Impunity Watch: Asia

Tibetan Protesters Arrested as They Storming the Chinese Embassy in Nepal

Picture: Nepalese policemen detain a Tibetan protester at the Chinese Embassy

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal - A group of 200 Tibetan exiles and Buddhist monks tried to storm the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday. Tibetan exiles and their children tried to gain entry to the Chinese embassy's visa office near the city center.  Shouting "stop the killing", the protesters attempted to open the office's metal gate before they were stopped by a police bamboo baton charge.  A Tibetan activist said a girl and a monk were badly hurt and taken to hospital.

At least 200 police officers surrounded the building and hauled the demonstrators away in police vans as they sought to approach the mission.  "A total of 227 Tibetan protesters, including 113 women, were detained and would be freed later,'' Surnedra Rai, a police officer at the station where the protesters were held, said.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 Tibetans who began arriving in large numbers in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.  Exiled Tibetans in Nepal have been protesting regularly since a riot broke out in the Tibetan, China on March 14.  Nepal's government has said it cannot allow the protests because it recognizes China's claim to sovereignty over Tibet.  The BBC Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says the authorities in Nepal have been adopting a "zero tolerance" attitude to Tibetan demonstrations for fear of annoying the country's powerful neighbor, China.

The UN has criticized the continued mass arrests of pro-Tibetan protesters in Nepal, saying it violates the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. International rights groups, like New York-based Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticized Nepal's handling of the Tibetan protests and beating of the protesters.

For more information, please see:

BBC News - Nepal police halt Tibet protest - 30 March 2008

Reuters - Tibetans scuffle with Nepal police, 113 detained - 30 March 2008

Reuters - Nepal police break up Tibet protests, 284 held - 30 March 2008

Muslims in Southern Thailand Fear Detainment, Torture by Army

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai officials have pledged to investigate the death of Yapa Kaseng, a Muslim prayer leader. He was arrested on March 19^th for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks by insurgents. According to his relatives, his body showed signs of torture. Yapa Kaseng’s body as covered with bruises and burn marks, and his ribs appeared fractured.

Army Chief General Anupong Phaochinda announced that a special committee would investigate the death and punish guilty parties. However, Human Rights Watch [HRW] is deeply concerned that the pledge is insincere because Yapa Kaseng’s family has been pressured to remain silent and not pursue a lawsuit.

In interviews with HRW, other Muslims said they have been tortured by interrogators after being arrested. The most common forms of torture were ear-slapping, punching, kicking, beating with wooden and metal clubs, forced nudity, exposure to cold temperatures, electric shocks, strangulation, and suffocation with plastic bags.

In response to the torture allegations, Army spokesman Colonel Acra Tiproch said only “a small faction” of Muslim detainees had been abused and then only because they “provoked” interrogators as a ploy to demonize the Buddhist state and its troops. He continued, “Some of these suspects are well-educated and they know well how to make junior interrogators lose their patience and start beating them.”

Thailand annexed the three southern provinces in 1902, and then tensions began to erupt between the region’s largely Muslim population and the largely Buddhist country of Thailand. A separatist campaign started in the 1970’s.

The separatist campaign erupted again in 2004 after a decade of peace. Muslim separatists have become increasingly angry with the Thai government because it began to impose assimilation policies in the region, which included adopting Thai names, giving up religious and cultural customs, and ending education in the Malayu language. Thus far, the conflict has caused about 3,000 deaths in the last 50 months, according to the Bangkok Post.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Thailand: Iman’s Killing Highlights Army Abuse in South – 26 March 2008

Inter Press Service – Thailand: Islamic Teachers Blamed for Violent Separatism – 24 March 2008

Reuters – Detained Muslims Tortured by Thai Army: Rights Body – 26 March 2008

Tibetan Monks interrupted Journalists' Lhasa Tour

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - After the mid-March violence and a subsequent government crackdown, the Chinese government invited international journalists to tour Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The reporters, from 19 media organizations including the U.S. Associated Press, Britain's Financial Times and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, toured the Tibetan capital on a three-day trip press junket in Lhasa.  The purpose of the tour is to show foreign reporters the city is calm after recent anti-China protests, and to help sway international opinion on China’s crackdown and arrests in the aftermath of the riots.  It is first time foreign reporters had been allowed into Tibet since the unrest began two weeks ago. 

According to the schedule, the reporters first went to a Tibetan medical clinic that had been attacked in the riot near the Jokhang Temple square in downtown Lhasa.  They were also shown the Yishion clothing store where five girls had been trapped and burned to death in an arson attack by the rioters, the torched buildings of the Lhasa No. 2 Middle School, and a smashed Bank of China outlet.  The reporters also allowed to visit local markets, shopping centers, the city's relief station and interview government officials and injured police, said the Chinese information office official.

However, the tour at the sacred Jokhang Temple, one of Tibet’s holiest shrines, was disrupted by outburst of a group of 30 monks in red robes shouting there was no religious freedom, and the Dalai Lama had been wrongly accused by China of responsibility for the rioting.  “Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!” yelled one young Buddhist monk, who then started crying, said an Associated Press correspondent in the tour.  Some journalists even said a monk complained that the government had planted fake monks in the monastery to talk to the media.

Government handlers shouted for the journalists to leave and tried to pull them away during the protest.  The protesting monks appeared to go back to their living quarters. There was no way of knowing immediately what happened to them.  Later, People's Armed Police sealed off the area around Jokhang.  The only people allowed to enter are those who live in the narrow lines around the temple.

When some reporters attempted to break away from the group, Chinese officials followed them throughout Tibet.  Only furtive conversations with Tibetans were possible.  But the reporters were kept away from any potential hotspots, including the Ramoche monastery, where the violence started on March 14.

For more information, please see:

AP - Tibet Monks Disrupt Tour by Journalists - 27 March 2008

CNN - Monks protest upstages China's PR tour - 27 March 2008

New York Times - Monks Protest During Press Tour of China - 27 March 2008

Wall Street Journal - Tour of Lhasa Shows, Wide Scope of Unrest - 27 March 2008

XinHua - Overseas journalists' Lhasa tour interrupted, resumes soon - 28 March 2008

BRIEF: A National Action Plan for Human Rights in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - The Kazakh government has formed a working group to fully develop a National Action Plan on human rights for 2008-2011, and it met for the first time today.  The group will consist of rights experts from government and public human rights institutes across the country.

According to Yerlan Karin, the head Internal policy department of the Presidential Administration, "Kazakhstan has ratified a number of international documents in the sphere of human rights. Several international regulatory acts are planned to be ratified as well. The work of the state bodies in this direction is among priority ones in the activity of all state bodies."

Kazakhstan's human rights record has been in the spotlight often, especially since the country was named chair-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in November 2007.  Many human rights organizations criticized the appointment, claiming that it undermined the integrity of the OSCE's human rights principles because Kazakhstan does not meet its own human rights obligations.  Some of the criticisms state that Kazakhstan has not held a fair election, its media is dominated by loyalists, and libel is still a criminal defense often used against independent journalists. 

The Kazakh government states that it has been attempting to make changes, but human rights critics claim that they do not see results and they watch the country closely.  For that reason, the National Action Plan developed by today's working group will likely be widely critiqued and regularly monitored.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch - Kazakhstan: OSCE Chairmanship Undeserved - 30 November 2007

Kazinform - National Action Plan in the field of human rights for 2008-2011 discussed in Astana - 26 March 2008

BRIEF: Child Refugees from Afghanistan at Risk

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan children fleeing their war-torn home country are facing danger as they make their way through Iran and Eastern European countries.  Many of these children's parents have paid smugglers to bring them to a safe country, and as they travel alone they are being preyed upon by traffickers.

This is particularly a problem in the port city of Petras, Greece, where many of these children are camped hoping to sneak on to ferries going to Western Europe.  Recently, police in Petras raided one of these camps; the children living there scattered across the city, causing them to become even more vulnerable to trafficking.  The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees has called the situation in Petras a "humanitarian crisis" and the UN office in Greece has asked for immediate support for the children.  Authorities in Petras refuse to offer assistance to the children because they fear that the city will become an even larger magnet for refugees.

The Afghan government has been criticized recently for its inability to address human rights in its country.  Because it cannot protect these children in Afghanistan, they are fleeing to other countries and facing many dangers along the way.

For more information, please see:

Impunity Watch - Impunity in Afghanistan: UN Statement - 19 March 2008

International Herald Tribune - Afghanistan's youngest migrants adrift on the road to asylum - 24 March 2008

Nepali Police Arrested over 400 Tibetan Protesters

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal - UN officials reports Nepalese police stopped two separate protests by Tibetan exiles and monks in Katmandu, and arrested 475 protesters on Monday as they gathered to protest the recent crackdown on Tibetans in China.  The UN human rights office in Nepal said the arrested included some prominent Nepali human rights activists who joined the protests.

Chanting "China, stop killings in Tibet. UN, we want justice," the protesters were marching toward the UN offices when police stopped them and snatched their banners.  The protest in Katmandu by 200 Tibetan refugees and monks was broken up by police, who beat them with bamboo sticks and arrested scores, dragging them to trucks and vans to be taken to police stations. Police official Sarad Karki said about 245 demonstrators were arrested in the protest.

Police also stopped a second protest near Singhadurbar, where the prime minister's office and all government ministries are located, but less force was used.  Police official Sarvendra Khanal said 155 protesters were arrested there.

The UN human rights office said it was deeply concerned at the arbitrary arrests and detentions of several hundred individuals. "These actions by police violate individuals' basic rights to freedom from arbitrary detention and freedom of movement, in addition to impairing the individuals' rights to peaceful assembly and expression," the UN said in a statement.

The Nepali government denied it was using excessive force, saying it was only trying to stop political activities by Tibetans.  "We will not allow any anti-China activities in Nepal and will stop it. The allegations that excessive force was used to break these protests are baseless," said Modraj Dotel, Nepal's home ministry spokesman.

For more information, please see:

AP - Nepal Police Arrest Tibetan Protesters - 24 March 2008

CBC News - 400 Tibetan supporters arrested in Kathmandu - 24 March 2008

FOX News - Nepalese Police Beat Back Monks, Refugees in Tibetan Protest; About 475 Arrested - 24 March 2008

Reuters - Tibetans protest in Nepal, 250 detained - 24 March 2008

Bangladesh Contemplates War Trials

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Veterans from Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 have called for war trials. Many allege that their fellow countrymen, who sided with Pakistan at the time, are responsible for thousands of civilian deaths. Former commanders have called for many influential politicians to be tried, including Jamaat-e-Islami who is the leader of Bangladesh’s largest party. To this day, Jamaat-e-Islami’s party calls the war a civil war between Pakistanis and deny a war of liberation ever took place.

The veterans rallied under the banner of the Bangladesh Liberation War Sector Commanders’ Forum. Many veterans that spoke told of their anguish and anger over the long delay in bringing the war criminals to justice. Many of those that attended the forum said they had witnessed Pakistani forces and their collaborators within the country commit much of the carnage. Dr. Mustafisa Rahman, a medic in the Bangladeshi forces, said of the collaborators: “They raped our mothers, they killed our brothers and sisters, they burned our houses, they have done everything.”

The war took place over nine months in 1971 and was won quickly with the support of India. Today, the veterans of the war are considered national heroes. During the brief but bloody war, nearly 3 million people lost their lives. 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Calls for Bangladesh War Trials - 21 March 2008

Independent Bangladesh – Convention on War Trials March 21 – 19 March 2008

Reuters – Bangladesh Commanders Demand War Crime Trial – 21 March 2008

UPDATE: Malaysian PM Finally Initiates Reforms

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – In the aftermath of the Barisan National Party’s loss in recent elections, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has begun to initiate reforms to promote transparency and accountability. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced that ministers would have to declare their assets and created a smaller 68-member cabinet. In downsizing the cabinet, many unpopular political heavyweights were pushed out, but despite the smaller cabinet, the prime minister included some of his staunchest critics in the cabinet. Human rights lawyer and Bar Council deputy chairman Ragu Kesavan said, “This type of reformist cabinet is long overdue. It seems that the poll losses have forced Badawi to bring in new faces. But will he give them the power and the scope to make changes.”

For more information, please see:

Impunity Watch – UPDATE: Malaysians Protest and Call for Prime Minister’s Resignation After Unprecedented Elections – 14 March 2008

Impunity Watch – Barisan National Party Wins Simple Majority – 8 March 2008

Inter Press Service – Malaysia: Poll Setback Finally Prompts Reforms – 20 March 2008

 

China's crackdown in Tibet

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - Hundreds of paramilitary troops converged on foot, trucks and helicopters to Tibetan areas.  At least 80 trucks were seen traveling along the main road through the mountains into southeastern Tibet. Others set up camp and patrolled streets in riot gear, helmets and rifles in small towns across a wide swath of western China.  The troop mobilization was helping authorities reassert control after the massive demonstrations by Tibetans against Chinese rule in decades.  Led by Buddhist monks, protests began peacefully in Lhasa but erupted into rioting March 14, drawing a harsh response from Chinese authorities.  Demonstrations had also spread across Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces in support of protests that started in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

Yesterday, the government also issued a "Most Wanted" list of 21 rioters by posting their photos taken from video cameras and security footage on major Internet portals.  The official Xinhua News Agency said two of the 21 suspects had already been arrested and a third turned himself in.  They will be charged with "endangering national security, beating, smashing, looting and burning," in Lhasa.  Authorities also called on the public for help, offering rewards for information and guaranteeing the anonymity of tipsters.  China also has admitted for the first time that its police have opened fire on four Tibetan protesters, but it insisted that the gunfire was in self-defense.

China's response to riots in Tibet drew worldwide attention to China's human rights record, and threatens to overshadow China's attempts to project an image of unity and prosperity for the Olympics in August.  The United Nations' top human rights body is facing calls to break its silence over China's crackdown in Tibet and send investigators to the Himalayan region Beijing has closed off to foreigners and journalists. 

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with the Dalai Lama in India and called on the world to denounce China's crackdown in Tibet.  She dismissed China's claim that the Dalai Lama was behind the violence in Tibet, as making "no sense."  Chinese government made its unhappiness clear concerning Nancy Pelosi meeting the Dalai Lama and her statements on Tibet.  The Chinese government warned against any meddling in its "internal affairs" by "any country, organization and person".  Chinese officials also expressed "grave concerns" toward British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's upcoming meeting with the Dalai Lama.  Also, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on China to be open about the situation in Tibet.

However, leaders of numerous countries around the world including Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and others have also voiced their support for the Chinese government's efforts to safeguard territorial integrity and national unity in the face of the recent riots in Tibet.  Moreover, Many overseas Chinese groups in South Korea, the United States, Mexico and Egypt as well as Chinese-language newspapers have condemned the riots in Tibet.

For more information, please see:

AP - Chinese Troops Converge in Tibetan Areas - 21 March 2008

AP - China Blankets Tibetan Areas With Troops - 21 March 2008

AP - Pelosi Denounces China's Tibet Crackdown - 21 March 2008

BBC - Top US lawmaker meets Dalai Lama - 21 March 2008

Canadian Press - China warns British PM about planned meeting with Dalai Lama - 20 March 2008

New York Times - China Admits to Wounding 4 Tibetan Demonstrators - 21 March 2008

Reuters - CHRONOLOGY-Day-by-day record of Tibet protests - 21 March 2008

Reuters - China's torch climbers denounce Tibet protests - 21 March 2008

Recuters - Germany urges China to open up on Tibet - 21 March 2008

XiHua - Foreign leaders support China's efforts to defend territorial integrity, national unity - 21 March 2008

XiHua - Overseas Chinese groups, Chinese-language media condemn riots in Tibet - 20 March 2008

XiHua - Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh support China's actions to stabilize Tibet - 21 March 2008

UPDATE: Nuon Chea Refused Bail

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Khmer Rouge Tribunal rejected Nuon Chea’s request for bail.  Nuon Chea is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role as Pol Pot’s right-hand man during the Khmer Rouge regime’s rule of Cambodia. Nuon Chea had argued that he was not a flight risk and his safety was not in danger because he had been living for years “in peace and harmony” at his home in the jungle along the Thai border.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Pol Pot’s Number Two Loses Bail Bid – 20 March 2008

United Nations Sees No Improvements in Myanmar

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar - The United Nations [UN] special envoy to Myanmar reported that its last visit to the country was its most disappointing yet because senior government leaders refused to meet with them. Ibrahim Gambari, a representative from the envoy, commented, “Whereas each of my previous visits produced some tangible result that could be built upon, it is a source of disappointment that this latest visit did not yield any immediate tangible outcome.”

The only thing the UN special envoy was able to do was leave a list of UN recommendations for international monitoring that would enhance the “credibility and inclusiveness” of the democracy project the military junta says it is undertaking. The Myanmar government has begun to implement a seven-step process called “a road map to democracy.”

Critics, however, believe the plan will only guarantee continued military dominance. The “road map to democracy” calls for elections in 2010 and bars participation by Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi is a leader of the National League of Democracy, and she has been under house arrest for 18 years intermittently. During the UN special envoy’s visit, Ibrahim Gambari met with Aung San Suu Kyi, and during the visit she urged that there could be no reconciliation until she was treated as partner in the dialogue.

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad also expressed disappointment with the constitutional and referendum process. The draft of the constitution had yet to be distributed, and there are laws prevented debate concerning it. The UN will attempt to introduce a draft statement based on its concerns and lack of progress on important issues. However, U.N. Ambassador U Kyaw Tint Swe said that “no Security Council action is warranted with regard to Myanmar.”

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej made his first visit to Burma and made controversial comments, which were quite contrary to the UN’s reactions. During his weekly TV program, the prime minister said, “Killings and suppressions are normal there but we have to know the facts.” He went on to praise the Senior General Than Shwe. He then went on to add, “And Senior (Gen) Than Shwe practices meditation. He says he prays in the morning ... and the country has been in peace and order.” Senior General Than Shwe ordered troops and riot police to fire at peaceful street protestors, which were lead by thousands of Buddhist monks.

For more information, please see:

AP – UN Envoy Disappointed with Myanmar Trip – 18 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – UN Envoy Disappointed by Myanmar Visit – 19 March 2008

Inter Press Service – Thailand Queers ASEAN’s Burma Pitch – 19 March 2008

UPDATE: Tourist video captures riot in Tibet

BEIJING, China - Michael Smith, an Australian tourist, captured violence in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in video on Friday.  The video shows Tibetans smashing windows and setting fire to Chinese shops and cars, while people are heard cheering. Han Chinese, China's largest ethnic group, operated many of the businesses targeted by the rioters.  It also shows Chinese security forces, but no clashes between them and the rioters. No deaths or injuries were seen on the video. 

Smith said he "met so many Tibetan people on the streets, so many young Tibetan boys just screaming for Tibet's freedom."  One young Tibetan male shouted to Smith's camera "We don't have any freedoms.  "The Tibetan people are going crazy.  It's absolute mayhem on the streets," Smith said.

For more information, please see:

CNN - Tourist video shows riot, flames in Tibetan capita - 18 March 2008

CNN - Tourist films Tibet riots - 18 March 2008

Impunity in Afghanistan: UN Statement

By Elizabeth Breslin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United Nations (UN) released a statement yesterday demanding that the Afghan government do more to bring human rights violators to justice.

The UN recognized that Afghanistan has a young government.  However, during the past three decades of conflict many Afghan citizens have suffered numerous abuses; if they are not addressed immediately the victims will continue to suffer and the impunity will undermine the future of the Afghan government.

In 2005, the government did adopt a plan to address past abuses and promote peace and reconciliation for the country.  Nevertheless, according to the information UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour collected during a recent visit, the plan has not been implemented.  Part of the problem is that Afghanistan does not have strong political representation on national and international levels, and the government has not created an environment conducive to the respect of human rights. 

The statement also recognized that the government needs to devote more attention to the current problems of women and girls.  Their right to life is threatened due to high mortality rates and violent home situations (see Impunity Watch article here).

In the UN statement, Chief Human Rights Officer Norah Niland said: "One often hears the phrase 'action speaks louder than words.'  Here in Afghanistan, the lack of action speaks volumes.  At a minimum, there needs to be the space for a national dialogue that acknowledges the injustices and suffering that have occurred.  The voices of victims need to be heard."

For more information, please see:

Impunity Watch - BRIEF: Women in Afghanistan in Danger - 26 February 2008

Jurist - Afghanistan must do more to stop human rights abuses: UN Official - 18 March 2008

Reuters - Afghan govt must bring rights abusers to justice-UN - 18 March 2008

UN News Centre - Afghanistan must do more to address impunity, advance human rights-UN - 18 March 2008

UPDATE: Speaker Elected After First Meeting of New Pakistani Parliament

Photo - New Speaker Fahmida Mirza - AFP

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's new parliament met for the first time on Monday, after pressure had been put on President Pervez Musharraf to set a date (see Impunity Watch article here).  The new parliament, filled with a majority of opposition members, is expected to take major steps to make change in the country in resistance of President Musharraf.

During a meeting today, Fahmida Mirza was elected speaker of the parliament.  Mirza is a business woman, veteran politician, and friend of Asif Ali Zardari (the current leader of the Pakistan People's Party and the Benazir Bhutto's widower).  She is the first woman to ever be elected Pakistani speaker.

Mirza was elected with 249 votes in the 342-seat house.  As speaker she will determine which issues the new parliament, which met for the first time Monday, will address in session.

The Prime Minister has yet to be named, and an announcement is expected next week.

For more information, please see:

BBC News - Woman elected Pakistani speaker - 19 March 2008

Impunity Watch - BRIEF: After Many Protests, Pakistani President Sets Date for Parliament - 11 March 2008

UPDATE: Human Rights Watch Calls Hu Jia’s Trial a “Sham”

Photo at The NY Times
BEIJING, China – On Tuesday Hu Jia, a prominent human rights activist and dissident, stood trial on subversion charges. His trial lasted approximately three hours. Hu Jia was charged of subversion for writing articles that criticized China for its human rights record. Prosecutors provided six articles he had written, which they suggested featured criticisms so serious that they were threats to the state. After the trial, Hu Jia’s lawyer, Li Fangping, said, “We believe his articles are expressing peaceful views that do not concern state security but that represent criticism of the current system.” The parties expect a verdict in the next week.

Human Rights Watch [HRW] has publicly criticized the matter and called for China to drop the charges against Hu Jia. Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at HRW, commented on Hu Jia’s case, “His arrest was political, the charges are political, and his trial is political

Human rights groups have pointed to Hu Jia’s recent arrest and trial as an unfortunate but common occurrence in China. Many allege that China has recently cracked down on dissidents to silence criticism before the Olympic Games. According to the Dua Hia foundation, a non-profit group located in San Francisco that is involved in Chinese legal issues, there has been a sharp increase in arrests for subversion and other related crimes. In 2007, 742 people were arrested for charges like subversion, which is more than twice the amount of persons arrested in 2005.

For more information, please see:

HRW – China: Trial of Leading Activist a Sham – 17 March 2008

Impunity Watch – Chinese Dissidents Detained and to Stand Trial for Criticisms – 10 March 2008

The New York Times – Chinese Rights Advocate Tried – 19 March 2008

China Censors Major Foreign Media Over Tibet's Unrest

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - China has shutdown several of the world's most popular websites in an apparent attempt to censor international coverage of the violence in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. The Google-owned YouTube, the video-sharing website blocked in China on Sunday after footage of recent deadly protests in Tibet appeared on the site.  Some videos on YouTube show a public gathering, including Tibetan monks in their distinctive saffron robes and peaceful marching.  The most hits video (over 80,000 so far) actually shows bodies on the streets, protesters throwing rocks at Chinese army vehicles and other images.

Popular news sites reporting on the riots, such as CNN, The Guardian, the BBC, Google News, and Yahoo have allegedly had all or parts of their sites blocked. Flickr, the photo-sharing website, Wikipedia, and the LA Times, the US newspaper, are among the other sites to which access has been cut off.  These websites have been subject to what is known as 'keyword filtering', where a Chinese internet user attempting to load a page which contains words such as 'Tibet' or 'Dalai Lama' or 'riot' will see the site stall.

Foreign journalists being denied access and foreign tourists ordered out of the city.  Foreign media have been banned from Tibet, CNN and British Broadcasting Corp. broadcasts of a speech by the Dalai Lama were also blocked, the newspaper said.  According to a CNN video, says the station has not been able to send a team to report the news.  Some stations, such as the BBC, picked up photos and other contributions from tourists in Tibet. The BBC and CNN are only broadcast within international hotels and diplomatic compounds in China.

China strictly controls access to information, the only footage broadcast by state-run media so far has been a short clip showing Tibetan rioters in the city destroying Chinese shops, but nothing has been released on the resulting crackdown by police.

For more information, please see:

AP - China Blocks YouTube Over Tibet Videos - 16 March 2008

AFP - YouTube access blocked in China after Tibet clips appear - 16 March 2008

CNN - American film crew kept from China protests - 17 March 2008

Guardian - China blocks media due to Tibet unrest - 17 March 2008

Times Online - China blocks YouTube, Yahoo! Over Tibet - 17 March 2008

BRIEF: Dalai Lama accused China of "cultural genocide" against monks in Tibet

BEIJING, China - In a news conference on Sunday the Dalai Lama, who is exiled in India and the Tibetan spiritual leader, accused China of waging "cultural genocide" against Tibetan monks and called for an investigation into the suppression of protests. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place," the Dalai Lama said, referring to China's policy of encouraging members of the ethnic Han majority to migrate to the region. "It's really desperate," he told the BBC. "Things become tense as the Tibetan side is determined, the Chinese side also equally determined. So that means the result is killing."  China's provincial government in Tibet rejected the Dalai Lama's assertion regarding cultural genocide and said the population enjoys religious freedom.

During the news conference, the Dalai Lama expressed his fear of another crackdown like in the late 1980s, when the Chinese government declared martial law and violently suppressed demonstrations in Tibet.  Under martial law, hundreds Tibetans died.  However, he told reporters he was powerless to stop the protests.  "I do feel helpless," he said. "I feel very sad, very serious, very anxious. Cannot do anything."  The Dalai Lama also endorsed the right of his people to press grievances against the Chinese authorities and reminded reporters that he was not calling for secession. "As far as material development concerned, we get much benefit" from being part of China, he said.  He also remained supportive of the Olympic Games being held in China.

The protests began a week ago in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, and have quickly evolved into the largest outpouring of Tibetan rage against Chinese rule in 20 years.  The Chinese have deployed thousands of troops and rolled out tanks to suppress Tibet protests.  According to Tibet's government-in-exile, at least 80 people died since protests began last week, which disputes the official death toll of 10.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune - Dalai Lama assails curbs on protest in Tibet - 17 March 2008.

The Independent - Dalai Lama attacks 'cultural genocide' - 17 March 2008.

The Seattle Times - Tibet protests spread to other provinces as Dalai Lama warns of "cultural genocide" - 17 March 2008.

Tibetan Exiles Arrested in India

Photo at International Herald Tribune 
By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

NEW DELHI, India – More than 100 Tibetan exiles were arrested in India before embarking on a 6-month march to Tibet. Atul Fulzele, the police superintendent for the Kangra district of Hamachal Pradesh, which is where Dharamasala is located, told reporters that about 100 persons were arrested under criminal codes that allow preventative arrests.

Days earlier the police had issued a restraining order to prevent the marchers from leaving Kangra. Atul Fulzele said, “Today they were planning to move outside the Kangra district. That would have been a crime.” He also added that the marchers did not resist arrest, and there was “no law and order problem.” A government official speaking anonymously commented that “India has other obligations as a country,” which include its commitment to participate in the Beijing Olympics, which prevents India from supporting the march.

Indian police are asking protesters to sign statements that say they will not participate in more protests against China or other political activities. Most are refusing to sign and plan on going on a hunger strike until they are released.

The group intended to begin their march from Dharamasala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The march was intended to begin on the anniversary of the failed uprising of Tibet in 1959 and end in Lhasa as the Summer Olympics Games opened.

A group of 50 Tibetan exiles in New Delhi were also arrested after they attempted to storm the Chinese embassy. They ran through a security cordon and tried to scale the high walls, but were prevented by security forces. The protesters, who were also mostly nuns and monks, were put in waiting vans and driven to a police station.

Human rights activists are concerned that India’s stance against the protests signals an escalating attitude of repression. Arresting peaceful marchers who were carrying photos of Mahatma Gandhi “signifies a toughness that does not seem legitimate,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – 100 Tibetan Exiles Arrested in India - 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Tibetans Defy India in March to Homeland - 11 March 2008

The Inquirer - Tibetans Held in India after Fresh Chinese Embassy Assault – 15 March 2008

Violence Escalates as Buddhist Monks Clashed with Police in Tibet

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - The largest demonstrations against the Chinese government in nearly 20 years erupted as Chinese security forces used tear-gas and gunfire to suppress protesters on Friday. Witnesses said angry Tibetan crowds burned shops, cars, military vehicles and at least one tourist bus.  Protesters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China.  A main market in the capital was set on fire, and some Tibetans were hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Kate Saunders, a spokeswoman for the International Campaign for Tibet. 

Violence started when police tried to block a peaceful protest by monks at the Ramoche Temple on Friday, Tashi Choephel of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights told CNN. Witnesses said tanks were in the streets of the Tibetan capital Lhasa as part of a heavy security clampdown after violent riots erupted.  Several people lost their lives and many others were injured in Lhasa, an official at the city's medical emergency centre told AFP, with Radio Free Asia reporting at least two people had been killed.

China warned Saturday it would use a firm hand to quell protests in Tibet, acknowledging seven people had been killed in unrest. It said seven people were killed in the rioting.  Most of them were business people and none were foreigners.  Independent verification of the news from the region has been difficult to verify because Chinese censors blacked out Western media reports about the developments in Tibet on Chinese television.

Chinese government also accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, of acting as the "mastermind" behind protests.  "The government of Tibet Autonomous Region said there had been enough evidence to prove that the recent sabotage in Lhasa was 'organized, premeditated and masterminded' by the Dalai clique," Xinhua news agency said. "The violence, involving beating, smashing, looting and burning, has disrupted the public order, jeopardized people's lives and property," an official with the government said.

The United States, Britain and other European states expressed concern over the violence and urged both sides to show restraint.  The Dalai Lama, who heads Tibet's government-in-exile in India, called on the Chinese leadership to "stop using force and address the long-simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people."  He also urges the fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence and rejected allegations that he and his government-in-exile in India were behind the uprising in Lhasa.

For more information, please see:

APF - China says seven killed in Tibet - 14 March 2008

BBC - Deaths reported in Tibet protests - 14 March 2008

BBC - In pictures: Protests in Tibet - 14 March 2008

CNN - A timeline of Tibetan protests - 14 March 2008

CNN - Tibet in turmoil as riots grip capital - 14 March 2008

Press Association - Violence erupts at Tibetan protests - 14 March 2008

UPDATE: Malaysians Protest and Call for Prime Minister’s Resignation After Unprecedented Elections

PENANG, Malaysia – After an unprecedented election in which the United Malays National Organization [UMNO] went from a 91 percent majority to 63 percent majority, several hundred Malays protested and defied an nationwide ban on public demonstrations. During the protests, the hundreds of Malays chanted “Long Live the Malays” and “Allah Akhbar!” - God is great!

Newly elected legislators have moved to abolish privileges held by ethnic-Malays for more than three and half decades. The affirmative action program has granted ethnic-Malays a wide range of benefits from discounts on new houses to 30 percent quotas in initial public offerings. The movement to abolish the privileges highlights the core problems of the ethnic-based political system.

Hours after the protests, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi refused to resign despite calls from within his own party. The son of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad asked him to take responsibility for the losses in the recent election. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared that there was a “strong mandate” for him to continue because the UMNO had retained a “strong majority.” In an interview of state television, he said, “This is still a mandate given to me. I will not run away from my responsibility to carry out the wishes of the people.”

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Malay Demonstration Highlights Ethnic Tension – 14 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Malaysia Prime Minister Rejects Calls to Resign – 14 March 2008

BRIEF: China drops from list of top ten violators of human rights

BEIJING, China - The U.S. State Department removed China from a list of top 10 human rights violators, according to its annual human rights report.  But instead of placing it among the world's worst offenders, it shifted China's listing to: "authoritarian countries that are undergoing economic reform and have experienced rapid social change but have not undertaken democratic political reform and continue to deny their citizens basic human rights and fundamental freedoms."

The delisting of China upsets many rights activists, saying that China's crackdown on dissent is getting worse as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.  In the past week, Chinese police crackdowned monks' demonstrations in Lhasa, which is the capital of the remote mountainous region of Tibet. Human rights activist Hu Jia, detained after organizing a petition stating that Chinese wanted "human rights, not the Olympics," was informed that his trial on charges of subverting state power could begin as early as this month.  A prominent human rights lawyer, Teng Biao, was abducted by the Beijing Public Security Bureau and then released two days later.  Migrant construction workers building the “new Beijing” are routinely exploited by being denied proper wages, under dangerous conditions with neither accident insurance nor access to medical and other social services. 

State Department officials in Washington avoided questions about why China was dropped from the worst-offenders list, where it has appeared in each of the previous two years.  Jonathan Farrar, acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said that China's "human rights record remains poor" and that the report gives a "very frank appraisal" on the status of human rights in the country.

For more information, please see:

Christian Science Monitor - China's human rights rating upgraded by U.S. State Dept. - 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune - U.S. drops China from list of top 10 violators of rights - 12 March 2008

Washington Post - U.S. Delisting of China Upsets Rights Activists - 13 March 2008

BRIEF: China will Retain Its One-Child Policy

BEIJING, China - The most populated country in the world, China, said it would keep its controversial family-planning policies for at least another decade.  The announcement refutes speculation that officials were contemplating adjustments to compensate for mounting demographic pressures.  Zhang Weiqing, minister of China's State Population and Family Planning Commission, told China's state-run China Daily newspaper that abandoning the policies at this point would cause "serious problems," put a strain on economic development, and cause more problems than it would solve.

One-Child policy, one of the world’s strictest population control policies, launched during the late 1970s, has prevented an additional 400 million births.  Most urban couples are limited to a single child, while farmers are often allowed to have two.  Critics say the policy has led to numerous abuses, including forced abortions and sterilizations, which continue in some areas.

Giving a rapidly aging society in China, demographers commented that a lower birthrate may actually lead to social difficulties because there will be fewer young working adults to pay taxes and look after the elderly.  Already, factories have reported shortages of young workers in recent years. At the same time, the one-child policy is considered a contributing factor to a gender imbalance that has raised concerns that there may be too few females in the future.

For more information, please see:

CNN - China to keep one-child policy - 10 March 2008

New York Times - China Sticking With One-Child Policy - 11 March 2008

Wall Street Journal - China to Retain Its One-Child Policy - 11 March 2008

Crackdown on Tibetan Monasteries' protests

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - The Buddhist monks in Tibet held large-scale demonstrations against the Chinese government around a key Tibetan anniversary on Monday, an act that the Chinese government called "an illegal activity that threatened social stability." In the Lhasa protests, the involvement of monks from Sera and Drepung is particularly provocative.  The monasteries traditionally trained Buddhist scholars who led theocratic Tibet before China supplanted the Dalai Lama and the rest of the theocracy.

Three hundred or more monks from Drepung marched on the streets of the capital.  A smaller group of monks from Sera protested.  Soldiers and police have been deployed around two Buddhist monasteries in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.  According to reports and witnesses, eleven protesters, including the nine monks from Sera monastery were severely beaten then detained by police.

During the second day of protests, the monks, estimated at 500 to 600, demand the release of fellow Sera monks who were detained for protesting a day earlier. They shouted slogans, "We want freedom!" "Free our people!" "We want an independent Tibet!" and "Free our people or we won't go back!" as they walked.  Armed Chinese police fired tear-gas to try to disperse the crowd, a source told Reuters.  "There were probably a couple of thousand armed police, PSB personnel, wearing different uniforms. Police fired tear-gas into the crowd,” one witness told RFA’s Tibetan service. PSB denotes the China’s Public Security Bureau.

Monks in two more monasteries in Qinghai province—Lutsang monastery in Mangra county, and Ditsa monastery in Bayan county—also held small protests Monday but were not intervened with or detained by police, according to U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang confirmed that protests had taken place, but said the situation had "stabilized."  He said the demonstration is a political scheme by the Dalai group, attempting to separate China and try to make some unrest in the normal harmonious, peaceful life of Tibetan people.  Qin also said China's determination to "safeguard national unification" is firm, so further protests "will not take place."

For more information, please see:

AP - Military, Police at Tibetan Monasteries - 13 March 2008

BBC - China admits Tibet monk protests - 13 March 2008

Radio Free Asia - Chinese Police Fire Tear-Gas at Protesting Tibetan Monks - 12 March 2008

Reuters - Tibetan protests ripple across mountain region - 13 March 2008

BRIEF: Tamil Journalists Held in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Over the past week, five Tamil reporters have been arrested by Sri Lankan police for receiving money from Tamil Tiger rebels. 

However, after investigation into these allegations, Reporters Without Borders found that the reporters actually received the money from a German organization and Tamil exiles with no connection to the Tamil Tigers.  The money was going to be used by the reporters to help Tamil students and fund an outreach website in Sri Lanka.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the fact that these reporters were beaten during the first few days of detention, and demands that Sri Lankan authorities explain why they are still being held.

For more information, please see:

Reporters Without Borders - Tamil journalists arrested and beaten by police acting on wrong information - 12 March 2008

BRIEF: After Many Protests, Pakistani President Sets Date for Parliament

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- President Pervez Musharraf announced today on state-run television that the newly-elected parliament will meet on March 17th.  The opposition coalition government (see Impunity Watch article here) has been putting pressure on the President to convene the parliament since it was elected on February 18th.

When the President declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution on November 3rd, he also detained judiciary leaders including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.  Lawyers have been protesting Musharraf and these detentions ever since, and at a recent rally in Rawalpindi they again called for the President's resignation.  At this rally, Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of the lawyers movement in Pakistan, said: "Our struggle is to make Pakistan a state where the judiciary is independent, and what Musharraf did to the chief justice is an example of how under him no judge is ever independent."  The lawyers have also come out saying that the parliamentary elections are not enough proof that Musharraf is dedicated to democracy.  They have planned a week of anti-Musharraf demonstrations, called Black Flag Week after the arm bands protesters have been wearing.

The coalition government between the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was confirmed this Sunday.  When they convene on March 17th, the coalition and their other allies will not comprise the two-thirds majority necessary to impeach Musharraf, however they will have enough parliamentary votes to undermine his authority if they so choose.

For more information, please see:

BBC News - Date set for Pakistan parliament - 11 March 2008

New York Times - Lawyers Rally Against Musharraf Government - 8 March 2008

Impunity Watch - BRIEF: Tear Gas Fired on Lawyers in Pakistan Monday - 4 March 2008

Impunity Watch - BRIEF: Pressure on Musharraf to Convene Parliament - 27 February 2008

BRIEF: Four Years Later No Arrests in Lawyer’s “Disappearance”

BANGKOK, Thailand – On March 12, 2004 Somchai Neelappaijit was kidnapped while in his car and has not been seen since. Somchai Neelappaijit, a chairman of Thailand’s Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, had just begun a lawsuit alleging widespread police torture of Muslims in the southern border provinces.

One month after his disappearance, five Thai police officers were arrested and charged only with coercion and gang robbery. They could not be charged with murder because Somchai Neelappaijit’s body could not be found, and they could not be charged with kidnapping because Thai criminal code only specifies kidnapping for ransom. After a highly criticized trial, only one police officer was convicted of coercion. However, he later was released after successfully filing an appeal.  

Little has occurred in the Somchai Neelappaijit’s case since the trial. However, Human Rights Watch [HRW] urges the new Thai government to take steps to ensure the guilty officers are brought to justice. Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, said, “Somchai’s case is a clear test for the new Thai government. Successive governments have engaged in a cover-up to hide the identities of the authors of this heinous crime. Four years later, no steps have been taken to hold these officials accountable.” Adams added, “Muslims in southern Thailand have told us that the government’s failure to solve ‘disappearances’ leaves them with the perception that justice for them is disappearing as well,”

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Thailand : End Official Cover-Up in Lawyer’s “Disappearance” – 11 March 2008

United Press International Asia – No Justice for Disappeared Thai Lawyer – 6 March 2008

Chinese Dissidents Detained and To Stand Trial for Criticisms

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

BEIJING, China – Chinese prosecutors have decided to try Hu Jia, a prominent dissident, on subversion charges. Also, Chinese authorities have recently released Teng Biao, a human rights lawyer, after detaining him for two days.

Hu Jia is an advocate for AIDS sufferers and Tibetan-autonomy. Hu Jia was detained in early December for “inciting subversion of state power.” Hu Jia was under house arrest prior to his December-arrest for nearly a year. He chronicled his experience in essays on the internet and videos. He also often spoke with foreign reporters.

Many local and international groups have called for his release; however, prosecutors said they had accepted the police’s case and would bring him to court. Subversion charges are typical for dissidents that are heavily critical of the Communist party, and a conviction may lead to several years in prison.

Teng Biao is a human rights lawyer and part-time professor. A few days ago, he was detained by Chinese authorities while on his way home to his family. Witnesses said he was dragged into a car with two men in the parking lot of his apartment building.

Forty-one hours after his detainment, Teng Biao was released. In statements, he reported that he was not physically harmed but was intensively questioned at an unknown location. He also stated that he was sternly warned about recent internet articles he authored. However, Teng Biao refused to discuss the incident further because officers had cautioned him against speaking out.

In an essay Hu Jia and Ten Biao together wrote an essay denouncing the Communist ruling party. The two dissidents wrote: “Is China improving its human rights record? When you come to the Olympic Games in Beijing, you will see skyscrapers, spacious streets, modern stadiums and enthusiastic people. Please be aware that the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion, no independent courts, no independent trade unions; where demonstrations and strikes are prohibited.”

For more information, please see

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Reported Missing – 7 March 2008

The Jurist – China Rights Activist to Stand Trial on Subversion Charges – 8 March 2008

NY Times – Chinese Lawyer Says He Was Detained and Warned on Activism – 9 March 2008

Reuters – China Dissident Hu Jia to Stand Trial: Lawyer – 8 March 2008

UPDATE: Barisan National Party Wins Simple Majority

Photo at Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – According to the Election Commission, the Barisan National Party won a simple parliamentary majority. However, the coalition lost control of three states, which include Kedah, Penang, and Kelantan.

The coalition had earlier held a 90 percent majority, but according to experts it will have major setbacks in these elections. Final results are still being tallied. However, the opposition is claiming victory in five state assemblies and at least one-third of the seats in the federal parliament.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Malaysia PM’s Coalition Wins Simple Majority – 8 March 2009

BRIEF: Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Reported Missing

BEIJING, China - Teng Biao, a Chinese human rights lawyer, who has defended dissidents and called on the Communist Party to improve its human rights record ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics, is missing.  Teng's wife and friends fear that the police may have secretly detained him.  Teng has belonged to a group of young Chinese activists who have used test cases, online petitions and media publicity to campaign for stronger rights under the Chinese Communist Party.

In recent months, Mr. Teng has attracted attention because of his commentary on China’s record on human rights and his call for the release Hu Jia, an outspoken Beijing dissident who faces subversion charges after spending much of last year under house arrest.  He also warned last month that Beijing's Olympic Games, which opened on August 8, had led to some retreat in China's human rights. A rights activist who spoke to Teng recently said he appeared "deeply downcast and under pressure", partly because state security officers had confiscated his passport and a deadline loomed for deciding whether to challenge their act in court.

Mr. Teng disappeared on Thursday evening after calling to say he would be home in 20 minutes, said his wife, Wang Ling. Shortly afterward, she said, she heard shouting in the parking lot below the family apartment and later found her husband’s empty car. Witnesses told her that two men had dragged someone out of the car and taken him away.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune - Chinese rights activist reported missing - 07 March 2008.

New York Times - Chinese Rights Activist Reported Missing - 08 March 2008.

Reuters - China rights lawyer disappears and feared detained - 07 March 2008.

Malaysians Denied a Fair Vote

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

PENANG, Malaysia – Ahead of general elections for the national parliament on March 8^th, the ruling Barisan National party has taken steps to deny Malaysians a fair vote. Human Rights Watch as called the elections “grossly unfair to the opposition.” To retain their majority, the Barisan National party has restricted free expression, controlled media outlets, and encouraged irregularities in the electoral process.

The Barisan National party is attempting to retain their majority in the national parliament because their two-thirds majority allows them to amend the constitution at will. Opposition parties currently hold only 9.6 percent of the vote.

Opposition parties have attempted to hold rallies, but police have refused to issue the proper permits that are required for gatherings of more than four people. However, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahman Badawi on March 1 was able to hold a rally of 20,000 supporters without incident.

Media outlets have also been severely restrained. An election observer in Malaysia reported to Human Rights Watch that there had been no presence in the media by the opposition party. In addition, all private-to-air channels are owned by the United Malays National Organization [UMNO]. UMNO is a founding member of the ruling coalition and Malaysia’s largest political party. 

Irregularities in the electoral process have sparked concerns that the Barisan National party will attempt to manipulate the elections. Voter registrations have been transferred in mass to other districts, changes of address had not been reflected in assigned polling stations, and deceased voters are still enrolled to vote.

In addition, plans to end the introduction of indelible ink during voting on Saturday suggested another possible manner to manipulate voting. The indelible ink would have prevented phantom voting and multiple voting.

In recent months, there have been several outbreaks of protest and violence as a result of ethnic tensions. (please see: Ethnic Indians Protest Discrimination). Because of the increasing calls for change, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahman Badawi called for early elections. (please see: Brief: Malaysian Parliament Dissolved to Call Early Elections).

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch - Malaysia: Citizens Denied a Fair Vote – 5 March 2008

IPS – POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Plans Afoot to Rig Polls Say Opposition Parties – 5 March 2008

Taipei Times – Malaysians Will be Denied a Fair Vote: Activists – 6 March 2008

 

BRIEF: Human Rights Watch Reports on Sri Lankan Disappearances

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka- Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report today detailing the Sri Lankan government's responsibility for widespread abductions and disappearances.  The report follows government actions taken since the civil war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) resumed in 2006.

The government has been accused of taking people into custody and then not disclosing their whereabouts or denying that they are holding them all together, a violation under both the Sri Lankan constitution and international law.  Most of these people are ethnic Tamils, although some are Muslims and Sinhalese.  They are abducted because of their possible involvement with the LTTE. 

The government denies that their security forces are involved in abductions, and does not believe there is a national crisis.  They have created bodies to investigate possible disappearances, but HRW has found that these bodies are shams and have not reached any real results.

The HRW report documents 99 of several hundred reported cases.  Four of those cases are outlined on HRW's website here.

According to HRW, "President Mahinda Rajapaksa, once a rights advocate, has now led his government to become one of the world’s worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances.  The end of the ceasefire means this crisis will continue until the government starts taking serious measures."

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch News - Sri Lanka: 'Disappearances' by Security Forces a National Crisis - 6 March 2008

Human Rights Watch Publications - Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for "Disappearances" and Abductions in Sri Lanka - March 2008

Security tightened in Beijing ahead of China's 11th National People's Congress (NPC)

Protesters outside the NPC meetings hall

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - Hundreds of thousands of police, security guards and volunteers patrolled Beijing to usher in China's annual session of parliament.  Under China's Constitution, the NPC is China's highest law-making body. More than 2,000 delegates from across the country are in Beijing to attend the NPC.  The country's 55 minority groups are all represented, as are the armed forces.  Delegates also come from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.  It provides delegates with a chance to pass on their views.  But because all power rests with the Chinese Communist Party, NPC delegates will merely approve party decisions. 

Petitioners often come to Beijing during NPC, looking for a chance to let officials know about their particular grievances. But they are usually harassed and detained by security officials.  Petitioners told Radio Free Asia’s Mandarin service that authorities in the Chinese capital have detained around 1,000 people with grievances against the government ahead of the country’s annual parliament.

Huang Caipiao, a shrimp farmer seeking compensation for business losses following his forced eviction, has made 15 petitioning trips to the capital, yielding nothing but a year in jail. He tried to petition the Supreme Court, but was intercepted by Beijing police as he headed towards the national prosecution service. 

Shanghai resident Cai Zhengrong, who has been trying to get compensation after his house was demolished to make way for luxury apartments, was detained shortly after arriving in Beijing to petition the central government, he told Reuters.  These stories are becoming increasingly familiar across China as local officials and big business cash in on soaring land values, pushing rural families from the land with little or no compensation.

Around 1,200 petitioners wrote an open letter to the NPC calling for greater recognition of the rights violations they had suffered at the hands of officials.  While government Web sites have invited Internet users to air their grievances, authorities have taken great measures to ensure their complaints are not delivered to NPC delegates in person. 

For more information, please see:

BBC - Main issues at China's parliament - 04 March 2008.

Radio Free Asia - China Detains 1,000 Petitioners Ahead of Parliament - 04 March 2008.

Washington Post - China muzzles capital ahead of annual parliament - 02 March 2008. 

BRIEF: Human Rights Activists' Letter to Uzbek President

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, "the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown."  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor's office and the Uzbek Ombudsman's office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service - RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: 'EU Must Take Away the Cover' - 5 March 2008

BRIEF: Tear Gas Fired on Lawyers in Pakistan Monday