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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.17
April 23, 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) A DISPATCH FROM Asian Muslim Action Network Following their Participation in the Workshop against TORTURE
2) CHINA: IMMINENT TRIAL OF THREE GORGES DAM PROTESTORS
3) WTO MINISTERIAL MEETING IN QATAR :THE KEY AREAS FOR DEBATE Courtesy CAFOD
4) A Right to Water : from the BBC World Service
5) FRAGILE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA might be Threatened by Pending Violence
6) An INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS PROCTION AND ANTI- TORTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY in BEIJING,

1) A DISPATCH FROM Asian Muslim Action Network Following their Participation in the Workshop against TORTURE

In April 3-6, 2001 AMAN Secretary General , M. Abdus Sabur and AMANWatch coordinator, Mucha Arquiza, attended a conference on UN Convention on Torture organized by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Jananeethi in Cochin in Kerala, India. Twenty five participants came mostly from South Asia.

In said conference AMAN representatives passed on some resolutions for action mainly aimed at strengthening the capacity of Muslim organizations, especially AMAN machineries, in responding to the vast need for protection, promotion and monitoring and dissemination of Human Rights in Asia, in particular, the exposition and opposition of torture as a form of inhuman punishment and tool of extracting information from victims.

Although Islam enjoins us to be steadfast in doing justice and standing for righteousness, this is yet to be translated into action among the Muslims. It has been acknowledged and recognized that efforts on Human Rights protection and promotion have been most wanting among Muslim groups and individuals. AMAN envisions to change this image and vows to consolidate the initial efforts, albeit small, and strengthen the capacity of AMANWatch, its Human Rights monitoring arm which was created during the 10th Conference in Dhaka. But this vision will only be realized with the full support of its membership.

AMAN Secretariat and AMANWatch Editorial Board once again reiterates its plea and invite AMAN members to show their support and solidarity and make this vision come true by being active in protection, promotion, monitoring and publication of Human Rights issues. Efforts can also be made concerted and systematized by sending updates and stories of Human Rights concern for dissemination through AMANWatch.

sisterly,

Mucha

For AMANWatch

2) CHINA: IMMINENT TRIAL OF THREE GORGES DAM PROTESTORS

(New York, April 20, 2001) Two international organizations appealed today for the release of farmers arrested for trying to petition Chinese authorities to end abuses linked to the Three Gorges Dam project. The four men, who were arrested after protesting coercion and corruption involved in resettling thousands of fellow farmers, may go on trial as early as next week. The appeal comes one day after the U.N. Commission on Human Rights refused to criticize China's human rights practices.

Human Rights Watch and Probe International called on diplomats in Beijing and international banks involved in financing the dam to urge the Chinese government to release the men and conduct a full, impartial, and transparent investigation into their charges of official malfeasance.

"Governments and banks around the world have helped finance the Three Gorges Dam," said Patricia Adams of Probe International. "They should speak up to ensure justice for whistle-blowers like the men from Gaoyang and for the people they represent."

3) WTO MINISTERIAL MEETING IN QATAR :THE KEY AREAS FOR DEBATE

Courtesy CAFOD

In the run-up to the WTO ministerial meeting in Qatar in November 2001, one of the key areas of debate will be the proposal by the European Union and others to launch a new round of global trade talks on a wide range of issues. After discussion and consultation with its partners in a dozen developing countries, CAFOD has laid out the following position on what outcome is best for development.

CAFOD believes

?Any discussion of future WTO negotiations must be based on what reforms are required to eliminate global poverty, and in particular to achieve the 2015 international development targets

?A rules-based system is in the interests of developing countries

?Special and differential treatment of developing countries must be rethought and greatly enhanced to make the WTO work for the poor

The most important reforms required to further the interests of developing countries and their peoples within the WTO are already under discussion, namely:

?Implementation of the Uruguay Round, especially dealing with the many perceived injustices and difficulties experienced by developing countries Agriculture, including the removal of protectionist barriers in the North which prevent southern economies from benefiting from world trade

4) A Right to Water : from the BBC World Service http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/index.shtml

Water For Life examines the idea of the right to clean water and explains how this precious liquid needs to be taken care of.

The earth has all the water it needs to supply its 6 billion inhabitants with clean water. The problem is water is not evenly distributed.

Ninety seven percent is salty and can be found in oceans. The remainder, a 2.5%, is freshwater, accessible in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs and locked in the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, and as groundwater elsewhere. So, in the face of abundance, why are so many people affected by waterborne illnesses such as malaria?

'Access to safe water is a universal need and indeed considered a basic human right. It constitutes a fundamental component of primary health care. Yet today, 1.1 billion people, 18 percent of the world's population, still do not even have access to improved sources of water, and 2.4 billion do not have access to basic sanitation.' Gro Harlem Brundlandt, director general World Health Organisation.

Large-scale irrigation projects, for instance, tend to deplete aquifers and waste water through evaporation and leakage while traditional methods of irrigation manage water supplies in a more effective way. The latter, also called precision irrigation, do not flood areas but apply water directly to the roots of crops.

5) FRAGILE TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY IN INDONESIA might be Threatened by Pending Violence

Three years ago, Indonesia descended into protests and riots and shook off generations of authoritarianism. Now, a volatile mix of religion, politics and ancient superstition is fueling fears that a new wave of violence could derail a fragile transition to democracy.

''Bullets will bounce off our chests. No one can stab us. Cars cannot run us over. We can disappear and reappear. We can walk on water,'' declared Muhammad Subur, a senior commander of the Defenders of the Truth Front, whose members have signed oaths pledging to die for Wahid's cause. Tensions are rising in Wahid's home province of East Java, a rural and impoverished region where the front is fast recruiting followers and setting up training camps.

After only 18 months in office as the nation's first freely elected president in four decades, Wahid is in a standoff with parliament and is refusing to quit over allegations of involvement in two financial scams totaling million. There are also reports of a small segment of Christians joining 'martyr squad to prevent Wahid's removal Wednesday April 18, 1:24 AM YAHOO NEWS/Singapore

6) An INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS PROCTION AND ANTI-TORTURE IN THE 21ST CENTURY has been held in BEIJING,China, last week. While it has been sponsored by Institute of Law of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Danis Centre for Human Rights, two members from the Asian Human Rights Commission were invited to participate. A report on this can be expected in our next E-newsletter.

A report on this can be expected in our next E-newsletter.