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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.18
May 2, 2000


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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

Dear Friends,

May 1st: a brief reflection to coincide with the day dedicated to assert the right of the people to work and for the recognition of the rights of the workers in all societies, occupies the first place in this short newsletter.. More in line with this right are the three subsequent news items where the increase in poverty is acknowledged by ADB, the need for equal opportunities for women and children are stressed by the participants to the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church, and the importance attached to education in the realisation of this right is asserted by the UNESCO's World Education Forum. Added to the menu is brief news item on East Timor where reference is made to the returning militias. We are also glad to present a request received here regarding a signature campaign for peace and non-violence.

A NEWS ITEM JUST REACHING US, WHICH IN OUR OPINION IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT IN THE PRESENT DAY BURMA IS REPRODUCED HERE FOR YOUR INFORMATION and the chances are that we might seek your solidarity action in the near future. Will keep you updated on this. the editor

1) May Day 2000 Statement from Asian Human Rights Commission
2) Emergency Declaration of ABYMU on Attempts by The SPDC to Suppress The Struggle of Monks Within Burma
3) High : " Poverty Has Increased By 10% Since The Crises And ... - Asian Development Bank
4) Speak Up Against Cultural And Religious Traditions That Denies Rights To Women And Children
5) Universal Education By 2015 : Is It Being "Impossibly Optimistic"?
6) Manifesto 2000 For A Culture Of Peace And Non-Violence
7) News Update

1) May Day 2000 Statement from Asian Human Rights Commission

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and protection against unemployment... to equal pay for equal work... to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for him/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity... to form and join trade unions.

ARTICLE 23, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

If these are really our rights, as agreed by everyone 50 years ago, what is going on? No other right is more universally ignored than the right to work, with unemployment affecting enormous numbers of people in every country. Governments in all countries are acting to prevent this basic right for their people, and instead seek to keep a pool of unemployed as a threat to those in work. This has effectively weakened the worker movement.

In the developed countries, business has convinced people that they are consumers rather than workers, that trade unions are 'out of date', and that they should concentrate on chiseling out their individual career path from the fragments of work available. In developing countries, governments have told people they are lucky to have an exhausting, dangerous, repetitive job that pays them a day and their protests at exploitation by multinational corporations are met with state-sanctioned violence. In Burma, people are forced into labour by the military, leaving the workers with no time, energy or money to earn enough food to live on. In Nepal, women are trafficked as sex workers. In Pakistan children are sold into bonded labour. In Hong Kong, employers punish migrant domestic workers by burning their hands with a hot iron.

Governments, businesses and work systems ensure that people do not get their right to work, nor to work that treats them as humans. The challenge this May Day for the workers' movement, religious groups, human rights activists, political groups and all people who care about humanity is to work together to ensure that the fundamental, universal right to dignified work is realised in our time.

2) Emergency Declaration of ABYMU on Attempts by The SPDC to Suppress The Struggle of Monks Within Burma

1. In the declaration of Sangha Samagi issued in accordance with the monks' movement "Trumpet Flower (3)," there was a request calling for dialogue between the SPDC and the leaders of the NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the ten-person Committee Representing the People's Parliament and other politicians under the patronage of famous Sayadaws (senior Buddhist monks) within 99 days, before May 25, 2000 - Burma's present era 1362, the 8th day beyond the full-moon day of Kasume. If the SPDC refuses to enter into dialogue, the following measures will be taken:

Buddhist Monasteries all over the country will be declared as strike camps;
The cooperation of other patriots will be called for;
Donations from patriots will be called for;
Rural people will be requested to join to their nearest monastery;
Required arrangements will be made through such camps and,
if necessary, a protest march will be made to the capital, Yangon.

2. According to confirmed information, this declaration appeared after a Sangha meeting held secretly in a town near the capital in the first week of February, 2000, and the plans will be implemented within their areas of responsibility.

3. The reasons for this movement by the Sangha were the following actions taken by the SPDC against the Kyachewaing Sayadaw, Pago and Maha Gandayon Sayadaw, Armarapura who have called for dialogue for national peace:

People have been obstructed from making donations to these monks; The ceremony of selecting the Tepehtakadara was held with just seventeen monks close to the SPDC, instead of fifty-five monks or at least thirty-three monks; No invitations were issued to this ceremony of selecting the

Tepehtakadara An officer of the Department of Religious Affairs, a relative of the KyachewaingSayadaw, Pago was dismissed; These monks were not allowed to received a donation from England and were forbidden to preach; The monks were rudely criticized of "interfering in politics and instigating the NLD;"Their peaceful proposals for dialogue were rejected.

4. Neglecting utterly the entreaties of the Buddhist monks, the SPDC has carried out the following acts of suppression:.

(a) On April 21, 2000, they ordered riot-police to be on emergency alert;
(b) The police-stations were instructed to crack down by force;
(c) Illegal searches were made on the pretext of searching for terrorists;
(d) Monks have been controlled and their travel obstructed;
(e) The monasteries and famous senior monks have been closely watched;
(f) Documents have been distributed to incite religious unrest, to distract people from the main issue.

The All Burma Young Monks' Union strongly condemns all such suppression and asserts that it is in the interests of the SPDC to heed the constructive suggestions of the monks.

5. If over three million Buddhist monks calling peacefully for negotiation are cracked down on violently, it cannot be guaranteed that the anger of Burma's people in and out of the country will be able to controlled. If such crackdowns occur, we fear that violence may occur against SPDC embassies, their employees, the relatives of the SPDC, the economic partners of the SPDC and persons serving the SPDC.

6. Thus, to avoid violence, the ABYMU urgently entreats the United Nations, influential countries and ASEAN members to become involved in attempts to bring about such negotiations before the ultimatum delivered by the monks inside Burma expires.

(please note that for obvious reasons the source has not divulged and for further information we can be contacted)

3) High : " Poverty has increased by 10% since the crises and ... - Asian Development Bank

Despite signs of a strong recovery, the ADB notes that poverty is still a major regional challenge. Asia's poor account for two-thirds of developing-world poverty and 900 million people live on per day. Poverty has increased 10% since the crisis and more are living in poverty than in the mid-1990s, according to the report. The area is also the most polluted and environmentally degraded in the world.
Poor governance, the ADB says, has contributed to regional poverty, as ineffective governments are unlikely to make physical and social infrastructure investments. Governments not accountable to their people, it adds, are less likely to be attentive to the needs of the poor (ADB release III).
The ADB recently adopted a policy making poverty reduction a cornerstone of its activities in an effort to combat high poverty levels. A unit has been established to tackle the issue, and will focus on fostering sustainable economic growth, promoting social development and encouraging good governance. Future bank investments will also give priority to projects with a direct impact on poor citizens ( UN Wire Service)

4) Speak Up Against Cultural And Religious Traditions That Denies Rights To Women And Children

The report by Naeem Shakir on the West Asian Seminar of World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church.

"... .. this part of the world has a unique spirituality to offer and boundaries in faith and politics cannot stop us form bringing positive change in the lives of our society and nation. Through different resolutions passed at the seminar the participants urged that the women in South Asia may have free and easy access within the neighbouring countries. The Government was urged to develop harmonious relationship to establish peace in the region which affects all human kind particularly women and children, to prepare a code of ethics incorporating the guidelines of all religions to be included in the school circulars, to impart proper education on sex to school going children at the right age especially on the issue of prevention of HIV/AIDS and also strongly urged to bring an end to discriminatory laws against women and children".

"Time has come that women must speak up against cultural and religious traditions and practices that deny their rights as human and children of God".

5) Universal Education by 2015 : Is it being "impossibly optimistic"?

Delegates from 181 countries and 100 nongovernmental organizations met today in Dakar, Senegal, for UNESCO's World Education Forum to develop plans to ensure universal education by 2015
According to UNESCO, 880 million adults are illiterate worldwide and 113 million children, (Agence France-Presse, 26 Apr).

6) Manifesto 2000 For A Culture Of Peace And Non-Violence

You can add your name to support this six-point manifesto at the website www.unesco.org/manifesto2000

The six points are : Respect all life ; Reject violence ;Share with others ; Listen to understand; Preserve the planet; Rediscover solidarity. A group of Nobel Peace Laureates who met in Paris to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafted this Manifesto, which is open to signature by people all over the world. The goal is to present 1000 million signatures to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000.

7) News Update

A-East Timor Update : the Militias trickle back

It appears that some of the militias of the lower ranks are trickling back from West Timor to mixed reactions where it could be mercy or vengeance. Some leaders however are still active along the border making evacuation difficult.

B- The emerging situation in Sri Lanka calls for vigilance and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Hope to bring in some reflections and reviews during the week. A signature campaign supporting third party mediation has been initiated in certain regions in S Lanka.