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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.9
February 26, 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) Religious delegation visits Madhu, meets LTTE (Sri Lanka)
2) MORE THAN 3,500 ROHINGYA MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN EVICTED
3) SRI LANKA: Mob attack on Christian Worship Centre
4) A Message for Simin Sori, AN Alternative Media in Korea
5) NEWAS IN BRIEF

1) Religious delegation visits Madhu, meets LTTE (Sri Lanka)

A 60-member inter-religious delegation comprising 36 Buddhist monks, two Bishops and several catholic and muslim priests visited Madhu in the LTTE held Vanni Monday, sources said. The visit was arranged by the northeast Bishops Association.

(The members of the delegation met the press on Tuesday, 20th Feb. and here are a few excerpts ?the editor)

"They (LTTE leaders) told us that they are not asking for separation, but only a system of government under which Tamils can realise their dreams and their equality respected," Rev Malcolm Ranjith, the Bishop of Ratnapura, told a press conference here Tuesday evening.

"Not only did the rebels indicate that they might extend their unilateral ceasefire again when it expires on February 24, but they also gave the impression that they were ready to give up their armed struggle," he said. "We believe they are willing to give up the armed struggle in return for a just solution and they want everybody to know that this should not be construed that they are militarily weak," the Bishop said.

The peace promoters have returned with the impression that the logic of the relentless 17-year-long civil war has caught up with the rebels and that this opportunity should not be lost by both parties for forging peace. They are now seeking an appointment with President Chandrika Kumaratunga to convey the LTTE's position.

"The message we are carrying back from the LTTE is that they are willing to talk to the government and want to see a settlement at the negotiation table and all other options are open for negotiation," said Rev Malcolm, for whom this is the second peace mission to the northern jungles..

The LTTE had also referred to wrong signals from the government, including the continuing military offensive and the persistent demand for proscribing them in Britain. The militants wanted the government to reciprocate their goodwill by allowing more materials and items to relieve the people in the north from their suffering. The religious leaders, on their part, asked the Tigers to show further expressions of their goodwill by releasing prisoners in their custody, respecting human rights in the Vanni region controlled by them and giving up attempts to indoctrinate children under 18 to take up arms, Bishop Joseph said.

It has also been reported that more than twelve thousand people marched in Vavuniya and Mannar Saturday urging the Sri Lankan government to stop the war, start Norway mediated peace talks with the Liberation Tigers and recognise the Tamil people's right of self determination.

2) TEKNAF (Burma) MORE THAN 3,500 ROHINGYA MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN EVICTED from Sittwe following last week's communal violence which caused widespread destruction and an as-yet undetermined loss of life and injuries to persons in the city' s Muslim quarters. A bulletin issued by the Arakan Independence Alliance this week said that adults and children of Rohingya ethnicity were rounded up on February 12 by police and army units and put on board the government motor vessels Danyawadddy Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the port of Sittwe from which they were taken to Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships in the northwestern part of Arakan state.

According to the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), reports by Burma's military that the communal violence was limited to Sittwe, are false. A RSO bulletin reported that incidents have also occurred in the towns of Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Kyawktaw, Minbya, Ponnagyun and Myebon in the northern part of the state and in Kyawkphyu, Manaung and Thandwe in the south. The RSO said that six Muslim wards in Sittwe had been leveled to ashes with more than 2,000 homes, shops, hotels, businesses and six mosques destroyed.

The president of the RSO, Sheikh Deen Mohammed, charged that the violence in Sittwe had been "pre-planned, motivated and engineered by intelligence agencies of the junta in collaboration with anti-Muslim/Buddhist fanatics".

He said the violence was part of an ongoing extermination and ethnic cleansing campaign directed against the Rohingya Muslims of Arakan. Sheikh Deen Mohammed pleaded for intervention from outside the country. "We earnestly appeal to the UN Human Rights Commission, international human rights organizations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and peace loving countries of the world, particularly the government of Bangladesh to take the necessary steps so that the ongoing carnage against the Muslim is stopped forthwith.

3) SRI LANKA: Mob attack on Christian Worship Centre

Reports said that a mob armed with clubs and machetes had allegedly broke into the 'Sanasum Sevana' Christian Centre at Nuwarawatte while prayers were being held on Sunday morning and assaulted the congregation, resulting in the hospitalisation of some members of the church.

According to Pastor Allan Fraser, the head of the Christian Centre, a gang had previously threatened the church members with bodily harm On 11th February and 17th February. "They threatened the worshippers and demanded that they stop the religious prayer and devotional meetings hereafter. They said that refusal to comply with their request would cause them bodily harm." On Saturday the 17th night a masked gang had walked in and smashed the building and assaulted the caretaker who was occupying the premises with his wife and two small children, pastor Fraser said.

"Although the caretaker went to the Police Station to make an entry the Police initially refused to take down a statement. More death threats followed. The Police intervened at this stage and when they requested the witnesses and those affected to come to the Police Station for an inquiry, the mob had visited the homes and threatened them with death and arson if they went to the Police Station to make a statement."

He said the Christian Centre has been functioning in the area for nearly 15 years without any problem. "It is reliably reported that a high Medical Officer backed By Sihala Urumaya is responsible for instigating the people and disturbing the peaceful co-existence that was maintained all these years," Pastor Fraser said.

A Reuter report said that about 35 people were severely beaten and three people were in serious condition The police have been asked to investigate whether any organised movement is behind this attack and to arrest those responsible. Three persons have already been taken in for questioning in connection with the incident, the Hingurakdoda Police said.

4) A Message for Simin Sori, AN Alternative Media in Korea

(Basil Fernando's congratulatory note to the editor of 'SiminSori', an alternative media to provide voice to ordinary Korean citizens).

I was glad to hear about Simin Sori. It is very much like the concept of Folk school that the AHRC has been trying to promote in Asia. I am happy to hear that your journal will provide "most of the content (articles) to citizens." A problem of modern journalism is that newspaper companies very much control what they publish. If we can hear directly what people say, in their own language, then we are able to relate to the people. If people keep on telling what they want to say, the authorities will one day or another will recognise peoples wishes. Often people have to keep their ideas privately and they have no way to share their ideas. Journalists often chose the quotes from the people selectively.

The folk school concept first evolved in Denmark and then spread to other places is based on the idea that "Living word" belong to the people or the ordinary folk. The educated elite are tame in any society. They express themselves in ways that is not too disturbing. Even in the use of language they are tame.

When people speak in their own way there is a great difference. I hope your journal will encourage the use of their own ways of expression. Ways of expression is very much a part of being the people. It expresses peoples character. Modern world tries to create uniform individuals. However, if ordinary people have a chance to express themselves we will see such a variety of human expression .

We will also see peoples' humour. Ordinary people are great humorists. Most journals of our times are very dull. If Simin Sori does what it sets out do, it will make a great contribution as Folk chools have done. Your country will be much enriched by your effort. I wish you success. May the ordinary Koreans voice be heard.

Basil Fernando

5) NEWAS IN BRIEF

5.1 INDIA: ABVP activists protest against spate of students'suicides Posted Wednesday, February 14, 2001 VIJAYAWADA: In a novel protest, the students federation of India volunteers led by a woman activist with a rope tied to her neck took out a procession here on Monday to highlight the spate of suicides in residential colleges in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Krishna district.

About 50 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists observed a fast in front of the sub-collector's office here on Monday, demanding a judicial inquiry into the suicides. ­UN Wire

5.2 MOSLEMS RESCUE CHRISTIANS ?

(last week we reported of the common initiative by the women of the three communities Moslem, Protestant and Catholic, the editor)

On Saturday February 17, at about 9.30 AM, speedboat "Rogi" with 15 christian passengers aboard left Galala in the bay of Ambon bound for Gudang Arang, Ambon town. A suddenly arising gale caused the boat to capsize somewhere between Wayame at the northen shore of the bay and Batumerah at the southern shore of the bay. Three speedboats with muslims from Wayame immediately came to the rescue and took the unlucky passengers and the crew to the christian anchorage of Gudang Arang

5.2.1. MOSLEM PRESENCE AT A CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS ?

The "Angkatan Muda GPM" (Provincial Youth Organisation of the Moluccas Protestant Church) on occasion of the opening of their 25th Conference in Ambon, invited among others delegates from various local Moslem youth organisations. These happily accepted the invitation. "Suara Maluku" newspaper reports that they intermingled well Crisis Centre

VISIT www.ahrchk.net FOR THE DAILY UPDATES OF Asian Human Rights News
AND THE PAST OF COPIES OF ENEWSLETTERS- the editor