UN human rights envoy visits Myanmar

United Nations human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Yangon on Thursday on an eight-day visit to Myanmar to assess the current situation in the country, official sources said. It is his ninth and final official visit to Myanmar since he was appointed to the position in May 2008. Quintana plans to visit Rakhine, Kachin and Kayin States, the Monywa copper mine in Sagaing Region, and the Thilawa Deep Sea Port near Yangon in his final mission, the sources said. "In Rakhine State, I hope to be able to assess what steps the government has taken to improve the human rights situation there, including in Maungdaw township," the United Nations Information Center Yangon quoted the human rights expert as saying. Visit to the Monywa cooper mine and the Thilawa deep sea port will focus on the extent to which economic development is serving the needs of the people. During his visit to Kachin State, Quintana will assess progress towards a ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and discuss with local communities their hopes and aspirations. "Important progress is being made to stop the fighting in ethnic border areas. I want to look at the implementation of the ceasefire agreements and how the underlying grievances of Myanmar' s different ethnic groups will be listened to and addressed when the post-ceasefire talks start," Quintana explained. During his eight-day mission, the special rapporteur will meet with a range of government officials and parliamentarians, as well as senior members of the judiciary. His full report on the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council on March 17.