“Myanmar’s legal profession has taken a significant step towards establishing a new independent bar association by forming an inclusive interim committee to steer its creation,” the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute said in a news release issued in London on March 7.

It was referring to a decision taken at a three-day seminar in Nay Pyi Taw last month which was organised by IBARHI and hosted by the Parliamentary Committee on Rule of Law and Tranquillity.

More than 180 people, including lawyers from throughout Myanmar, attended the event, which was opened by IBA president Michael Reynolds.

The recommendation to establish an independent national bar association followed long and heated debate, Mr Reynolds said in the March 7 news release.

“The IBARHI seminar is the first time that so many lawyers in Myanmar have assembled to learn about the role of a bar association and to discuss the development of the country’s legal profession,” Mr Reynolds said.

He quoted one of the Myanmar delegates as saying: “We have been waiting 30 years for this”.

“While many challenges lie ahead, Myanmar’s lawyers have taken the first important steps to establish an independent representative bar association and we will fully support their endeavours,” Mr Reynolds said.

The news release said the first meeting of the bar association steering committee will be organised by IBAHRI and take place at an unspecified venue on March 22.