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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.35
August 27, 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) Christians, Hindus hold reconciliatory talks
2) Malaysian Human Rights Commission accuses the Police of HR violations
3) 16 YEAR GIRL RAPED AT THALAWAKELLE Sri Lanka
4) REGIONAL CONSULTATION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL
5) PAKISTAN: Donors Pledge Million To End Child Labor, ILO Says
6) EAST TIMOR: Indonesia Offers Repatriation Bonus To Refugees
7) A Tibetan Monastery in China closed
8) NEPAL: Government Holds Workshop On Trafficking;
9) CAFOD and the G8 Summit in GENOA -
10) Amnesty to Human Rights Violators in India.
11) NEWS in BRIEF

1) Christians, Hindus hold reconciliatory talks

Leaders of India's Christian and Hindu communities say they will be holding a series of meetings in an effort to resolve differences over the controversy surrounding forced conversions.

The decision comes amid growing concern over a spate of violent attacks on the country's minority Christian community by suspected Hindu extremists in recent years.

On Tuesday, representatives from the Roman Catholic church and the hard-line Hindu organisation, the RSS, met for the first time in three years.

The RSS accuses Christian missionaries of forcibly converting Hindus. The church, in turn, has implied that the RSS was behind several murders of missionaries. In one of the worst incidents an Australian missionary and his two sons were burnt to death in their car in the eastern state of Orissa in 1999. Christians account for nearly two per cent of India's one billion population.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

2) Malaysian Human Rights Commission accuses the Police of HR violations

In a report issued by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission accused the police for provocation and orchestrating the chaotic situation and arresting 116 people on 5th Nov.2000. It was alleged that a 17-year old girl was arrested for wearing a pro-Anwar shirt and kept her in custody for five days. Though this Commission had no enforcement powers it is indeed a bold step and AHRC hails the attempts and hope other Human Rights Commissions will follow suit.

3) 16 YEAR GIRL RAPED AT THALAWAKELLE Sri Lanka

Sita a student of Tamil Maha Vidiyalaya who was returning from St. Patricks Church was suddenly grabbed into a Van by two men and was raped at Troop Estate around 2.00 p.m. on Sunday the 12th August 2001. Sita is a year 10 student. The victim then complained to the police herself. She was later admitted to Kotagala hospital and then to Nuware Eliya Hospital. The police arrested the men , identified as Rameez a three wheel driver , the other one a former employer of Minister S.B.Dissanayake.

The Human Rights Secretariat totally condemn this brutal act. The Peace Committees of Hatton and Thalawakelle together with the H.R. office will protest calling the government and the law enforcing agencies to investigate all cases of crimes including rapes, prosecute the offenders and pay compensation to the victims in a bid to control mounting violence in the country.

In a note just received from the organisers it speaks of the planned peaceful march been banned by the police in the area.

4) REGIONAL CONSULTATION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

At the workshop where there were over 29 participants, the methodology of the "folk school" was used. It was noted that mere education about human rights principles without a close study of obstacles to achieving these rights does not lead to any positive development. As the ordinary folk in these countries are the real agents of such change they should be empowered to do actions which they are capable of. In the past, human rights education has been mostly confined to mere educated groups in society.

As the participatory system was operative throughout the consultation, it was discovered that one of the major problems confronting the promotion of human rights is the defective justice systems found in Asia. The various components of the justice system - the police, prosecution system and the judiciary - often do not function in a satisfactory way to protect human rights. It can be said that all too often the administration of justice in practice functions as an institution guaranteeing the administration of injustice. Without a fundamental reform of the justice system, it is not possible to improve the human rights situation in Asia. It was particularly noted that in many countries in Asia the police system is very defective and, in fact, acts as an obstacle to law enforcement. Police reform must become a core element in human rights work and education.

The communication changes in the world provide enormous new possibilities for the promotion of human rights, however. The human rights movement has not properly utilised these possibilities yet. The urgent appeals system of AHRC using electronic media facilities was also studied in detail during this consultation. The participants agreed to organise themselves in a way in which they will be able to quickly report and take effective action against human rights abuses. The urgent appeals system can be used to promote all rights, including economic, social and cultural rights.

( a copy of the press release could be obtained on request)

5) PAKISTAN: Donors Pledge Million To End Child Labor, ILO Says

Donors have pledged more than million for the next three years for projects to eliminate child labor in Pakistan. ILO National Program Manager said the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor is, focusing on policy and institutional capacity development, public awareness and direct intervention, with target groups consisting of working children and their families.

6) EAST TIMOR: Indonesia Offers Repatriation Bonus To Refugees

Indonesia is offering up to ,735 for each East Timorese family living in West Timor willing to return home, the Jakarta Post reports. "Camp life is much costlier than repatriation expenses and the government cannot afford to support their needs any more,"

The repatriation program is being organized jointly with the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

7) A TIBETAN MONASTERY IN CHINA CLOSED

According to the reports reaching us a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery at Serthar was dismantled allegedly at the request of the Beijing authortities. This Buddhist Monastery was initiated by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsog in 1980 for Buddhist research and meditation. There were over 7000 monks and nuns living in this monastery and it was popular among the Han Chinese students. It was situated close to another religious settlement at Larung Gar. According to the official view, it was done due to security reasons. Once they were evacuated the officials have dismantled so that they may not come to resettle there. According to the London Human Rights watch that this centre was mostly for the Tibetan people attracting several Buddhist scholars from all over China and elsewhere. It is unclear about the whereabouts of the founder Phuntsog.

8) NEPAL: GOVERNMENT HOLDS WORKSHOP ON TRAFFICKING;

Will Name Rapporteur

Nepal plans to name a national rapporteur on trafficking of women and girls to focus efforts on reducing the problem, according to a draft resolution at a workshop that concluded in Kathmandu recently. The rapporteur will contribute to the establishment of a regional mechanism in South Asia to address trafficking of women and girls. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 Nepalese women are trafficked to India for prostitution annually (Xinhua News Agency, 23 Aug).

9) CAFOD and the G8 Summit in GENOA -

CAFOD in a statement on the GS Summit Held in Genoa in July speaks of the strategy of the G8 policies where the main policies concerning Poverty Eradication and debt relief and allied subjects did not surface any thing new.

Africa Initiative was left out of the final communiqu? There are no new resources promised, no urgency around tackling offshore accounts, no new promises on small arms export controls initiatives and little to accompany this but a recitation of the mantra of trade liberalisation. So far, the obligations are looking very one-sided (ie African) with little for donor countries but responding in a rather ad hoc "must do something" way.

Debt and the G8

The scope for further movement on the debt front looks bleak. G8 governments are united against any further deepening of debt write offs and only the UK is in favour of a limited widening of the group of eligible countries (former CIS states). On the positive side, the debt message was heard in Genoa. The next G8 Summit is to be presided over by the Canadians who are more interested in this issue than most. While the G8 governments have always been the engines for reform of the debt regimen, they have always acted in response to public pressure. Can this be maintained?

Henry Northover , 7 August 2001( for the complete text you may contact CAFODASIA-owner@egroups.co.uk)

10) Amnesty to Human Rights Violators in India.

There were two press releases from India one from Kohima and other from the Naga Peoples Movement to the News item on the impunity to be granted to the Indian soldiers by the Home Minister Mr. L.K. Advani. While people all over the world are sparing no effort to promote human values in every sphere of life, India which enjoys the verdict of being the "world's largest democracy" continue to contradict every essence of humanity without fear or remorse, which was to reduce these regions into a "peace of the grave" situation.

11) NEWS in BRIEF

1. World Conference against Racism (WCAR) will commence on 27th August in Durban, South Africa with the NGO Forum and then with the Main conference starting on the 1st -7th September. AHRC hoped that the WCAR will help to develop better ways to eliminate discrimination of all forms, particularly, the caste-based discrimination that affects more than 260 million people in Asia

2. Inter-religious Peace Conference between some of the Buddhist monks and the catholic priests and the Bishop was held on the 15th of August 2001- In Kandy Sri Lanka. Consequent to the meeting it was decided to continue this forum on a monthly basis with invitations extended to the Hindu and Islamic leaders.

3. Cambodia: Tribunal Judges To Come From Eight Countries

Judges expected to serve on Cambodia's U.N.-assisted war crimes tribunal will hail from seven countries in addition to Cambodia, diplomatic sources said.

HOME NEWS:

-Basil Fernando and Tim Gill are to attend the UN Conference against Racism in S.Africa

-AHRC document "A Review of the Functions of National Human Rights Commissions for Guaranteeing Adequate Remedies for Violations of Rights by implementation of Article 2(3) of the ICCPR" is available for distribution