Than Nwe, NHRC: ‘Educating on rights’

Burma’s first National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) began work in October, and has since become the focal point of aggrieved Burmese who use the body to file complaints of human rights abuses carried out by state actors. The group has also been given permission to access prisons across the country, and recently sent a team to Kachin state to meet with refugees displaced by the conflict.

Dr Than Nwe is among fifteen former ambassadors, government officials and academics who make up the NHRC. It claims independence from Naypyidaw but Burma observers have noted concern at the inclusion of ex-government officials in the rights body. Moreover, a number of those included, such as Chairman Win Mra, a former ambassador to the UN, are known to be staunch defenders of the Burmese government. But, Than Nwe, its work has already made an impact […]