At 11,30pm, Thurs, Thai foreign Ministry officials informed organizers of APF that 5 out of 10 civil society representatives were rejected from the interface meeting with ASEAN heads of government. The remaining representatives were told to be ready for pick up at 7.A.M., nearly 5 hours before the scheduled meeting. (Source: APF media team) At [ Read more ]

Second ASEAN Peoples' Forum and 5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference were held in Cha-am, Thailand, from18-20 October 2009, in parallel with the ASEAN Summit. The main concerns of the participants have been crystallised in the statement below, issued on 22 October. Second ASEAN Peoples' Forum and 5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference were held in Cha-am, [ Read more ]

Criticizing the absence of ASEAN officials, civil society organisations demanded that ASEAN expand its dialogue with civil society groups during the opening plenary of the Second ASEAN Peoples' Forum (APF)/5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC) in Cha-am, Thailand. (Source: APF)  Cha-am, Thailand Oct 19 – Criticizing the absence of ASEAN officials, civil society organisations demanded [ Read more ]

Sanhati, a collective of activists/academics who have been working in solidarity with peoples' movements in India by providing information and analysis, brought together voices from around the world against the Indian Government's planned military offensive in Central India. Sanhati , a collective of activists/academics who have been working in solidarity with peoples' movements in India [ Read more ]

Commemorating the disappearance of Munir Said Thalib five years ago, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) urged the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonoto establish a human rights tribunal of disappearance in Indonesia. Below is its letter dated 5 October 2009. Commemorating the disappearance of Munir Said Thalib five years ago, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances [ Read more ]

ARTICLE 19, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and Freedom Forum (FF) strongly condemn the Government of Nepal's intentions to use journalists as informants, to help implement its Special Security Plan. This would significantly increase the already seriously hazardous working environment for journalists. It is also contrary to international standards, as well as the Agenda [ Read more ]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) calls for immediate demilitarisation of Balochistan as the first confidence-building measure to start a political dialogue in the province and warns if corrective actions are not taken immediately with the concurrence of Balochistan's people, the country may dearly regret the consequences. (Source: 11 October 2009, FORUM-ASIA member Human [ Read more ]

Civil society organisations urge the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to show a collective political will in allowing the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission for Human Rights (AICHR) to evolve into an independent institution with increased protection mandates in the coming years. A political declaration is expected to be released by ASEAN during the official [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA strongly denounces the arbitrary arrest and detention of the women human rights defenders (WHRDs) by the Burmese Special Branch Police on 3 October 2009. FORUM-ASIA demands that the Burmese government immediately release the four WHRDs. FORUM-ASIA also demands that the Burmese government stop the arbitrary arrests and detention of human rights defenders, including women [ Read more ]

The Asian NGOs Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) have sent letters to Hyun Byung-chul, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) and the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC) following certain statements made by Hyun before the National Assembly on 18 September 2009. (Bangkok, 7 October 2009) [ Read more ]