Burma: Collecting testimony

The international community has not given up on Burma.  UN human rights envoy Sergio Paulo Pinheiro will begin a five-day visit to the country on Sunday, the first time he has been allowed to do so in four years.

Pinheiro, who has said he will demand access to prisons and try to determine the number of people killed and detained by the military government in September's crackdown on protesters, is visiting just before the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) starting November 20.  The junta is trying to forestall criticism of its handling of the protests from ASEAN leaders, who have expressed "revulsion" at its actions. Burma's lack of progress on political change is expected to top the agenda at the meeting, but the organisation's track record on changing things is poor: it has repeatedly failed to persuade the military government to address concerns over human rights or political reform.

Amid reports of disunity within its own ranks, the junta has recently made efforts to respond to intensified international pressure to engage in dialogue. But they may not amount to much.  UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari made little headway in a recent visit, failing to gain an audience with the country's top leader, Senior General Than Shwe. Pinheiro is threatening to leave the country if he is not given full access to prisoners, which means his sojourn in Rangoon could be shorter than planned.

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