Human Rights Lawyers Denied License Renewal in China; U.S. Navy Ships Leave Myanmar After Aid Efforts Rejected 15 Times; Nepal Detained 250 Pro-Tibetan Protesters

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China - A China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Groups said that the Beijing Judicial Bureau has refused to renew the licenses of a number of Chinese human rights lawyers before an annual deadline.  Human Rights Watch named two of the denied lawyers as Teng Biao and Jiang Tianyong, both of whom have distinguished records of defending civil and human rights cases, and offered to represent Tibetans.  Human Rights Watch report suggested that the Chinese government was denying licenses in a bid to discourage vocal criticism of its human rights record.

Teng said, “The bureau officials didn’t directly say why my license wasn’t approved.  But I know from what’s been said before that it was because of the Tibet issue.”  Jiang also said his law firm had been told his license was being held up because he had been representing sensitive cases and officials had told him could reconsider his application in June if he takes the right steps.  “Obviously, they want me to drop any sensitive cases,” Jiang said.  Some lawyers have privately denounced the bureau’s actions as “large-scale blackmail,” designed to deter law firms from getting involved in cases that may be embarrassing to the government.

According to the Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, Sophie Richardson, Beijing is trying to intimidate the legal profession by suspending these two lawyers and threatening not to renew many licenses.  The goals are to deter lawyers from representing human rights cases, and to deter firms from employing lawyers who want those cases.

For more information, please see:

AP - Chinese lawyers unable to renew licenses - 30 May 2008

Jurist - China human rights lawyers denied license renewals - 30 May 2008

Human Rights Watch - China: Rights Lawyers Face Disbarment Threats - 30 May 2008

Reuters - China rights lawyers say licenses blocked after Tibet call - 30 May 2008

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YANGON, Myanmar - U.S. Navy ships loaded with supplies for victims of Myanmar's cyclone will return to U.S. today, after the ruling junta refused for three weeks to allow them to deliver aid.  "We have made at least 15 attempts to convince the Burmese government to allow our ships, helicopters and landing craft to provide additional disaster relief for the people of Myanmar, but they have refused us each and every time," Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of US Pacific Command said.  "I am both saddened and frustrated to know that we have been in a position to help ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people and help mitigate further loss of life, but have been unable to do so because of the unrelenting position of the Burma military junta," he added.

The Myanmar Junta has permitted U.S. military planes to fly supplies into Yangon.  But the junta has refused to permit foreign military helicopters to carry supplies into the remote areas. The World Food Program is also trying to get 10 civilian helicopters operating in Myanmar. A spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, Paul Risley said, "these helicopters represented immediate heavy-lift capacity in the delta."  However, the junta contends that it has adequate resources for the cyclone relief job.

The White House criticized Myanmar's ruling junta for refusing to allow U.S. Navy ships to help their country deal with devastating cyclone.  "These assets were immediately deployed to Myanmar in the spirit of goodwill to offer extensive and life-saving assistance to the victims of Cyclone Nargis," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "Tragically, the Burmese authorities refused to accept this assistance."  On the other hand, Myanmar's state media has said it feared a U.S. invasion aimed at seizing the country's oil deposits.

For more information, please see:

AFP - US ships to leave cyclone-hit Myanmar after junta snub - 3 June 2008

BBC - US aid ships to leave Burma - 4 June 2008

CNN - U.S. ships set to leave Myanmar; aid undelivered - 4 June 2008

Reuters - U.S. warships to leave Myanmar after aid refused - 4 June 2008

Washington Post - U.S. Navy Ends Bid to Ferry Storm Relief Into Burma - 4 June 2008

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KATHMANDU, Nepal - Nepali police detained at least 250 Tibetan exiles as they staged a protest in front of a Chinese embassy building, located in downtown Kathmandu, police and witnesses said.  The protesters waved flags of the Tibetan government-in-exile and shouted "Liar China," "Free Tibet," and "Stop the killing in Tibet".  They also blocked the traffic and clashed with police, with one being reportedly injured.  "Some of them are from India," sources with the Nepali police said, "You can see some of them contact each other in the Hindi language and even some banners were written in the Hindi language."

Tibetans in Nepal, backed by Dalai Lama's exile government Indian, have been launching almost daily anti-China protests since mid-March.  "Hundreds of Tibetans carried out disturbances outside the Chinese embassy, which they are carrying out almost everyday nowadays, severely disturbing the normal working order of the embassy," the Chinese embassy said in a statement. 

However, the protests were suspended after the massive earthquake hit China in May.  "We took a break to pay respects to the victims of the earthquake, but we are compelled to continue our protests as China is not addressing the problems in Tibet," Tashi Lama says before being dragged into a van by five police officers.

Nepal officially respects the "One China" policy that sees Tibet and Taiwan as indivisible parts of China.

For more information, please see:

AFP - Nepal police detain 250 protesting Tibetans - 5 June 2008

AP - 250 Tibetan exiles are detained in Nepal - 5 June 2008

XinHua - Nepali police arrest 250 Tibetan separatists - 6 June 2008