Envoy cuts visit to Burma short over bugging

BURMA: A prominent UN human rights envoy cut short a visit to military-ruled Burma yesterday to protest against a microphone…

BURMA: A prominent UN human rights envoy cut short a visit to military-ruled Burma yesterday to protest against a microphone hidden in a room in which he was meeting political prisoners.

Mr Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, a Brazilian academic and special UN human rights rapporteur, said he saw few signs of real progress towards substantive talks between the junta and opposition on the impoverished southeast Asian country's political future.

"I'm angry, unhappy and frustrated," he said at Rangoon airport before boarding a flight for Thailand. "I didn't see any progress in terms of substantial political dialogue," he added. Mr Pinheiro arrived in Rangoon on March 19th, and was to have stayed until Wednesday.

His comments appeared in stark contrast to a more optimistic outlook he had been due to report to the UNHuman Rights Commission at the end of this month, a copy of which was leaked last week. In that initial draft, he said the world should recognise that political change was slowly occurring in Burma and urged the world to engage the junta, not isolate it.