BURMA: International Red Cross seeks access to detainees
Updated
Burmese authorities are continuing to seek and detain those who took part last month's anti-government protests. State media reports almost three thousand people have been detained since the government began its crackdown on protestors.
Some 500 people remain in custody. The International Red Cross is now trying to gain access to the detainees..
Presenter: Tom Fayle
Speakers: Florian Westphal, International Red Cross
WESTPHAL: Specifically we are worried about the fate of thousands of people reported as being arrested and connection with the most recent events in Myanmar. We don't have exact numbers but there's certainly been reports of thousands of people, and we've in fact also been contacted by dozens of worried families who are basically trying to help to locate their relatives of whom they think that they were detianed or are still detained or at least they're missing. So there is a cause for concern there.
FAYLE: And have you been able to gain access to any of the detainees?
WESTPHAL: So far not, no, we are certainly seeking access to the people recently detained in order to assess the conditions they're held in and the way they're treated, really in line with the way we usually do this. So as a purely humanitarian exercise aimed at evaluating the conditions and also aimed at helping them to resume contact with their families, which is obviously very important.
FAYLE: Is it clear exactly who is being detained if you can't be specific about numbers?
WESTPHAL: No for us it isn't really, obviously we rely just as much on outside reports as everyone else and we've heard from a number of families who believe that they have relatives who've been detained. But except for that we don't really have anymore information which is why we are trying to enter into discussion with the authorities on this point and certainly also with, about the possibility of having access to these people.
FAYLE: Now this isn't the first time this year the International Red Cross has gone public with its criticism of the Burmese authorities, and it's not the usual way you deal with such countries. Why has this strategy been adopted?
WESTPHAL: No I mean I think we certainly went public in June with some very specific criticisms about violations of international law which have been committed against people in detention and against certain civilians by the authorities, and the reason for going public was really firstly that these were very serious violations we were talking about, and then secondly unfortunately there has simply been no possibility at all to discuss this with the authorities any longer, and on top of that we've been prevented from actually helping the people in question. So that really left us with little choice but to go public. I think the situation now is different with regard to these most recent demonstrations and the violence that followed.
FAYLE: And what now? Where does the International Red Cross go from here?
WESTPHAL: Well again the wait for us really the main way we can address these issues is through getting into direct contact with the authorities about this issue, and that's certainly going to be our strategy, that's what we'll be trying to do.
FAYLE: And finally what can the rest of the international community do to help the Red Cross?
WESTPHAL: I think at this point in time really what we're trying to do is raise the issue through our direct contacts with the authorities. Obviously we welcome interest by the international community in the humanitarian situation in Myanmar, as we've always done, as we've also done before these most recent events. We felt that it's obviously extremely interesting that other states and civil society internationally take a prenounced interest in what is in many respects a humanitarian crisis.
