Australian, Indonesian Leaders Discuss Human Trafficking

VOA News 10/03/2010

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (L) looks on as Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 10 Mar 2010

The leaders of Indonesia and Australia have discussed plans to fight people smuggling and say the two nations will continue to cooperate in fighting the problem. The discussion came during Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to Australia.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday told the Australian federal Parliament that his country will toughen laws against people smuggling.

 Thousands of people, primarily from South Asia, have tried to sneak into Australia over the past several years, many of them paying people smugglers to take them by boat from Indonesia. Both countries have been working to combat the problem.

Mr. Yudhoyono, on a state visit to Australia, stressed the increasing close ties between the two countries in his speech to Parliament. The relationship, which was tense for decades, has improved dramatically in the past eight years as the two have cooperated in fighting violent Islamic militants responsible for a number of bombings in Indonesia that were aimed at Westerners.

The president, who is the first Indonesian leader to address a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament, says that adversity brought the two countries closer together.

"Our intense and fruitful cooperation to bring the Bali bombers to justice and Australia's outpouring of sympathy, and rescue and relief effort in the wake of the tsunami tragedy of 2004 was the emotional turning point of our bilateral relations," he said.

Former British Intelligence Chief Says US Hid Torture Details

VOA News 10/03/2010

The former head of Britain's domestic intelligence service, MI5, has accused the United States of concealing its mistreatment of terror suspects.

Eliza Manningham-Buller said Tuesday that the U.S. deliberately held back details of harsh handling of some detainees, including the waterboarding of alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Manningham-Buller's comments come as the British intelligence service fights charges it collaborated with U.S. agencies in torturing terror suspects.

British appeals court judges ordered the government last month to release documents concerning the treatment of a Guantanamo inmate Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian-born man living in Britain.

U.S. forces arrested him in Pakistan in 2002 on suspicion of terrorism. U.S. documents show that Mohamed was shackled, beaten and subjected to genital mutilation and sleep deprivation while held in Morocco and later at Guantanamo.

The British government had said it wanted to keep the information secret, fearing it could hurt intelligence-sharing with the United States.

UN Human Rights Council Postpones Discussion of 'Secret Detentions' Report

VOA.News 09/03/2010

U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak, is speaking out. He says government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution

The U.N. Human Rights council has postponed discussion of a highly critical report on the secret detention of terror suspects in dozens of countries. One of the report's authors tells VOA that government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution and imprisonment.

The 222-page report names dozens of countries involved in the practice of detaining people or taking advantage of their detention by other countries to elicit information from them. The suspects were held in secret, without access to lawyers or the International Red Cross, and were subjected to interrogation techniques that in many cases, the authors say, amount to torture.

The report's strong criticisms have angered many of the countries on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council who said they are untrue. Others, including the Muslim and African members, say the experts had no mandate to write the report and that it should not be considered by the HRC. Some Western countries, including the United States and Britain, disagree with the report's findings, but are willing for the discussion to go forward.

The council was supposed to hear the final report this week, but instead agreed to postpone it until June.

But one of the study's authors, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak, is speaking out. He says government officials in the United States and elsewhere who ordered secret detentions of terror suspects should face prosecution. "Every individual case of an enforced disappearance and torture should be a crime under domestic law, with proper sanctions. And proper sanctions doesn't mean a fine; it means imprisonment for similar to other major crimes like homicide," he said.

Nowak adds that people who have been secretly detained should be entitled to compensation. "For me, providing reparations to the victims is certainly as important as the criminal investigations and bringing the main perpetrators to justice," he said.

The study on the use of secret detention was written by Nowak and Martin Scheinin, who is the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism. They were joined by representatives of the U.N. Working Groups on Arbitrary Detention, and Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

In the study, the United States and the administration of former President George W. Bush received some of the harshest criticism for the use of secret detention after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The main focus [of the report] is on the United States of America, because they have developed a very sophisticated program of extraordinary rendition flights where persons have been kidnapped who were suspected of terrorism and flown around the world to different countries for the purpose of keeping them in secret places, for getting information about future terrorist attacks," Nowak said.

John Bolton was President Bush's Ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 through 2006. He said the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were an act of war on the United States and, therefore, Washington was entitled to respond in self-defense.

"People say [that] we are torturing these 'poor terrorists' we have picked up. It implies we are putting them on the rack, we are pulling out their fingernails, we are using cattle prods -- none of that is true. None of that has any basis in fact. This is all a question of whether we can out-psyche the terrorists, using techniques that were analyzed by highly-competent lawyers, and which were used in a very limited number of cases and which, by all accounts, did produce useful information," he said.

Shortly after taking office the Obama administration adopted measures intended to treat prisoners more humanely and transparently. The authors of the U.N. report have cautiously welcomed those commitments.

Human rights groups say the report will not lead to prosecutions, but that it will shine a light on illegal practices governments try to keep hidden. They say exposing that can lead to change.

Millions of Migrants Face Health Risks

VOA News 02/03/2010

The World Health Organization and International Organization for Migration say many of the nearly one-billion international and internal migrants around the world suffer from ill health because of stress and exploitative work conditions. The Geneva-based agencies, along with the government of Spain, are sponsoring a Madrid conference, Wednesday through Friday, to explore ways to improve the health of migrants.

The two agencies say most migrants are healthy. But, those who are not tend to be among the estimated 214 million migrants who leave their countries in search of a better life abroad.

These disadvantaged groups include undocumented migrants, people forced to migrate because of natural or man-made disasters and groups such as victims of trafficking. The agencies say these migrants often suffer exploitation and physical and mental abuse.

WHO Senior Migrant Health Officer Jacqueline Weekers says migrants also are more susceptible to ill health because many live in poverty. She says they lack access to health and social services and social protection.

"Think of living in overcrowded settings," Weekers said. "Think of lack of proper nutrition over long periods of times, etc. But, also unattended chronic problems will cause a great burden on the health of migrants over time. We need to think of occupational health issues. Most migrants migrate because they look for work and they end up in work situations that are degrading, dangerous and dirty. They do jobs that many others will not do and very often without health insurance."

Weekers notes more than half of all migrants are women. Many have migrated on their own. She says women migrants who are in an unprotected situation often are subjected to sexual abuse.

She says the mental health of migrants is another area of great concern.

"Mental health is not only of relevance for those who experience grave stressful situations such as refugees or people who are on the go, who experience human rights violations," Weekers said. "But, also the many migrants who find themselves greatly isolated and marginalized and not able to communicate with people around them."

The World Health Assembly, which took place in Geneva in 2008 passed a resolution on the Health of Migrants. The issue will come up again at this year's assembly, in May.

Weekers says the three-day conference in Madrid will take stock of what has happened since the resolution was adopted two years ago. She says the aim of the meeting is to identify policies and legislation that will improve the health of migrants.

Death row grows even smaller

The 4th World Congress for Abolition of the Death Penalty, held from Feb 24 to 26. The participants were united in the movement for abolition, which has become a worldwide tide of hope.



There was an expectation among those attending that a Buddhist country could propose a respect for life to inspire others. While there is such an inspiration, sadly it does not stop Thailand from applying the death penalty, as exemplified in two executions last August.

Bangkok Post 03/03/2010

About 1,700 men, women and children recently gathered in Geneva from all around the world. Those from countries which retain the death penalty told their stories which brought many to tears, but the meeting also ended full of hope for the end of this ancient curse which is recorded from the beginning of time.

Others from countries where the death penalty has been abolished, came to give their support. Sometimes, they recalled with regret that the death penalty was a legacy of colonialist times, which somehow persisted when other liberties were achieved.

Or, they came to acknowledge that the death penalty was an inheritance of the past which affects us all; as expressed so movingly in the words of John Donne: "The death of any man diminishes me."

The occasion was the 4th World Congress for Abolition of the Death Penalty, held from Feb 24 to 26. The participants were united in the movement for abolition, which has become a worldwide tide of hope.

The number of abolitionist countries continues to rise, now reaching 140. On the other hand, not only do the countries retaining the death penalty decrease in number, but in many of the others, even in the most brash in claiming the right to execute, the number being put to death is decreasing each year.

A growing optimism pervades the movement for abolition. From the timeline of executions worldwide, one scholar predicted that it will all be over by the year 2025. It is even possible that rejection of the death penalty will become a tidal surge and achieve total abolition by 2015.

What country would dare to be the last place on earth to exercise the awful trade of judicial execution, or to be identified as the homeland of the last person ever to be executed, whose name will surely be remembered for ever to the shame of humankind?

British Court Rules Freezing Terror Suspects' Assets 'Unlawful'

VOA News 27/01/2010

Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that government orders freezing the assets of terror suspects are unlawful. The decision comes only a week after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that certain stop and search powers of Britain's police are also illegal.

The Supreme Court ruled that financial restrictions on five suspected terrorists were a breach of their human rights.

The order to freeze the assets of suspected terrorists was made by the treasury in 2006, in order to inhibit the financing of international terrorism.

But the orders were not voted on in Parliament and Wednesday the Supreme Court said Britain's government would have to obtain parliamentary approval for 'far reaching measures' to combat terrorism.

In response, a spokesperson for the treasury said it would introduce fast-track legislation to make sure their power to freeze assets won't be interrupted.

Eric Metcalfe is human rights policy director at the legal human rights group Justice. He says Wednesday's ruling represents a critical defense of the democratic principle in Britain.

"This is a democracy governed by the rule of law and it is profoundly important that democratic representatives deliberate in a proper manner about how laws are made and whether the right balance has been struck," he said.

After talking with PM, UN rights envoy cites human rights progress

Phnom Penh Post 20/01/2010

THE UN’s human rights envoy to Cambodia said progress had been made on human rights issues in the Kingdom, following talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“We discussed a wide range of human rights issues. We have been making progress on freedom of expression and the NGO law, land evictions and the cooperation between civil society and the government,” Surya Subedi, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, told reporters after the meeting.

“I will not go into individual specific allegations of human rights violations. We are looking at the total picture of the human rights situation in Cambodia.”

Subedi arrived in Cambodia on Monday for a 12-day visit to examine the functioning of the National Assembly and judiciary, and probe the current human rights situation in the Kingdom, according to a statement released by the UN on Friday. The visit, Subedi’s second, comes following a similar mission in June.

Subedi said that though there are a number of human rights issues that remain a concern in Cambodia, his discussion with the prime minister was cordial.

He described as positive the government’s stated goal of strengthening the country’s human rights mechanisms, ultimately leading to the establishment of an independent Human Rights Commission to monitor human rights issues throughout the country.

Subedi and Hun Sen also both approved of the idea of an election to select a civil society representative who could liaise directly with the government over issues of concern, said Om Yentieng, head of the government’s Human Rights Committee.

“The two sides have opened their hearts in a dialogue about the development of the human rights situation, and Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed with Subedi’s idea of calling on the NGOs in Cambodia to elect their representative in order to facilitate dialogue with the government,” he said.

He added: “I think that Subedi is in a transitional period and wants to get some ideas from Hun Sen in order for the UN to help support Cambodia on human rights issues.”

Freedom House Report: Asia Sees Some Significant Progress

VOA News 11/01/2010

The U.S.-based human rights monitoring group, Freedom House says Asia still struggles with the basic issues of rule of law and freedom of expression.

William Ide

Washington 12 January 2010

The U.S.-based human rights monitoring group, Freedom House says that while Asia saw the most significant improvements in freedom last year, it still struggles with the basic issues of rule of law and freedom of expression. The group says situations in China, Tibet, North Korea and Burma are worrisome.

In its latest annual survey, Freedom House says that Asia received a mixed rating in 2009, a year marked by political progress and repression. Even so, the continent's modest improvements were the most significant worldwide.

Freedom House Asia researcher Sarah Cook says this was largely the result of gains in political rights in several countries in Asia.

Cook notes that the small south Asian island-nation of the Maldives held its first democratic parliamentary elections last year, furthering its dramatic political transformation during the past few years.

Other bright spots were peaceful elections in Mongolia and voting in Bangladesh, which allowed an elected civilian government to replace a military-backed administration.

But not all elections were bright spots. Freedom House says the massacre of journalists and civilians in the Philippines as they made their way to register a political candidate was a sign of possibly more electoral violence to come ahead of elections this year.

Sarah Cook says that Afghanistan's political rights rating saw a decline as a deeply flawed presidential election worsened the country's already unstable security situation and exposed government corruption.

Lack of transparency thwarted attempts to safeguard Hmong

Bangkok Post 13/01/2010

Since the end of the Indochina conflict in 1975, Thailand has been a generous host to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict and political persecution in the region. Many of these people endured terrible hardships and literally fled for their lives. These people, and the international community, will be forever grateful that Thailand was there in their time of need.

Shattered hopes: Young Hmong refugees play chess at Huay Nam Khao settlement in this June 11, 2007 picture. On Dec 28, 2009 the refugees, who wanted to be resettled in the US, were deported back to Laos.

Thailand was not left to shoulder this burden alone, however, as international agencies stepped in to construct housing, provide medical services and distribute food. Moreover, almost half a million men, women and children who entered Thailand seeking temporary refuge status have been ultimately resettled in the United States and other countries. Most recently, in 2004-2005, the US resettled 14,000 Laotian Hmong who had been sheltered in a temple at Wat Tham Krabok.

Since that programme, we agreed with the Royal Thai Government to begin large-scale resettlement for the ethnic minority Burmese refugees resident in the nine established camps along the border. Over 50,000 people have left Thailand for new lives in the US since 2005.

It is against this background of historical generosity and cooperation that the US was disappointed at the Thai decision to deport 4,689 Laotian Hmong asylum seekers back to Laos on Dec 28, 2009, despite clear indications that some in the group required protection. The asylum seekers were divided into two groups: 4,531 detained in an army-run camp in Huay Nam Khao, Phetchabun province, and 158 people in an Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Nong Khai province who were recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as Persons of Concern.

Speaking out for victims of violence

The Nation 11/01/2010

While some changes have been made to help the woman and children who suffer from physical and sexual abuse, much more remains to be done Ads by Google

After a day at school, the four-year-old girl is unusually silent. Normally cheerful and talkative, all she says to her worried parents is that she's been "injected" and that it happened at school. That night, she wets her bed. The next morning, she hides behind her mother when she sees a man on the street.

At the hospital, the doctor is able to calm the child long enough to conduct a complete pelvic examination and ascertain that she's been sexually abused. Two weeks pass before the little girl has a chance to identify the suspect. The parents file charges but are told by the police that an arrest warrant can't be issued. There's no evidence and the school principal doesn't believe the child.

The case is later referred to the Paveena Foundation for Women and Children. For the child and her family, the damage is done. The girl is taken out of school and they move to another province.

No refuge here in 2009 for Rohingyas and Hmong

Bangkok Post 09/01/2010

Thailand used to be friendly to us. The fear of being killed made us flee to Thailand, to survive. Now it seems they detain us only so that they can deport us.''

These were the words of a Lao Hmong refugee who spoke to Amnesty International in late 2008, frightened of being forced back to Laos.

One year later, his fears came true. On Dec 28 and 29, 2009, Thai authorities forcibly returned to Laos around 4,500 ethnic minority Hmong. Among them were 158 recognised refugees who had been in arbitrary detention in Nong Khai for three years, despite four countries considering to resettle them. The others, who included asylum-seekers, had been living in a camp in Phetchabun province for several years.

Indeed, after more than three decades of widely recognised generosity in protecting asylum-seekers and refugees, Thailand reversed its course in 2009.

Repatriation of the Hmong at Huay Nam Khao

Bangkok Post 06/01/2010

Although the United States protested against the repatriation, Washington had earlier announced it would not resettle them in the US.

On Monday December 28, 2009, the Thai government began repatriating to Laos the last batch of 4,000 Hmong from Huay Nam Khao refugee camp in Phetchabun province, despite protest from the United States. While the Thai government considers that these Hmong people are migrants who entered this country illegally, the US considers them to be refugees fleeing a communist country.

This photo released by the Royal Thai Army shows a policewoman carrying a Hmong refugee child during the forcible deportation of thousands of ethnic Hmong to Laos from the refugee camp at Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province on Dec 28, 2009.

The nexus between migrant and refugee has become blurred in the new millennium. The old concept was that migrants moved voluntarily in order to seek better life opportunities while refugees were those who were forced to migrate due to political reasons. During the decades between 1950 and 1980, these definitions were useful in classifying mobile people in the world.

However, in this age of globalisation when people migrate massively due to complicated and overlapping reasons, the distinction has become uncertain and malfunctional.

Malaysia High Court Allows Christian Use of the Word 'Allah'

VOA News 31/12/2009

The word 'Allah' is Arabic for God. He is the same one God worshiped by Jews, Christians and Muslim.

In Malaysia, the High Court has thrown out a government ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah for God. Those favoring the ban argue Christian use of the word could lead to confusion and conversions among Muslims.

Malaysia's High Court ruled that a Roman Catholic publication can use the word "Allah". The court said the Home Ministry was incorrect when it banned the non-Muslim publication from using the word.

The Catholic Church's main publication in Malaysia, The Herald, led the legal fight against the ban on behalf of a range of religious and community groups

Under Malaysian law, the home minister has the power to impose conditions on publications. In the case of The Herald, the word Allah was banned, apparently on the grounds of national security - to avoid misunderstanding and confusion among Muslims.

Father Lawrence Andrew is the newspaper's editor and says the word Allah has been part of religious teachings within Christian circles in Malaysia for more than 370 years.

No word

The Nation

Thailand Begins Repatriation to Laos of Hmong Migrants

VOA News: 28/12/2009

Move comes despite international concerns that they will face persecution in their home country

The Thai government rejects accusations by the international community that thousands of Lao Hmong refugees were being forcibly sent back to Laos. The Thai military carried out the deportation under tight security.

The deportation of 4,000 Hmong to Laos began in the early hours of Monday with convoys of military trucks and buses ferrying people to the border.

Human rights groups fear the Hmong, who have been held at the Huay Nam Khao refugee camp, will be persecuted once they return to Laos.

The U.S. government called for a suspension of the operation, saying Thailand has violated international humanitarian principles by forcibly returning the Hmong.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn denies that accusation. He says Lao authorities promise to grant amnesty to those returning.

US lawmakers worried over fate of Hmong

Bangkok Post 25/12 2009

WASHINGTON: : Nine US senators have written to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to protest against the possible expulsion of more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos, where they fear persecution.

Thailand confirmed on Wednesday the move would take place by the year's end despite the international outcry.

"While we recognise that the Kingdom of Thailand is burdened by the large number of refugees it hosts on its territory, we encourage you not to take steps to repatriate any individuals to Laos at this time," the US lawmakers wrote in a letter dated Dec 17.

The group of ethnic Hmong, held in a camp in Huay Nam Khao in Phetchabun province, is seeking political asylum based on claims they face persecution from the Lao regime because they fought alongside US forces during the Vietnam War.

Democratic senators Russ Feingold, Patrick Leahy, Barbara Boxer, Sheldon Whitehouse, Mark Begich, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken and their Republican colleagues Richard Lugar and Lisa Murkowski denounced the government's "lack of transparency" in screening the refugees.

"We believe that the lack of transparency in the screening and repatriation process only exacerbates these difficulties and heightens international concerns regarding these populations," the letter said.

The lawmakers urged Thailand to work with an independent third party to conduct a "transparent" screening process that complies with international norms.

No nation is completely free of human rights violations, said UN High Commission for Human Right Navi Pillay

VOA News UN Calls for End to Discrimination on Human Rights Day

The United Nations says intolerance, prejudice and discrimination lie at the heart of human rights violations. To mark this year's Human Rights Day, the United Nations is calling on governments and people around the world to live up to the international laws and standards that exist to protect the human rights.

No nation is completely free of human rights violations, said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

Among the principle victims, the United Nations cites women and girls who are discriminated against, in varying degrees, in all societies.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay admits sometimes she, too, has been guilty of discriminating against others.

"And, really in my own life, in my adult life, I must confess that - and my young children pointed it out to me - they said 'Mommy you are being racist,'" Pillay said.

Pillay says, growing up in South Africa, during the era of apartheid, conditioned blacks and other minority groups to view all white people as oppressors.

"I myself, growing as a child and as a young adult really suffered the inferiority complex. You really think that, because of your color, you are ugly and no good," Pillay said. "And, you have no sense of self-confidence."

Half of World's Refugees Live in Cities

VOA News: UN refugee agency reports half of the world's 10.5 million refugees and nearly 20 million of internally displaced people and returnees are living in cities

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, left, next to Jose Riera, right, HCR Secretary, opens a two-day United Nations conference trying to boost support for Iraqis who have fled violence in their country

Mayors from some 20 cities around the world are attending a two-day meeting hosted by the United Nations refugee agency to address the problems faced by millions of refugees, internally displaced people and returnees who are living in cities and towns around the world. Representatives of national governments and international organizations are seeking ways to help the urban refugees and to ease the growing strains on the cities.

The U.N. refugee agency reports half of the world's 10.5 million refugees are living in cities and towns. They are joined by nearly twice that number of internally displaced people and returnees.

It says the perception that most refugees live in sprawling tented camps is no longer true. It says the growing phenomenon of urban refugees poses many new problems and challenges for both the refugees and the cities that host them.

UNHCR Senior Policy Advisor Jose Riera tells VOA this is why the agency is reaching out for the first time to mayors.

Burmese High Court to Hear Aung San Suu Kyi's Appeal

V.O.A News

Burma's Supreme Court has agreed to hear opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her conviction of violating the terms of her house arrest.

Burma's Supreme Court has agreed to hear opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal against her conviction of violating the terms of her house arrest.

In an announcement posted on its notice board Friday, the high court said it will hear the Nobel Peace laureate's appeal on December 21.

Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted in August for giving shelter to an American man who swam uninvited to her lakeside Rangoon house in May. She was sentenced to an additional 18 months of house arrest. Serving the extra time would prevent her from participating in next year's elections.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under some form of detention for 14 of the last 20 years.

She told the Burmese military regime in September she would cooperate in getting the United States and European Union to lift sanctions imposed against the regime because of its rights abuses.

Aung San Suu Kyi held private talks last month with U.S. Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Campbell's deputy, Scott Marciel, at a Rangoon hotel.

Campbell was the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Burma since then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright visited in September of 1995.