8/8/2019 South East Regional Action Network Newsletter
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COUNTRYNEWS
• Myanmarp.2
• Cambodiap.3
• Indonesiap.4
• Laosp.4
• Malaysiap.5
• Philippinesp.6
• Vietnamp.6
!
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
SOUTHEAST ASIA REGIONAL ACTION NETWORK
CaseUpdate:Indonesia
SpecialFocusCase,
FilepKarmaandYusakPakage
AfteryearsoflittleresponsefromthegovernmentofIndonesia,
thecasesofFilepKarmaandYusakPakagesawsomemovement
duringthesummer:
• YusakPakagewasreleasedfromprisononJuly7th
.• AlsoinJuly,FilepKarmawasgrantedaccesstomedical
careinJakarta.HeisnowbackatAbepuraprison,and
“stronglikeayounglion.”
• InAugust,FilepreceivedaquiltcreatedbySEARAN
Coordinator,ClaudiaVandermade,withsquaresfrom
membersoftheMid-AtlanticRegion.Ifyouhelped
designasquare,thankyouforyourcontributiontothe
quilt!
TakeActionHere
Forme,Amnestyis
everything…Amnestyisgod’sangel…Jesuswhoworksonearth
anddriesthetearsofthose[in
pain].[It]becomesthestrengthfor
thosedrowning…cheeringupthose
whoaresad…beingthefriendof
theexcluded…theprotectorof
thoseinneed...theparentsofthose
whoarefatherlessand
motherless…andthehopewhich
keepsourhopealive.
YusakPakage
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Update:Myanmar(Burma)
Foractionsuggestions,readthedossierforthiscase.
Inthenews:
• ThegovernmentofMyanmarwillbeholdingthecountry’sfirstelectionsin20
yearsonSunday7November.
However,unlessimmediateactionistaken,people’s
abilitytospeakoutandorganizethemselvesfreely
willcontinuetobeseverelyrestricted;political
prisonerswillremainbehindbars;andanyopposition
tothegovernmentonthestreetscouldbeviolently
suppressed.
Therearemorethan2,200politicalprisonersin
Myanmartoday–doublethenumberofpolitical
prisonerssincethestartofthe"SaffronRevolution"ofSeptember2007–ahuge
indictmentofthegrimhumanrightssituationthere.Thevastmajorityofpolitical
Wecannotdependon
internationalpressure
alone…wecannothave
changesunlessthereisinternalpressurethatwill
forcetherulingjuntato
change.
ZayarThaw
Case:ZayarThaw
AmnestyInternational(AI)hasdesignatedZayarThawas
aprisonerofconscience.Thawisasinger,andaleaderofthestudentgroupcalledGenerationWave.
GenerationWavemobilizesstudentsandyoungpeopleto
peacefullyprotestagainstthemilitarygovernment
throughpostercampaignsanddistributinganti-
governmentleafletsandbannedvideorecordings.
Thawisamemberofthepopularhip-hopgroupAcid,
generallyregardedasthefirsthip-hopgroupinthe
country.Rapandhip-hophaveincreasinglybecome
associatedwiththepro-democracymovementin
Myanmar,sotheauthoritieshavebecomehighly
suspiciousofanyoneplayingthismusic.
ZayarThawwasarrestedon12March2008and
convictedon20Novemberof“forminganillegal
organization”andillegalpossessionofforeigncurrency.
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prisonersarebeingpunishedformerelyexercisingtheirrightstothe‘3Freedoms’–of
expression,assemblyandassociation.
WhatAmnestyisDoing:
AIwillbetakingactioninanticipationoftheelectionsbyschedulingvisitswithASEANmemberstates’embassies:Indonesia,Malaysia,Philippines,andSingapore.Amnesty
willaskthatASEANorindividualmemberstatesmakeapubliccallforthe3Freedomsto
beprotectedthroughouttheelectionperiod,politicalprisonerstobereleased,and
securitytobemaintainedimpartiallyandproportionatelyaroundthepolls.
Clickforaction.
Clickforthebriefing,Myanmar’s2010Elections:AHumanRightsPerspective
Update:Cambodia
AmnestyNews:
AIhasjustreleasedanewreportdetailingpersistenthumanrightsabusesinCambodia.
Highlightedinthereportareforcedevictions,theprecariousstatusofhumanrights
defenders,constrictionsoffreedomofexpression,resurgentviolenceagainstwomen
andgirls,andrecentdevelopmentsintheCambodianlegalsystem.Readthereport.
IntheNews:
• ThefirstsentenceinthetrialofformerKhmerRougegenocidaireswasmadeon
25July2010inPhnomPenh.KaingGuek
Eav,alsoknownasDuch,whoranthe
notoriousS-21torturecenterandprison
wassentencedto35yearsinprison.Over
16,000peoplewereofficiallymurdered
underhiswatch.ReadthearticleinThe
Guardian.
• Approximately200,000Cambodiantextile
workers,mainlywomen,havegoneon
strikeinthepastweeksinprotestoverlow
wages(GuardianWeekly ,9.21.10,storyby
FlorenceBeauge).AnannouncementinJulystatedthattheminimumwagefor
workersinthegarmentandfootwearindustrywouldrisefrom$50to$61a
month;theunionsdemandthatalivingwageis$93amonth.
AttentionStudentand
LocalGroups
Isyourgrouplookingfora
newfocus?Wouldyouliketo
becomemoreinvolvedwith
humanrightsinSoutheast
Asia?
Signuptobecomemembers
ofAIUSA’sSoutheastAsiaRegionalActionNetwork
(RAN).
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Update:Indonesia
IntheNews:
• The JakartaGlobe(9.2.10)reportsthatPresidentSusiloBambangYudhoyonowill
demandaccountabilityforriotinginBuol,wheresixwerekilledand23others
woundedwhenpolicefiredintoacrowdofprotesters.Thecrowdwas
protestingthedeathofamotorcycletaxidriverwhowasinpolicecustody.
• Inanarticleinthe JakartaGlobe(8.15.10),legislatorYorrisRaweyaiwas
reportedtocallonthegovernmenttoaddressthespreadofHIV/AIDSinPapua.
PapuahasthehighestinfectionrateamongallprovincesinIndonesia.
• InavisittoOsloinMay,PresidentSusiloBambangYudhoyonoannouncedatwo-
yearmoratoriumonrainforestlogginginreturnforapproximately$1billioninaidfromNorway( Aljazeera5.27.10).AccordingtoGreenpeace,nearly300
footballfieldsworthofforestdisappeareveryhourinIndonesia.
Update:Laos
Case:ThreeLaoProtestors
Threemenremaininprison:ThongpaseuthKeuakoun,Seng-AlounPhengphanh
andBouavanhChanhmanivong.Theywereoriginallysentencedtotenyearsfortreason,thoughauthoritieshavenowsaidthatthesentencewas20years.Thethree
aredetainedinSamkheprison,Vientiane,whichisthemaindetentionfacilityinLaos.
Conditionsofdetentionareextremelyharsh,withpoormedicalcareandfood.Torture
andill-treatmentindetentioniscommon.Prisonersarereportedlygiventasksthatare
almostimpossibletocompleteandarepunishedharshlyifunabletodoso.
Clickformoreinformation
Fiveprotestorswerearrestedon26October1999
intheLaocapital,Vientiane.Theywerepartof
thegroup,LaoStudentsMovementfor
Democracy,andattemptedtounfurlpostersthey
hadmadecallingforpolitical,socialandeconomic
changeinLaos.
KhamphouviengSisaath
Diedinprison,September2001
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IntheNews:
• Inthe1960stheUnitedNationsEconomicandSocialCommissionforAsiaPacific
initiatedtheTrans-AsianRailwayproject,theaimofwhichwastocreatea
114,000-kilometrerailnetworkbetweenAsiaandEurope(mb.com,9.20.10,storybyPeterJanssen).Theprojectlostmomentumduetowars,theChinese
CulturalRevolution,andlackoffinances.However,in2006,22Asian
governmentssignedacooperationagreementwhichwentintoeffectlastJune
afterChinaratifiedit.
Chinahassaidthattheprojectcanbecompletedwithinthreeyears.Laosisseen
asonepotentialstumblingblockfortheproject.InAugust,seniorofficialsfrom
ChinametwiththeLaoRailwayAuthority,andagreedtostudythefeasibilityofa
raillinkbetweenBoten,LuangNamthaprovince,andVientiane.
Update:Malaysia
AmnestyNews:
AIstatedthattheMalaysiangovernmentshouldscrapplanstoexpandastate-
sponsoredsecurityforceofcivilianvolunteerswithalongrecordofhumanrightsabuses
againstrefugeesandmigrants.AIdocumentedintworeportsin2010howRELA
volunteersregularlyengageinphysicalabuseandextortion,andindiscriminately
detainedthosewiththelegalrighttobeinthecountry.
AIreleasedareport, AbusedandAbandoned:
RefugeesDeniedRightsinMalaysia,to
coincidewithWorldRefugeeDay.Refugees
andasylum-seekersinMalaysiaaresubjected
toarbitraryarrest,detentioninappalling
conditions,caning,extortion,human
traffickinganddeportationbacktothe
persecutiontheyfled.Over90%ofregistered
refugeesandasylum-seekersinMalaysiaare
fromMyanmar.
Refugeesshouldbeabletolivewith
dignitywhiletheyareinMalaysia.The
governmentshouldmoveimmediatelyto
issuerefugeesofficialIDcardsandgrant
themtherighttowork.
ChrisNash,HeadofRefugeeandMigrant
Rights,AmnestyInternational.
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Update:Philippines
AmnestyNews:
ThePhilippinegovernmentshouldensurethatpoliceofficersresponsiblefortorture
showninavideobroadcastonTuesdayinthenationalmediaarebroughttojustice,AI
hassaid.Thevideoshowedaplainclothespoliceofficertorturingasuspectapparently
heldforpettytheftinapolicestation,asuniformedofficerslookedon.Amnesty
InternationalisurgingthePhilippinegovernmenttoinvestigatethisandothercases
underthenewAnti-torturelaw,passedinJuly2009.
DonnaGuest,AI’sDeputyDirectorfortheAsia-Pacificsaysthatthisistherighttimefor
theadministrationofPresidentBenignoAquinototakeastandagainsttorture.
ProtectionofhumanrightswasoneofAquino’skeycampaignpromises.
IntheNews:
• AustraliaNetworkNews(9.23.10)reportedthatthousandsofsquattersresisting
evictionfromaroadsideshantytownhavewonatemporaryreprieveafter
fightingwithpoliceandshuttingdowntheManila’smainhighway.The
government,inajointventurewithaprivatefirm,wantstodevelopthesiteinto
abusinessdistrict.
Update:Vietnam
FromAI’sVietnamCountrySpecialist:
JeanLibby,AIUSA’sVietnamCountry
Specialist,recentlyreportedinherblogthat
humanrightsdefendershavebeenprevented
fromenteringThailandtoaddresstheForeign
CorrespondentsClub.(Clicktoseeherblog).
TheForeignCorrespondents’ClubofThailand
announcedthatithasbeenunderpressureby
theThaiMinistryofForeignAffairstocancela
pressconferenceonhumanrightsinVietnam,
organizedbytheInternationalFederationfor
HumanRightsandtheVietnamCommitteeon
HumanRights(VCHR).
VoVanAiandPenelopeFaulkner,respectively
PresidentandVice-PresidentofVCHRhad
plannedtopresentanewreport:From
VoVanAi,Penelope,andpoetNguyen
ChiThien,December2005.Photoby
JeanLibby.
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“Vision’toFacts:HumanRightsinVietnamUnderitsChairmanshipofASEAN.
Innextmonth’snewsletter,wewillfeaturetheVietnamesepoet,NguyenChiThien.
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QuestionsComments?E-mailSEARANCoordinator,ClaudiaVandermade,at
mailto:[email protected].