Meet Myanmar's Military Regime, International Red Cross Urges Access To Political Prisoners

JAKARTA - The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has urged Myanmar's coup leader to allow the organization to resume prison visits and other humanitarian activities that were halted last year due to COVID-19.

The request comes at a time when the regime has detained thousands of people, mostly for opposing the February 1 coup. As of Thursday, June 3, about 4,509 people have been arrested since the February 1 coup, according to the Association for Assistance for Political-Burmese Prisoners (AAPP). The detainees include the country's ousted de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other pro-democracy activists.

In his meeting with Myanmar's Military Regime Leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw Thursday, ICRC President Peter Maurer said it was important his organization was allowed to continue purely humanitarian visits and activities in places of detention.

"Such visits and activities are essential to ensure humane treatment and conditions of detention for all detainees, and to restore communication between detainees and their families," the ICRC said.

Maurer said the Myanmar people were caught between armed conflict, COVID-19, and the disruption caused by the coup and needed urgent help and protection. He is the most senior representative of an international organization to have met with any military regime leader since the coup last February.

During his meeting, the ICRC President also raised key humanitarian issues, including the use of force during security operations. In addition to prison visits, Maurer is making a case for wider humanitarian access in Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Shan, and Rakhine States.

The regime leader did not commit to Maurer's request but did not reject it, according to Nikkei Asia, citing people familiar with the meeting.

Ko Bo Kyi, co-founder, and co-secretary of the AAPP said, despite the ICRC head's direct call, it was still unclear to what extent the ICRC would be free to visit and meet detainees.

"If they are not allowed there is nothing they can do," he said, citing previous incidents under the previous military regime.

Given the nature of the institution, he continued, the presence of the International Red Cross in prisons would not make much difference to the conditions experienced by political prisoners.

"They are a humanitarian association. All they can do is facilitate communication between prisoners and their families, as well as donate medicines to prison hospitals. You can't expect more," he said.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.