Hmong Lao asylum seekers were forcibly deported to Laos on 25 May 2007, where guarantees of safety and protection disappear as soon as the boarder is crossed. The government of Thailand has once again ignored its international obligations to protect those seeking asylum within its boarders; the Laos government must cease all persecution of minorities [ Read more ]

The military government needs to ensure freedom of assembly and refrain from using emergency regulations as a threat in order to instil fear in people who intend to join the 30 May demonstration.  Thailand must be aware of its status as party to the United Nations' International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA released updates on the ratification record of key international human rights instruments of Asian governments on 10 December, Human Rights Day. The updates this year show that the ratification record of Asian governments remains dismal. Today, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) released updates on the ratification record of key international [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA joins the human rights community in Asia in honoring two Indian human rights defenders who were awarded this year's Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in Gwangju, South Korea on May 18, 2007. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) applauds the awarding of the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights to Lenin [ Read more ]

The Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) has been marred by inconsistencies and a lack of judicial power, leaving the victims’ quest for justice unrealised and the perpetrators free—a classic case of impunity. The presidents of Indonesia and Timor Leste must ensure that the commission has a prosecuting mechanism by incorporating provisions from the UN-backed [ Read more ]

The Black May massacre – a protest that evoked a military response resulting in the deaths of dozens—occurred fifteen years ago, this week. Yet last week in Surat Thani province a group of villagers, occupying an oil palm plantation demanding that the land be redistributed, suffered reprisals by heavily equipped police forces. The similarity between [ Read more ]

Vietnam made several arrests and sentenced human rights activists to jail. The long road to free and fair elections in Southeast Asia remains bumpy in the Philippines, while East Timor emerged unscathed and confident after its presidential elections. ASEAN finally breaks its silence and calls for the release of Burma's Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. In [ Read more ]

As India goes for an uncontested bid for its re-election to UN Human Rights Council on 17 May 2007, NGOs expressed concerns and demanded that clear commitment to honour national and international treaties by India is important in order to buttress its claim for promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. [ Read more ]

The U.N General Assembly will meet on 17 May to elect new members to the Human Rights Council. Within the Asian group, India,Indonesia, Philippine and Qatar will bid for one seat each. Since the seats were uncontested, candidates hope to secure a further three years on the Council. Concerned with their pledges and commitments, NGOs [ Read more ]

Mr. Nguyen Van Dai and Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan, have been sentenced for distributing hostile propaganda in a trial that was conducted under suspect circumstances, completed in only one day. The Vietnamese court must reconsider its decision. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) today expressed deep regret on the conduct of [ Read more ]