Karen refugees face a wide range of challenges and issues in Mae Sot, a border town of Thailand. With the government of Thailand over whelmed with refugees, the international standards for dealing with stateless people are being ignored. There are over 100,000 Karen people, originally from Burma, living in Thailand. They have flooded the border [ Read more ]

Peace Boat, a FORUM-ASIA member, released a joint statement with other NGOs calling for the immediate return of former Peruvian president Fujimori to be tried for his involvement in grave human rights violations during his presidential term. Fujimori is being criticised by civil society for attempting to escape persecution in Peru by running for the [ Read more ]

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on lawmakers to enact legislation to put an end to the spate of political killings in her State of the Nation Address delivered on 23 July 2007. If the extrajudicial killings do not end, they may become the lasting legacy of her presidency. “We fight terrorism. It threatens our sovereign, democratic, [ Read more ]

The government of Sri Lanka has declared a military victory over the eastern provinces, once controlled by the Tamil Tigers. This victory has not brought relief to the people, who are enduring massive human rights abuses including harassment, displacements, disappearances and murders. Last week, the Sri Lankan government declared victory in the battle for the [ Read more ]

Official figures released by the Philippine National Police indicate that there were a total of 121 deaths, 176 injuries and two missing person cases in the recently concluded Philippine mid-term elections. The Philippine government needs to take proactive steps to stop the current cycle of electoral violence and ensure citizens’ human rights are protected. The [ Read more ]

Calls for Nepal to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and end impunity formally concluded in Kathmandu on 7 July.  With human rights groups, political parties and government officials signalling a commitment to embrace the principles of the ICC, attention will now redouble on what the Prime Minister and the Council [ Read more ]

The debate on inclusive democracy in Nepal has generated a lot of political heat as a large number of unrepresented communities have started mobilising for greater participation in the decision-making process. While the country prepares for holding the election to the Constituent Assembly on 22 November 2007, the claim for an inclusive democracy will be [ Read more ]

Journalists’ struggle against the unlawful activities of the National Board of the Mongolian National Public Radio and Television (MNPRTV) has resulted in the acceptance of the journalists’ request to enhance transparency of the National Board. Mongolia must ensure the independence of the media and protect the rights of media workers. The 76-hour-long hunger strike of [ Read more ]

Religious and ethnic minorities in Vietnam are dying from prison abuse. The death of a young man comes shortly after the Vietnamese president asserted: “we love human rights.” Last week, sufficient evidence emerged that Vin Y Het from the Hroi minority in Vietnam died in April 2007 from injuries received in prison. He reportedly died [ Read more ]

July 07, 2007 is being observed all over the world by civil society organizations and other local campaigns as mid point for reminding Governments about the commitments they have made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Millennium Development Goals: Half Way Through (07-07-2007) A Call to Ensure Greater Commitment and Accountability Friday, 06 July [ Read more ]