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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.34
August 21, 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.
1)
THREE BUDDHIST MONKS GO ON A HUNGER STRIKE IN SUPPORT OF THE
DEMANDS MADE BY THE FARMERS
The reports reaching us speak of three Buddhist monks
and eight farmers two of whom are women undertaking a fast unto
death (hunger strike)in Hingurakgoda,in the north central
part of Sri Lanka. This is in support of the four major demands
and 17 minor demands made by the farmers in the face of the
mounting problems encountered by the farmers chief among
them being the falling price of paddy.According to the
current data available a farmer may earn up to Rs.2,100 from a
acre of paddy land. In the area where the strike is on, an
average farmer would have about three acres thereby assuring him
of an income of Rs.6,300. Compare this with the minimum income
Rs.4,500 required for a family a month, and for six months Rs.
27,000. How do we compare the income and the expenses: 6,300 to
27,000.It is this plight of the farmers that is highlighted
through the strike which the government accuses of being
instigated by the NGOs, the church
and the opposition. Thus the main demands of the farmers center
round living income for the farmers and the farmers being
consulted in the fixing of the price of the farm produce. You may
write to us for further information and in case urgent action is
required we will seek your assistance.
Post script: over a ten thousand farmers staged a rally on
18th in support of the fasting Buddhist monks and the farmers.
2)
THE SITUATION IN AMBON / MOLUCCAS _ An Update from the CRISIS
CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
1. The establishing of a special civil emergency judicial
board to handle various lesser incidents (which often have proved
to induce major conflicts) has been agreed upon during a meeting
on Monday morning, August 14, of the responsible of the civil
emergency state, governor M.Saleh Latuconsina with the civil
emergency executives (see Report 37 no.1).
The board will consist of components from the police forces, from
the military forces (Kodam XVI Pattimura), from the office of
Counsel for the Prosecution (_Kejaksaan Tinggi ) and the Court of
Jjustice (_Pengadilan Tinggi ). This board will primarily handle
cases of violation of criminal law, postponing handling of any
civil lawsuits.
2. Though the situation in Ambon town and on Ambon island is
fairly under control, still it is considered too early yet for a
meeting or dialogue or even pre-dialogue between the conflicting
factions (christians and muslims). A cooling-down period should
be allowed first.
In another development:
On August 16 a _silahturahmi (= informal / friendship) meeting
was held by the governor, vice governor and several other
government officials and on the other hand seven (or six?)
deputies from the Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah Jihad Troops. The Jihad
Communication spokesman, Harits Mustofa, explained the reason of
the jihad presence in the Moluccas. They did not care he said
whether to be called either agitators or benefactors. The
important thing is that the Al Quran teaches them solidarity with
any fellow-muslims who are in need. Both the Habibie and the Gus
Dur government apparently did not succeed in putting an end to
the oppression of the muslim community in the Moluccas. A muslim
investigation team had found that the muslims in the Moluccas
endured intolerable suffering, of which was insufficiently been
taken care of by the government. He said: _We have not come to
create enmity. But facing the fact that there are people that
oppress and humiliate fellow-muslims, we have the obligation to
defend ourselves. He further declared to the press that the jihad
leaders had no intention to withdraw the warriors from the
Moluccas. This meeting was not meant to be a forum of discussion,
for this deputation was only meant to provide certain pieces of
information; they were not instructed to discuss matters.
The governor, Dr. Ir. M.Saleh Latuconsina, declared at this
meeting where the newsmedia were allowed to be present that of
course this meeting could not solve all problems; however it was
a starting point of communication, to be continued in order to
come to a clear, mutual perception of the situation. He also
explained to the jihad delegates that their presence in the
Moluccas which was known to be preceded by warfare exercises
enticed the perception among many Moluccas civilians, that they
had come to wage war on any opponents of the muslims. It just
happened that the conflict escalated since the arrival of these
jihad troops, but it might have had nothing to do with it. If
these jihads come on a peaceful mission with a defined program _
said the governor - so let it be executed in a transparant way,
reporting, for instance, on health care: where is/was it done, by
whom, to what number of people etc. Spokesman Mustofa assured
those present, that they would report on this meeting to their
leaders.
3) THE
DEBATE ON DEBT RELIEF/CONVERSION
Despite documented evidence of corruption, reckless lending
contributed to the current debt disaster many developing
countries face, Angela Travis of UNICEF wrote in a letter to the
Financial Times yesterday. Writing in response to Stanford's
Center on Economic Development Director Anne Krueger and Yale
economics professor T.N. Srinivasan's commentary last week in the
Financial Times, Travis dismissed their argument that debt
forgiveness is not the answer to improving the
lives of the poor. Travis noted that the UN Development Program
has estimated that 7 million children's lives in sub-Saharan
Africa could be saved each year if funds currently used for debt
service were spent instead on health and education. "Debt
cancellation should not be dismissed in an attempt to argue for
increased aid," Travis said. "If we are serious about
tackling global poverty, both debt cancellation and increased aid
are vital first steps" (Angela Travis, Financial Times, 15
Aug). Meanwhile, Yale University professor Gustav Ranis argued
that Krueger and Srinivasan failed to make a convincing argument
against debt forgiveness in their commentary when they argued
that governments are not spending resources on social sectors
anyway. Ranis questions the reliability of issuing new aid
through nongovernmental organizations as proposed by Krueger and
Srinivasan, as well as the usefulness of using new loan
conditionalities limiting aid to education and health as a
replacement for debt forgiveness. "If a government is bent
on neglecting education in favor of the military, it can indeed
achieve that result by shifting its own resources
accordingly," he said. "But it is not empirically valid
to claim ... that the poorest countries are also the most
unwilling to spend on education and health" (Gustav Ranis,
Financial Times, 15 Aug).
4) NEWS IN BRIEF
August 17, 2000
INDIA MUST PROTECT CHIN REFUGEES
(New York, August 17, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today called on
India to halt expulsions of ethnic Chin refugees to Burma where
many could face persecution from the Burmese military. The Chin
are an ethnic and religious minority in north-western Burma.
According to local sources, police in the northeastern Indian
state of Mizoram are preparing to deport another group of Chin
this Friday. Last week authorities turned over more than one
hundred Chin to the
Burmese army along the border and have detained more than 1,000
others pending deportation. The Indian government claims the Chin
are illegal immigrants.
August 19, 2000
INDONESIA: LAWMAKERS LET PERPETRATORS OFF THE HOOK
(August 19, 2000, New York)-Human Rights Watch
charged today that irresponsible legislators in Indonesia are
using human rights arguments to protect perpetrators of serious
abuses. A constitutional amendment passed today by the Indonesian
People's Consultative Assembly makes it far less likely that
former President Soeharto or any army officer could be charged
with crimes against humanity for any atrocities committed by
Indonesian troops from 1965 to the present.
Posted on 2000-08-21
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