Burma invites Amnesty to visit

Human rights group Amnesty International has been invited to Burma to see current developments, according to Burmese government officials.

Two Amnesty investigators will spend 10 days in Burma, meeting government officials and representatives of other relevant organisations.

They are also expected to meet the leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, and representatives of many of the country's ethnic groups.

" Rangoon's invitation to Amnesty is a significant gesture on the part of Burma's military rulers "

This is the first time the UK-based human rights organisation has been allowed into the country.

Amnesty is wary of making public any of the details of the trip for fear it might jeopardise the success of the mission.

For the Burmese military government, it is a major publicity coup.

Amnesty International has been one of the staunchest critics of the military regime's human rights abuses ever since the army seized power more than 14 years ago.

The Generals are hoping that by inviting Amnesty, they can convince the international community that they are serious about improving their human rights record and introducing democratic reform.

Short visit

But it will take more than a single mission to do that.

Nevertheless, Rangoon's invitation to Amnesty is a significant gesture on the part of Burma's military rulers.

Over the past few years bodies like the International Red Cross, the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Human Rights Commission have all engaged the regime on issues related to human rights.

As a result some progress has indeed been made.

But the Amnesty team cannot expect to achieve much on such a short visit, other than familiarise themselves with the situation first-hand and introduce themselves to key members of the government.

Many democracy activists outside the country fear that Amnesty is being used to help deflect criticism of Burma's lack of progress on human rights at the annual UN hearings on human rights that begin in Geneva in a few months time.