NarinjaraNews, 12 May 2020

YangheeLee has ended her term as Special Rapporteur on Myanmar for the United Nations,and has been replaced by Mr Thomas H. Andrews.

Ms Lee, who finishedher role as special rapporteur on April 30, has been replaced by a formermember of the US Congress, Thomas H.Andrews, according to news reports in VOA (Burmese).

TheUnited Nations Human Rights Council has appointed the ex-congressman Thomas H.Andrews as the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights inMyanmar.

The new Special Rapporteur was a member of theUS Congress for the State of Maine from 1991 to 1995.

MrAndrews also has a Washington based consultancy, Andrews Strategic Services.

Accordingto the UN announcement, the new special rapporteur for Myanmar has worked withthe National Democratic Institute that works to strengthen democraticinstitutions. He has also worked with NGOs and political parties in countriesincluding Cambodia, Indonesia, Algeria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine and Yemen.

He has served asGeneral Secretary of "The Nobel Peace Laureate Campaign for Aung San SuuKyi and the People of Burma" in 2001 and was a consultant for the NationalCoalition Government of the Union of Burma and the Euro-Burma Network. He hasrun advocacy NGOs including Win Without War and United to End Genocide.