The International community – United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, International Committee of the Red Cross and human rights NGOs have expressed their concerns over the current rising situation of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka. The new wave of internally displaced people of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-held territories especially in eastern Sri [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA is organising a workshop entitled "Challenges to Participatory Democracy and Human Rights in the Globalised Market：Regional Human Rights Mechanisms in Asia and Europe after 60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" at the 3rd cluster of the 7th Asia-Europe People's Forum in Beijing, from 13-15 October 2009. The workshop will be committed [ Read more ]

Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), based in Kathmandu, Nepal and a FORUM-ASIA member, has called on the Nepal government to ensure substantial inclusion of women in major decisions. INSEC's statement, issued on 23 September 2008, expressed concern over no election or selection of any female candidate in the recently held selection of President, Vice-President, Prime [ Read more ]

An open letter related to the Tanjong Priok massacre in 1984 based on Komnas HAM (Human Rights Commission) Inquiry Team was sent to the following on 11 September: Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudoyono, President Republic of Indonesia; Mr. Andi Mattalatta, Ministry of Law and Human Rights; and Mr. Hendarman Supandji, Attorney General. In 2003, the trial [ Read more ]

The Jakarta based Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) is deeply concerned that a recent law on the electronicmedia might pose a threat to press freedom in Indonesia. The concern came after the recent filing of defamation charges against journalist Narliswandi Piliang by legislator Alvin Lie over Narliswandi's article entitled, "Behind Adaro Co.'s Lobbying in Parliament", [ Read more ]

Several Malaysian based NGOs have submitted their reports on the human rights situation in Malaysia for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Please click on the following links for the full report (inside).   International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) -SUARAM (Voice of Malaysia) The Malaysian National Human Rights Coalition The Indigenous People Network of Malaysia [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA has expressed its deep concern over the attempts in the Philippines Congress to reinstate the death penalty in the country through House Bill 4882 (HB04882) filed by Congressman Bienvenido M. Abante (6th District, Manila). In a letter to the Committee on the Revision of Laws of the Philippines' House of Representatives, FORUM-ASIA, argued that [ Read more ]

Inside is a translated and edited version of a press release issued by Imparsial (Indonesian Human Rights Monitor), WALHI (Indonesian Forum for Environment), HRWG (Human Rights Working Group), Federasi KontraS and KASUM (Committee of Action Solidarity for Munir) on 12 September, in conjunction with the death anniversary of human rights activist Munir Thalib Said. In [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA member in India, People's Watch has condemned the Commissioner of Police for the use of unlawful force in a private educational campus without any intimation whatsoever to a personnel responsible for the campus at that point of time. People's Watch reminds the Commissioner of Police the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcing Officials and [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA's member in Cambodia, LICADHO, calls for the authorities to take concrete steps to redress the persecution of human rights defenders, including by bringing the killers of trade unionist Hy Vuthy to justice and ensuring that Khmer Kampuchea Krom activist monk Tim Sakhorn is able to return to Cambodia from Vietnam. "Cambodia is a dangerous [ Read more ]