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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.23
June 4, 2001


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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)TRAGEDY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY in Nepal : REFLECTION by Basil Fernando
2) WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - June 5
3.1)TRAFFICKING OF GIRLS, CHILDREN UP THRU' S-W BORDERS
3.2) HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Experts See Surge Of Smuggling Into Europe
4) ACCUSING EXXONMOBIL OF A 'COMPLICITY OF SILENCE,' Human Rights Activists
5) THE SUPREME COURT AWARDED RS. 150,000 TO A POLICE VICTIM
6) NEWS IN BRIEF : Korea and the status of the system of caste

1)TRAGEDY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY in Nepal : REFLECTION by Basil Fernando

The tragedy faced by the royal family last Friday ( Ist June 2001) should be a moment when we should express our deep solidarity to the Nepalese people and engage in sobering refection on the meaning of the event.

It is an irony in history that while it has been the young people of the most oppressed sections of society organized in various ways, such as the Maoist groups who have been demanding an end to monarchy, it is the Crown Prince, an Eaton educated liberal, who virtually exterminated it physically. The direct issue revealed so far is one of free choice in marriage. However, the underlying implication on the system of monarchy itself and its values is not out of place.

Much of violence in Asia particularly since the mid 20th Century has been due to lack of enlightened policies on the part of the elite of these societies to understand the need for changes to accommodate the demands of democracy made by the peoples. Instead, repression is unleashed, resulting in torture, extra-judicial killings, disappearances and the like.

Asian Human Rights Commission has constantly kept up the theme that social enlightenment as the only real alternative to violence. The incident in Nepal, though sad, is a reminder of this message.

We hope that courageous leadership will emerge from the people of Nepal, from all sections of society to face to the consequences of the moment and to make the necessary changes that will make it possible for it to be a stable society within a vibrant democratic framework

2) WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - June 5

A statement and Information on a few relevant topics and websites together with their main objectives are presented here for your information.- the editor

2.1) THE MESSAGE OF THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL

"Marking the right choices will be hard but not impossible. Already we have advanced technologies for avoiding waste and destruction. And we have ideas and skills which can place our economies on a more sustainable footing. It is time to bring those ideas out of the libraries and those skills out of the laboratories. It is time to put them into practice. "One in every two jobs in the world depends directly on the sustainability of ecosystems. And no one is immune from the consequences of climate change, the destruction of bio-diversity or other grave threats to the environment. As we embark on a new century let us resolve to adopt a way of life that can be sustained right through it. Let us be good stewards of the earth we inherited from our parents. And let us preserve it for our children and their children after them.

2.2) GREENPEACE AND MISEREOR CHALLENGE DUPONT BIOPIRACY PATENT

29 May 2001

Berlin/Brussels: Greenpeace and Misereor, the German Catholic Church development agency, today filed a joint legal objection at the European Patent Office (EPO), based in Munich, against a far-reaching patent obtained by DuPont, the international chemicals corporation and world's biggest seller of crop seeds.

2.3) KYOTO PROTOCOL: Denmark Becomes First EU Country To Ratify

By a large majority, the unicameral Danish Parliament yesterday ratified the Kyoto Protocol on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, according to a parliamentary source cited by Agence France-Presse (Agence France-Presse/La Presse, 29 May, UN Wire translation). Denmark thus becomes the first European Union country party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to ratify the protocol (UNFCCC Web site).

The Kyoto Protocol must ensure:

• real reductions of fossil fuel emissions in every industrialised country;
• investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency not nuclear power, so-called "carbon sinks", large hydroelectricity or coal projects;
• industrialised countries make CO2 emission reductions at home;
• funding for climate disaster preparedness and management;

recognition of the inequitable use of the world's resources: developing countries have a right to develop and industrialised countries must encourage more sustainable energy consumption.

2.4) Coca-Cola Spain supports the climate change agreement

Amsterdam - In a letter to Greenpeace yesterday, Coca Cola Spain stated that it fully backed the European government's support for the international climate change agreement - the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement US President Bush rejected six weeks ago today.

(greenpeace world wide: http://www.greenpeace.org/

Download the Climate Action Kit from www.greenpeace.org

2.5) http://www.oneworld.org/globalwitness/

GLOBAL WITNESS works to expose the link between environmental exploitation and human rights abuses. Global Witness operates in areas where natural resources and environmentally destructive trade is funding conflict or human rights violations. Information obtained through research and field investigations is used to brief governments, NGOs, the media and the world in order to achieve positive change. Global Witness has no political or religious affiliation.

2.6)THAILAND BANS THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT

6 April 2001

Bangkok/London: Greenpeace applauded the Thai Government's decision to stop the release of all Genetically Engineered (GE) crops into the environment and no longer allow any GE field trials in Thailand. With this decision Thailand takes the lead in Asia to protect its environment, biodiversity and farmers from genetic pollution.

2.7) http://www.foei.org/ (FRIENDS OF THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL)

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) campaigns against unsustainable and inequitable international trade. FoEI believes that it is possible for trade to be harnessed as a positive force in the development of sustainable societies. However, this requires equity between nations, people and generations, a reduction in resource use and consumption, increased trade within local communities and regions, guarantees that trade rules won't weaken environmental protection, and greater public participation in decision-making. FoEI is working to share information about international trade and the global economy; and lobbies trade bodies including APEC

2.8) What is CorpWatch Doing?

Since March 1999, CorpWatch has been leading an international campaign to document and expose the growing number of partnerships between various UN agencies and corporations with poor human rights and environmental records. We've also been proposing an alternative relationship between the UN and corporations-one where the world body serves as a counterbalance to corporate-led globalization.

http://www.corpwatch.org/un/

3.1)TRAFFICKING OF GIRLS, CHILDREN UP THRU' S-W BORDERS UNB, Bagerhat

Trafficking of young girls and children has increased through the country's southwestern borders to India which is considered to be the human trading centre in Asia. hirty-seven girls and children have been rescued from the traffickers during the last five months and four traffickers were held. Informed sources said about 50 girls and little boys are trafficked everyday across Satkhira, Jessore, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia borders, collected by agents of international chain of traffickers from poverty-stricken remote villages with allurement of work and better life. Rahima, 11, of Rampal, Bagerhat told that a woman took her to a border village along with a few others promising work in garments factory. Good-looking Laboni, 12, was collected from Tala, Satkhira and Matia, 13, from Banargachhi with similar promise.

3.2) HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Experts See Surge Of Smuggling Into Europe

....the Washington Post reports. "We're seeing a global transition of traditional mafias that deal in drugs and arms smuggling now turning their attention to this new area of profit," said a UN immigration official. Bangladesh National Human Lawyers Association, in a bulletin, said 24,000 girls and boys were trafficked from Bangladesh in 16 months until April this year.

A research report of Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samity (National Women Lawyers Association-BNWLA) claimed that 25,495 children are trafficked from Bangladesh every year.

4) ACCUSING EXXONMOBIL OF A 'COMPLICITY OF SILENCE,' Human Rights Activists Join Global Boycott. (Reply-To: Owner-Asia-HR-Alert@jca.apc.org May 30, 2001)

The chairman of Aceh's Student Movement for Reform, Radhi Darmansyah, today presented ExxonMobil shareholders with documentation challenging earlier claims by the corporation that it does not know about the widespread abuses by security forces in the Indonesian province of Aceh, including those providing security to its gas installations.

Speaking to shareholders he accused ExxonMobil of a "complicity of silence" surrounding its security operations at its facilities and installations. He announced his organization was joining others in a worldwide boycott of the corporation.

On March 12, 2001, the government of Abdurrahman Wahid, under pressure from the military, gave the go-ahead to the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) to launch a 'limited security operation' in Aceh. Three days before, ExxonMobil, which oversees operations at the massive Arun gas fields in Aceh, had announced that it was suspending operations because of the security situation. The deployment of thousands of additional troops in Aceh, justified on the pretext of providing security for ExxonMobil, has been widely criticized by international human rights organizations.

Simmering resentment over the impunity of the Indonesian armed forces and what is seen as Jakarta's theft of resources have provided growing support for independence.

Reply-To: Owner-Asia-HR-Alert@jca.apc.org

May 30, 2001

5) May 29, Colombo: THE SUPREME COURT AWARDED RS. 150,000 TO A POLICE VICTIM, H.B. Sriyawathie (43), a mother of six children, when the court held that the Mirihana police had violated her fundamental rights. She had been illegally arrested, wrongfully detained and tortured while she was in police custody. She was pregnant at the time of arrest. (ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka)

How about prosecuting the violators?

6) NEWS IN BRIEF

6.1 KOREA U.S. HINTS IT MAY RESUME TALKS WITH N. KOREA

HONOLULU (Kyodo) The United States hinted Saturday that it will resume suspended bilateral talks with North Korea after completing a review of its policy toward Pyongyang, diplomatic sources said after a meeting of senior U.S., Japanese, and South Korean officials on North Korean issues in Hawaii.

6.2 MEETING ADDRESSES CASTE SYSTEM, Preparations For Durban Conference

...Ms.Robinson said the meeting in South Africa should examine contradictory views on whether the caste system represents racism.

(Press Trust of India/NDTV.MSNBC.com, 29 May). UN WIRE