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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.51
December 18, 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)
PRESIDENT KIM Dae-jung, THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR
2000 Interviewed by Nick Gavin of BBC.
BBC: President Kim Dae-jung of south Korea, thank you
very much for
joining us here on Hard Talk.
Excerpts:
President Kim: The goal of my life is to realize
democracy in my country, to realize peace between south and north
Korea, so that the Korean people can live in peace.
President Kim: To the Chairman,(of North Korea) I said
unification is not for now. I have to be honest; we are not
able to look after North Korea economically. Even if the
economic problems were solved, the 50 years of distrust and
enmity and hostility could not be overcome in a day. Look
at Germany. Even there, you have a great deal of
psychological conflict. The situation will be worse for the
Korean people. So, for now, peaceful co-existence, peaceful
exchange is the task. After 20 or 30 years of this, when
both sides feel safe enough, then we should seek
unification
President Kim: My political life was not my primary
concern. I was concerned with the content f the
dialogue. For example, our discussion concerning the
unification formula - their contention of a federation, our
concerns about a federation. Their insistence on
self-determination, on attacking us, saying we were a subsidiary
of the United States. To this, I spoke my mind.
President Kim: In the past our perception of Kim
Jong-il, the information that we had through the intelligence
agencies, I discovered a lot of that was not accurate. We
had a lot of negative impressions about the Chairman, but when I
met him in person, I could see he had a good mind. He was
polite. He tried to listen.
President Kim: The dialogue for peace has just
begun. The Defence Ministers from both sides have
met. They came out with a joint statement saying that they
will never resort to military aggression against each
other. And the specific measures to support this agreement
will have to be further promoted. I repeat, the peace process has
just begun.
President Kim: Human beings... You only live
once. You have to live by your conscience. You have
to be worthy of that conscience, worthy of being a human
being. That has to be the value of life. Such a human
being is appreciated and recognized by history. Democracy for the
Korean people, the reconciliation of the Korean people was my
goal in life.
President Kim: I did not forgive President Chun
Doo-hwan's sins as dictator, but I forgave the person. And
that's the teaching of Jesus Christ.
BBC: Why built a monument for President Park
[Chung-hee] who 3 times tried to kill you?
President Kim: That, too, is not something that I took
the initiative to build. It came from his supporters and I
simply agreed. That is also an act of
conciliation. His memorial would be a testimony, not just
to what he did that was good, but also his mistakes.
2)
THE LAWYERS FROM ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA MEET IN JAKARTA to
Discuss INVOLUNTARY DISAPPEARANCES
We, the lawyers from Asia and Latin America, have gathered for
five days in Jakarta, Indonesia to address the monster that is
enforced or involuntary disappearance, to find means and measures
to effectively combat it and to forge a solid bond to exchange
information and lobby governments to eliminate it.
The gathering has been more than fruitful. It has resulted in
our deeper understanding of what enforced or involuntary
disappearance is all about, in determining its causes and in
discovering appropriate approaches to stop it. We are hopeful
that by uniting all our efforts and resources, done in a holistic
approach and hopeful spirit, we may, step by step, overpower this
human rights transgression. The approaches that we have found
among ourselves are that:
1. the right to truth as a fundamental human right to be
declared;
2. human rights violations, especially enforced or involuntary
disappearance must immediately cease and be investigated;
3. countries which have not yet done so, must ratify the
International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, the United
Nations Convention Against Torture and other human rights
international instruments;
4. an effective mechanism for habeas corpus must be established;
5. the approval by our governments of the United Nations Draft
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances;
6. The Rome Statute of 1998 for the Establishment of the
International Criminal Court be ratified by our governments;
7. a regional mechanism to prevent involuntary disappearance like
the Inter-American Convention for the Protection of All Persons
from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances be set-up.
8. an Asian Regional Tribunal be established that will have
jurisdiction over State Parties and whose decisions shall be
final and executory;
9. repressive laws that encourage impunity be repealed;
10. national or domestic laws criminalizing enforced or
involuntary disappearance as a separate crime be enacted by Asian
governments;
11. human rights education be integrated in our countries'
respective curriculum and
12. adequate compensation and rehabilitation be provided to
victims and the families of enforced or involuntary
disappearances.
3) For
the Coming Year: A TRADE PLEDGE
The wording of the campaign's TRADE PLEDGE, which will
be promoted from mid-February, has now been agreed. It is:
"I believe trade should work in the interests of all people.
I promise to act with others to change the rules that govern
international trade so that they work to eradicate poverty,
protect the environment and ensure equal access to life in all
its fullness."
CAFOD, SCIAF and Christian Aid are going ahead producing
pledge action cards for promotion from mid-February and although
they have no definite plans as yet , there is also interest from
other agencies such as Women's Institutes and Oxfam. A note from
Steve Alston
4)
A Consultation entitled, "From Debt Relief to Poverty
Reduction" was held in the Vatican, under the
auspices of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, from
December 3rd to 6th 2000 and brought together representatives of
Bishops' Conferences from 20 of the poorest countries in Africa
Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia*, and representatives of
Catholic development agencies. Representatives from International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank took part.
The greater part of the meeting was devoted to an examination
of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers which indebted and low
income countries are required to prepare, in the context of the
enhanced HIPC programme and also to secure concessional donor
finance. We insist that progress towards this new international
compact on poverty reduction can only be brought to fruition with
the complete cancellation of unpayable debts and their
transformation into development resources * where 100%
cancellation means 100%!
Give some thought to Children as we prepare for christmas
5)
FIRST 36 MONTHS OF LIFE, A PERIOD CRUCIAL FOR CHILD'S MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL .
"If you want to make an investment and actually have a
return on that investment, invest in children," Governments
and aid agencies have traditionally neglected the first 36 months
of life, a period crucial for a child's mental and physical
development, the report charges. That neglect can have profound
consequences. "If these sensitive periods pass by without
the brain receiving the stimulation for which it is primed,
opportunities for various kinds of learning may be substantially
reduced," the report says.
UNICEF emphasizes the long-term benefits of providing
early-childhood care -- for every dollar spent during that
period, governments can later save up to on remedial education
and health care services. Overall, it would cost billion to
provide every newborn the birth registration, food, water and
health care services he or she needs to become a productive
adult. "If you want to make an investment and actually have
a return on that investment, invest in children," said
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "That's where the
future lies today" (Nicole Winfield, Associated Press/Yahoo!
News, 12 Dec). The report provides current statistics about the
state of children worldwide: 11 million die every year of
preventable diseases. 170 million are malnourished. 100 million
never attend school.
6)
TORTURE HAS BECOME AN INSTITUTION IN MYANMAR - Amnesty
International
'Political Activists, human rights prisoners and ethnic
minorities are victims of regular torture in Mayanmar, where the
practice is a "veritable institution", the human rights
group AI charged last week.' "Torture has become an
institution in Mayanmar, used throughout on a regular
basis", Amnesty said in its statement.
Posted on 2000-12-18
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