawyer acted as defence lawyer in the cases of 'National League for Democracy' (NLD) party members. During the court proceedings, the trial court judge instructed the defendants through him not to turn their backs on the judge and court. Then he refused to pass this instruction to his clients and told the judge that his clients had the right to stay in the court as they pleased. Then the judge charged him with contempt of court, under section 288 of Penal Code, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment on 30 October last year.

Ponnimi a.k.a. Mya Nyunt
She is the 83 year old nun, the most senior nun of Thitsar Tharaphu nunnery in North Okkalapa Township in Rangoon Division. She joined the saffron revolution and North Okkalapa Township court sentenced her to four and-a- half years in prison in the case and charged under the Penal Code, insulting religion.

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U.S. taking fresh look at Myanmar policy: Clinton

The United States is taking a fresh look at its policy toward Myanmar to seek ways to sway the country's military junta, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.

Washington has gradually tightened sanctions on the generals who have ruled the former Burma for more than four decades to try to force them into political rapprochement with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

The opposition won a 1990 election landslide only to be denied power and its leader, Suu Kyi, has been in prison or under house arrest for more than half of the last two decades.

Speaking at a town hall meeting at Japan's elite Tokyo University, Clinton responded to a question from a Burmese student about whether there were alternatives to the U.S. sanctions policy and its effects on ordinary people in Myanmar.

"Because we are concerned about the Burmese people, we are conducting a review of our policy," Clinton replied.

"We are looking at what steps we could take that might influence the current Burmese government and we are also looking for ways that we could more effectively help the Burmese people," she added.

"So we are taking seriously your challenge -- what is it that we can do that might work better?" she told the student. "So we are doing that and I am hoping we will be able to arrive at a policy that can be more effective."