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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.32
August 7, 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

Concerned about what is happening in Maluku?  There is something you can do!  This week we are asking you to take a small action to help the suffering people of Maluku - you'll find details at part 3) of the newsletter below.  Prior to that is some good news about diplomatic progress on getting help for Maluku.  We also have some information about a suspected war criminal being arrested in Sri Lanka, and a few words from a former Kashmiri soldiers.

1)  INDONESIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CALLS FOR PEACEKEEPERS IN MALUKU

AHRC has for some time - along with many other organisations - been calling for international assistance to end the communal violence in Maluku.  The most recent appeal was a Joint Human Rights Statement (signed by 1,400 individuals and organisations) called "Protect All People's Lives in Maluku", which has been sent to the UN Secretary General (Kofi Annan) and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Mary Robinson), the Secretary General of the ASEAN, foreign ministers of US, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Australia, and the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).  The Joint Statement can be viewed at the AHRC website at:

http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/maluku.htm

In a letter to Komnas HAM on 28 June, AHRC suggested they conduct a peace mission to the region.  Komnas HAM has recently done so, and as a result are now calling for international 'cooperation' with Indonesia to end the bloody conflict that has cost 4,000 lives and displace half a million people.  According to the Secretary General of Komnas HAM, Mr. Asmara Nababan, the Indonesian government should consider calling for the dispatch of an international peacekeiiping mission to the conflict areas.  He said "The UN peacekeeping mission should be composed of civiliatn police personnel and not military.

The statement of Komnas HAM, released Wednesday August 2nd, said that the resolution of the Maluku conflict should be the "primary national priority".  The organisation believes that the Indonesian security guards have lost the faith of the people in Maluku, and the government has failed to find a solution to their inability to stop the conflict, leaving international assistance as the only option.

Following the statement, the Jakarta Post editorial encouraged the Indonesian government to accept the proposals of Komnas HAM, with the following words:

"At this late stage of the conflict, when just about every effort has been made, we must look at the situation in Maluku more objectively than we have in the past, and honestly ask ourselves: Can we really solve the problem without outside help?

"The war in Maluku has gone on for too long with no clear sign of when it will end, not even after the government declared a state of civil emergency in the are last month.  Too many lives have been lost or shattered in this senseless conflict.  How many more thousands of people must die aqnd how many more hundreds of thousands of people must flee before the nation takes a decisive step to end the violence there?

"As controversial as Komnas HAM's proposal may sound, it has given the nation some food for thought in its search for a speedy resolution to the conflict in Maluku.  It is time that we all look at the Maluku problem less emotionally and more passionately.

"It is also time that we reassess our sense of national pride, because there is nothing left to be proud of if we, as a nation, fail
to act to protect the lives and property of our fellow countrymen and countrywomen.  If seeking outside help means saving their lives, then we should not hesitate to do so."

2)  WILL THE UN ACT IN MALUKU?

The BBC World Service has reported (on August 4) that a UN spokesman, Farhan Haq has said that the United Nations "stands ready to provide a greater role if that is so desired by the Government of Indonesia".

A day before this admission, the UN reported establishing a humanitarian presense in Maluku, comprised of five UN staff from the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Development Programme, the UN Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization. The presence is in Ambon and Ternate, and comes at the time when 1,500 refugees are reportedly in serious danger of dying from lack of humanitarian aid.

It still remains to be seen if the UN will actively work to offer a range of assistance to the Indonesian government.  In such situation, these world leaders cannot afford to sit and wait for an invitation - there are things they could be offering now in the form of technical assistance, even if the Indonesian government will not yet allow peacekeepers.  They could also be approaching south east Asian leaders to encourage them to make available peacekeepers for the Indonesian government to make use of (through the UN).

3)  THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE SUFFERING PEOPLE OF MALUKU!

You can help to encourage these leaders to act quickly!  There are three letters that we are asking you to write.  They can be very short letters, but they will make a difference!

[A]  Write to Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, to urge him to take up the recommendations of Komnas HAM (the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights), ie. to call for external assistance, in particular the dispatching of peacekeeping personnel.  Let him know that the UN have indicated they would be able to help in providing the cooperation suggested by Komnas HAM.

ADDRESS:
  Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid,
  President of Indonesia,
  Presidential Palace, Jakarta
  Istana Negara, Indonesia.
  Fax: 62-21- 345 7782

[B]  Write to Ms. Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to urge her to support the recommendations of Komnas HAM, to visit the region as soon as possible, to secure support for peacekeeping efforts from ASEAN countries (as suggested by Komnas HAM) and to ACTIVELY offer a range of technical and peacekeeping support to the Indonesian government.

ADDRESS:
  Ms. Mary Robinson
  High Commissioner for Human Rights
  OHCHR-UNOG
  8-14 Avenue de la Paix
  1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
  Telephone Number (41-22) 917-9000
  Fax Number (41-22) 917-9016

[C]  Write to Mr. Marzuki Darusman, the head of Komnas HAM to show your support for the recommendations Komnas HAM has made to the Indonesian government, and to encourage him to keep pushing for the government to take whatever steps are necessary to end the conflict. 

ADDRESS:
  Mr. Marzuki Durasman
  Komnas HAM
  Jl. Latuharhary No. 4B
  Menteng - Jakarta 10310
  INDONESIA
  Tel. (62)(21)392-5230 - Fax. (62)(21)392-5227
  E-mail : info@komnas.go.id

4)  SENIOR POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED OVER KILLING-FIELDS MURDERS IN SRI LANKA

COLOMBO, Aug 5 (AFP) - A senior Sri Lankan police officer has been arrested in connection with extra judicial killings carried out during a leftist uprising 12 years ago, state-run media reported Saturday.

Police arrested superintendent Douglas Peiris as he returned to the country on Thursday and was under interrogation, the  Daily News said, linking the officer to opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.  The newspaper said the oppostion leader had given a house to Peiris while in government.

Wickremesinghe had given evidence before a commission appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to probe the alleged killings when the leftist JVP, or the People's Liberation Front, was trying to topple the government. 

The Daily News said Peiris had tried to seek political asylum abroad but failed.  He was arrested at the only international airport here, the Daily News said, but state television said the man had been arrested in neighbouring India and brought here. The arrest came ahead of a crucial vote in parliament Wednesday. 

Wickremesinghe's main opposition UNP has withdrawan support to President Kumaratunga's political reform plan which goes before a parliamentary vote on Wednesday. 

5)  THOUGHTS OF A SOLDIER IN THE KARGIL WAR

The following is from the essay "Journeys Without Maps" by Sandrarshan Thakur, published in the Harper Collins book "Guns and Yellow Roses - Essays on the Kargil War"  

"What drives you?" I once asked a Rajputana Rifles soldier back from the battle for Peak 5140 in Drass, "What makes you go on even though you know you may die the next moment?"  He looked at me a bit incredulously and said, "Orders.  If we don't follow orders, what will our families eat?"