Burma gets rights commission

PHOTO

Burmese soldiers take part in celebrations of the country's Independence Day, in Naypyidaw, in 2009. [AFP]

Last Updated: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 14:30:00 +1000

The Burmese Government has established a National Human Rights Commission.

The 15-member panel was set up in response to the UN Special Rapporteur's calls for the government to investigate alleged abuses in the nation.

Former Australian ambassador to Burma, Trevor Wilson, has told Connect Asia the commission will address a number of concerns, including those about political prisoners.

"Political prisoners by definition is a political issue, a political problem," he said.

"It is big, it is high profile, but it is not the most serious human rights problem in the country by any means.

"There are a whole lot of other issues [such as] forced labor, behaviour of the army, the impunity of the army from prosecution [and] child soldiers."