(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 9 June 2020) – The upcoming intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban must seek to bring an end to conflict and impunity in the country. Following the Afghan government’s announcement on the upcoming intra-Afghan talks,[1] the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and its member organisation in Afghanistan said that the peace [ Read more ]

Re: The request made to the People’s Majlis (Parliament), to investigate and take adequate action against the freezing of accounts and unauthorised seizure of MVR 866,620.35 (US$ 56,201.06) from the State Bank of India accounts held by Maldivian Democracy Network in the Maldives. 03rd June 2020 The undersigned organisations have jointly submitted a petition to [ Read more ]

Philippines: Proposed Anti-Terrorism Law will solidify abuse of State power (Bangkok, 2 June 2020) – The railroading of the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Philippines will further erode human rights in the country, rights groups said today. The Asian Forum of Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and its member organisations Balaod Mindanaw, Dakila, Karapatan, LILAK (Purple [ Read more ]

We, the undersigned civil society groups, call on the Cambodian government to immediately and safely repatriate a large group of Cambodian nationals currently stuck in Malaysia. Permitting their return is consistent with article 40 of the Cambodian Constitution, which safeguards the right of Cambodian citizens to settle abroad and to return to Cambodia, and Cambodia’s [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Singapore, 29 May 2020) – The summoning of activist Jolovan Wham by the Singaporean authorities for posting a picture on social media, including on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, points to an escalating repression of human rights defenders in the country. In a joint statement, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and Singapore-based [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Yangon, 27 May 2020) – The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) needs to fully exercise its powers and functions effectively, efficiently and fearlessly to make up for its disappointing lack of intervention on human rights violations exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, rights groups said today. The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions [ Read more ]

Thailand: Ensure accountability for Thailand’s 2010 political massacre (Jakarta, 19 May 2020) – A decade after Thailand’s deadly crackdown against anti-government protesters, accountability for the political massacre remains elusive, said rights organisations on its tenth anniversary. In a joint statement today, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and the Asia Democracy Network [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Jakarta, 15 May 2020) – Indonesia’s newly adopted law on state financial policy, as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, triggers further distrust of Indonesia’s commitment to anti-corruption and democracy, said rights groups. This follows the passing of the Government Regulation in lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 1 of 2020 on State Financial [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 15 May 2020) – The recent gas leak at a South Korea-owned factory in Visakhapatnam, India, last week starkly showcases how private companies and the Indian authorities have not learnt from the 1984 Bhopal disaster,[1] said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA). Together with FORUM-ASIA’s Indian and South Korean members, the [ Read more ]

Malaysia: Release detained migrants and address growing discrimination against Rohingya refugees (Bangkok, 6 May 2020) – The Government of Malaysia must release the migrants it has detained and address the growing discrimination against Rohingya refugees in order to effectively address the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and its [ Read more ]