Bangladesh was re-elected as a member of the Human Rights Council on 12 May 2009. Five civil society organisations, including FORUM-ASIA and its Bangladesh member ODHIKAR, issued a statement below on the day before, calling on the government to "dismantle" its impunity. Bangladesh was re-elected as a member of the Human Rights Council on 12 [ Read more ]

Being threated by the government to serve them, mass media in Mongolia lost its credibility, said the report "Media Freedom Report: Mongolia, 2008". The report was issued in May 2009 by Globe International , a FORUM-ASIA member in Mongolia. "Journalists experience a range of pressures" and their source of information often are subjected to threat. [ Read more ]

The elections of the United Nations Human Rights Council took place at the General Assembly in New York, USA, on 12 May 2009. Candidates from 20 countries vied for 18 seats. A "closed slate" from the Asian region – Jordan (178), Kyrgyzstan (174), Bangladesh (171), China (167) and Saudi Arabia (154) – won with no [ Read more ]

The United Nations Country Team in the Lao People's Democratic Republic reported on 11 May 2009 that the government of the country soon will allow local organisations to "register and operate as independent entities for the first time". The United Nations Country Team in the Lao People's Democratic Republic reported on 11 May 2009 that [ Read more ]

Vietnam's report on the Universal Periodic Review rejected recommendations by the United Nations, said the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights on 13 May 2009. Issues such as freedom of religion and death penalty are not addressed, and input by non-governmental organisations was "conspicuously absent from the process", according to committee's statement. Vietnam's report on the [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA co-hosted a panel discussion on the state of press freedom in Asia on 6 May 2009, in Bangkok. Two journalists from Sri Lanka and Thailand presented recent cases of the press freedom being denied in Asia. Below is a brief report on what transpired during the discussion at the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand. [ Read more ]

On 7 May, Malaysian police went on a frenzy and nabbed more than 70 people, including civil activists and lawyers, who protested the sitting of the Perak (northen) state legislature assembly, which was deem "unconstitutional" as the case of who is its chief minister was yet to be decided by the High Court. On 6 [ Read more ]

Many human rights organisations expressed concerns over detention of Binayak Sen, a well-known human rights defender and paediatrician, on 14 May 2009. Two years after his arrest, he's still detained and never had trial. Below is a statement issued on the day by ARTISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS & Release Binayak Campaign. Many human rights organisations [ Read more ]

One year passed after the Sichuan Earthquake, yet no report is available on the number of children killed or structural quality of the buildings where they were. The Chinese government also arrested two people who attempted to conduct investigations or provide legal support to victims' families. One year passed after the Sichuan Earthquake, yet no [ Read more ]

The overdue report that the Philippine government submitted to the United Nations Committee against Torture is "their long tale of lies", said the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) , a FORUM-ASIA member. In a statement issued on 28 April 2009, they said, "this government can break free from the culture of impunity by [ Read more ]