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.

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.

Tony Abbott walks fine line on immigration stance

News Com AU 22/01/2010

Click this link for VIDEO: Abbott 'Some migrants resist equality'

TONY Abbott has suggested some recent migrants oppose equality and Australians are anxious that citizenship is given away too lightly, but insisted "boat people" are only "guilty of hope".

Mr Abbott has used an Australia Day Council address in Melbourne to raise controversial immigration issues and suggest he favours more migration to Australia to boost our population.

He stood by Howard-era tough lines against so-called boat people, but urged opponents of immigration to try to understand the desperation that prompts their journeys.

"Why wouldn't people who might otherwise wait in camps for years try to short-circuit the process, especially if they're plausibly told that getting to Australia means the beginning of a new life?" Mr Abbott said in his speech.

"At worst, boat people are guilty of choosing hope over fear."

Soon after his election as Liberal leader late last year, Mr Abbott vowed to turn back boat arrivals.

He attacked the Rudd Government's border protection measures, saying that while people smugglers were the main villains, governments which allowed desperate people to think that getting on a boat might be a short cut to permanent residency would not be blameless.

Attack spurs call for acid laws

Phnom Penh Post 20/01/2010

LOCAL rights groups are renewing calls for authorities to regulate the sale of acid in the Kingdom, in the wake of another violent attack that has left a man with serious injuries to his face.

Police have identified the most recent victim as Yun Sarun, 33, who was doused with acid on Monday as he was sleeping. Investigators have accused the victim’s wife of pouring the corrosive liquid over her husband’s face in a fit of jealous rage.

“His wife was very angry with her husband because he loved another woman,” said Khat Khuntith, an officer with the Boeung Kak II commune police.

Yun Sarun was being treated for serious injuries to his face and upper body at Preah Kossamak hospital Tuesday.

“The acid was poured onto his face, and it flowed until it reached his waist. It looks like a burn from a fire,” Khat Khuntith said. “Both his eyes and his mouth are swollen … but he can open his eyes and see everyone around him.”

The policeman questioned how the victim’s attacker was able to buy so much acid, which, in concentrated form, can eat through human skin, muscle and bones.

“I wonder why the acid-seller sold acid to the buyer without asking what she planned to use that acid for,” Khat Khuntith said. “I have often seen people buying acid, but not for their motors or machinery.”

Regulate acid: groups

This week’s attack prompted further outcry from rights groups that have long decried the ease with which people are able to purchase acid in the Kingdom.

“Cambodia has to create a law to control the use of acid,” said Am Sam Ath, senior monitor with the rights group Licadho, who warned that incidences of acid attacks will only increase in the absence of policy changes.

But Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the importance of acid in people’s daily lives – for use in car or motorcycle batteries, for example – makes it difficult to manage.

“It is difficult to create a law to control the use of acid,” he said. “We cannot ask buyers what they are buying the acid for.”

The attack on Yun Sarun added to the recent spate of reported acid attacks, which appear to have increased dramatically in recent months.

The Cambodian Acid Survivor’s Charity counted at least five such attacks nationwide in December alone – a figure that represents roughly half of the attacks the group had tallied for the entire year up until that point.

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.

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.

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.