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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.21
June 11, 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) Malaysia: FOUR POLITICAL LEADERS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS SERVED ARBITRARY DETENTION ORDERS FOR 2 YEARS UNDER THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT.
2) VALUES, NOT RITUALS ARE ESSENCE OF RELIGION - Asghar Ali Engineer
3) PHILIPPINES: JAPAN URGED TO COMBAT CHILD SEX EXPLOITATION
4) EAST TIMOR: REFUGEES CHOOSE BETWEEN INDONESIA AND RETURN
5) NYTimes.com Article: 10 DIE IN BOMBING AT BANGLADESH MASS
6) THE MEETING ON HUMAN RIGHTS
7) INDONESIA: MINISTRY PROPOSES 30% OF LEGISLATIVE SEATS FOR WOMEN
8) COLOMBO YWCA ,only one in SA SERVING GIRL CHILD
9) STOP MILITARIZATION IN SOUTHERN TAGALOG
10) AHRC : HOME NEWS

1) Malaysia: FOUR POLITICAL LEADERS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS SERVED ARBITRARY DETENTION ORDERS FOR 2 YEARS UNDER THE INTERNAL SECURITY ACT.

Between April 10 and April 26, 10 persons - political leaders, activists and journalists - were arrested in various places in Malaysia under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and detained without any form of process. The government alleged that they were planning to use violence during a planned demonstration, but until today have not produced any evidence of this. The 10 had been kept incommunicado, denied access to lawyers, and have only recently been allowed short family visits. The Malaysian National Commission for Human Rights, Suhakam, has been allowed to talk with detainees only shortly, in the presence of prison officers.

Under the ISA, the Government can hold people in detention without charges for 60 days, while investigating the allegations. This means that during this period they have no recourse to legal counsel, while they are interrogated, and are at the mercy of the security authorities. Many former detainees have given evidence of torture during this period.

On May 30, 2 were released by the Shah Alam Court, on technical grounds, after 50 and 49 days in detention. The Court also recommended that Parliament reconsider the ISA, as it violates procedural rights of arrestees. On June 2 another detainee, Raja Petra, was released.

However, four of the first persons to be arrested have now been served with 2-year detention orders. They are Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor (National Youth Chief of National Justice Party), Saari Sungib(Chairperson of the April 14 People Memorandum Rally) , Hishamuddin Rais(Columnist and social activist) and Tian Chua (Vice-president of Parti Keadilan Nasional). Three other detainees still await their fate in prison.

Human rights defenders in Malaysia and all over the world are joining in protest against this politically motivated use of the ISA in Malaysia to curb the growing people's movement for reforms and democracy in Malaysia.

2) VALUES, NOT RITUALS ARE ESSENCE OF RELIGION

Asghar Ali Engineer, Institute of Islamic Studies, (Islam and Modern Age, June 2001)

What is religion? In actual practice religion consists of beliefs, dogmas, traditions, practices and rituals. A believer born in a religious tradition inherits all this and takes everything for granted and believes every thing he/she has inherited is an essential and integral part of religion. For him rituals are as important and integral as the values. However, while rituals are performed regularly, values are either violated, neglected or practised mere symbolically. Rituals are, however, observed more meticulously.

There is another trend, which is more modern comparatively.

(The complete article could be obtained either from the author:csss@bom2.vsnl.net.in Or from us- the editor)

3) PHILIPPINES: JAPAN URGED TO COMBAT CHILD SEX EXPLOITATION

Japan and the international community must work to stop sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines, a UNICEF ambassador said in Tokyo today. Agnes Chan, a Hong Kong-born singer who has had a successful television career in Japan, said "Japanese people are among the perpetrators" of child exploitation in the Philippines. Between 60,000 and 100,000 children are victims of the sex trade in the Philippines, she said.

4) EAST TIMOR: REFUGEES CHOOSE BETWEEN INDONESIA AND RETURN; UN Wire

An UPDATE: Refugee Vote To Stay Is A "Sham," Says Ramos-Horta

This week's Indonesian-run poll of East Timorese refugees in West Timor, with preliminary results showing 97% of East Timorese refugees opting to stay in Indonesia and 1.5% voting to return to East Timor, is a "sham," according to Nobel

Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta. "It's an absolute farce," Ramos-Horta said. "It's a sham because the Indonesians never made any effort in fulfilling their pledges to disarm the Indonesian armed gangs. The people continue to be intimidated and traumatized," he said. "I am not surprised that the preliminary results show the majority want to stay in Indonesia. They are scared because of the presence of militia gangs and the Indonesian army." Ramos-Horta added that thousands of people will would likely languish in West Timorese camps for years, with women continuing to be the sex slaves of militia gangs.

5) NYTimes.com Article: 10 DIE IN BOMBING AT BANGLADESH MASS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - Bangladesh, June 3

A bomb exploded inside a Catholic church in Baniarchar, in the Gopalganj district in southwestern Bangladesh during Mass today, killing at least 10 people and wounding 25 others, the police said. Religious attacks against Christians are not common in Bangladesh, where Christians make up a little more than 1 percent of the country's 131 million people. Muslims make up 88 percent of the population and Hindus 10 percent.

6) THE MEETING ON HUMAN RIGHTS : The Statement of the participants.

21st 24th May 2001

( the first part of this statement was published in Vol.3 No.22 of the E-newsletter)

These days there is lot of discussion of appointing a Police Commission. If this move is to be a meaningful step in altering the situation of lawlessness in the country, it is necessary to examine the component elements that should be included in law relating to such a Police Commission. This gathering makes the following recommendations regarding the law relating to a police commission.

(A). Such a Commission must provide for overcoming problems relating to criminal investigations existing now. This includes improving the competence of officers, particularly those engaged in criminal investigations, improvement of forensic and technical capacity, improvement of supervision of higher officers, establishment of means by which a link is established between prosecution department and police, whereby prosecutors can advice and assist in proper conduct of investigations and a higher level of accountability is established against the police;

(b). The Police Commission must establish a proper disciplinary procedure against the police officers; Such a Commission must provide for punishment of officers found guilty of violations of rights by courts of law. Soertsz Commission points out as how the practice of honoring court orders on these matters came to be ignored.

(c ). A Police Commission law must provide for sufficient period of tenure for the Chief of Police and higher officers. The present practice of annual extension given to Highest Officer, makes him dependent on his political masters and acts against his independence.

(d). Such a law must provide for proper training institutes for the police and ways for improvement of professional capacity of the police.

(e). All Commissions have recommended removing all military functions from the police. Last decades have seen increased militerization of police. A Police Commission would be useless unless these military functions are taken away from the police. Branches of police such as STF and those engaged in political investigations and surveillance must be removed from the Police.

(f). Political Control and interference cannot be removed without addressing the more fundamental questions that are affecting the police as an institution.

This Gathering noted that establishment of a National Human Rights Commission is a positive step in the promotion and the protection of rights. However, it must also be noted that the development of this institution has been very slow. It is also necessary to note that there are serious questions regarding the performance of some of its staff in area offices. Of Particular concern is the Kandy National Human Rights Commission. Some serious allegations have been made by victims of human rights who had sought help from this office. There are allegations of rape of some women victims. There are also allegations that victims of some serious violations like torture are discouraged by a Human Rights officer from pursuing their applications. The National Human Right Commission must investigate these allegations and take action if the credibility of the Commission is to be maintained.

This gathering is of the view that the resolution of the Ethnic conflict is quite connected to the addressing of these problems which are now threatening the existence of moral structure of this society. Just solutions to this issue depend very much on the moral fibre of this society.

24th May 2001

Contact Person. Rev. Fr. Nandana Manatunga, e-mail ": setik@sltnet.lk

7) INDONESIA: MINISTRY PROPOSES 30% OF LEGISLATIVE SEATS FOR WOMEN

Indonesia's state minister for women's empowerment said last week at a seminar in Jakarta that the government wants to see more women in policy making positions. Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa proposed that a minimum quota for women legislators be included in electoral law. She noted that Indonesia's development index rating by the UN Development Program has dropped due to hindrances in education, health and income distribution. Indonesia still has a large number of uneducated women and a high mortality rate among its female population, she added.

"Therefore, women should be given more access to politics," she said. "If such a quota isn't enshrined into law, the voices of women will not be represented. Even now, many (regional) councils have no women members."

8) COLOMBO YWCA ,only one in SA SERVING GIRL CHILD (The Island 7th June 2001)

The Colombo YWCA's Girl Child Centre is perhaps the only one in the South Asian region serving the girl child of Sri Lanka as well as her sisters in the region. Established in 1996 as a service project of the Colombo YWCA and equipped by the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD), the Centre has had awareness programmes on child abuse for PTAs of schools, training programmes for Police and Probation and Child Care Officers engaged in protection of children from abuse and care of abused children and for carers of such children by personnel of institutions and NGOs, dissemination of information through a Newsletter sponsored by the Netherlands Embassy. Recently, the Centre has collaborated with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) in training programmes and assisted YWCAs countrywide to conduct awareness programmes on child abuse through the National YWCA's Family Life Education Programme. The Centre is also attempting to assess the needs of children of migrant workers with a view to drawing up a project for the purpose of meeting them. The Centre has been able to undertake these activities thanks to the generous partnership it enjoys with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

Justice for the victims of forced disappearance!

9) STOP MILITARIZATION IN SOUTHERN TAGALOG!

DENNIS MENIDILLA disappeared last April 18. He was held without charges in the military camp for 34 days. He was used as "guide" in the operations of the 1st infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and CAFGUs The elements of 1st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army are not only using civilians in their counter-insurgency operations, they are actually victimizing civilians in their desperate offensives in the countryside. If this is not a clear violation of international humanitarian law, what kind of military arrogance these hoodlums in uniform are doing in Southern Tagalog?

A growing number of human rights violations are committed in Southern Tagalog. Five out of six victims of forced disappearances, come from this region.

(For the compete statement, you may get in touch with ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE

10) AHRC : HOME NEWS

1) 07 June 2001 AHRC Issues the Following Statement

SRI LANKA: The Impeachment Motion against the Chief Justice Is an Opportunity to Address the Crisis in the Justice System (Complete text could be obtained on request)

2) The Executive Director and Mr.Jack Clancey together with a few members of the HK Bar Association are in Dili on 8.9.10th June to expose the members of the East Timor Bar Association to the Common Law Justice System as practiced in Hong Kong.

3) Lesson Series 15 prepared by Human Rights School on "Trafficking in Persons" is now available on our website:www.hrschool.org

4) Some members of the AHRC staff take part in the 24 hour sit in vigil in front of the Malaysian Consulate calling for the removal of ISA