UN rapporteur blocked from visiting KIO stronghold

The KIO's headquarters Laiza, Kachin state.

The United Nations Special Human Rights Rapporteur Tomas Quintana wasn’t allowed to visit Laiza as he had originally planned. Quintana made it to the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina, but was blocked from visiting the Kachin Independence Organization’s (KIO) headquarters after not getting permission from authorities on Wednesday. At the time of press the government hasn’t explained the reasons for restricting his visit to the capital.

Quintana is on a ten day visit to Burma to discover how the reform process has improved human rights in the once pariah country.

The UN rapporteur visited the Arakan state capital of Sittwe on Monday where he was greeted by about 90 Buddhist Rakhine people protestors at the airport, according to the Irrawaddy. They carried signs that described his envoy as “one-sided Bengali lobbyist”. The protestors claim that Quintana sided with Rohingya Muslims over last year’s sectarian violence that has displaced about 140,000. According to UN estimates the majority were Rohingya.

On Friday, only days before Quintana’s visit to Arakan state, a deadly clash broke out after police reportedly fired into a crowd of Rohingya Muslims in the Buduwa IDP camp in Sittwe, the Irrawaddy reported. The regional government reported that at least two people were killed and seven injured. But according to the Myanmar Times at least five people were shot dead.

Quintana has never visited areas of Kachin state that are controlled by the KIO.

Citing security concerns the government has blocked many of UN efforts to deliver aid to the thousands of displaced civilians sheltering in KIO controlled territories. There are about 50,600 living along the Burma-China border, according to UN estimates. An additional 35,000 are thought to be in government controlled areas. Kachin aid workers estimate that the number of displaced civilians is much higher.

Last June, some aid was allowed to reach Mai Ja Yang, the KIO second-largest controlled city. It was the first such UN convoy to reach the area since early July of last year. The delivery arrived some four months after the government's chief negotiator Aung Min announced that the UN would again be allowed to visit IDP camps located along the China-Burma border in KIO territory.

It’s not clear why the government stopped Quintana from visiting with the KIO. During the last peace discussions with the Union Level Peace Working Committee team at the end of May the KIO signed a seven-point agreement with the government. Although both sides promised to reduce tensions, the agreement stopped short of a full ceasefire. Since then clashes have continued, particularly in northern Shan state close to the Shwe pipeline. The pipeline that spans from Arakan state China’s Yunnan province has been reported to be finally completed.

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