ASEAN Civil Society to Hold First Hearing on CSR

Southeast Asia civil society’s first public hearing on Corporate Social Responsibility and ASEAN will be held in Jakarta on Monday, May 2, from 10am-4pm. The venue is the Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) office, Jl. Diponegoro No. 74, Jakarta Pusat […]

Hiding Behind Its Limits: A Performance Report on the first year of the AICHR

The establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on 23 October 2009, is a milestone in the history of the regional organisation and deserves congratulations. The Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TFAHR) offers this critical performance assessment of first year of AICHR based on its core documents, structure, appointment process, institution building, mandate implementation, handling of cases and external relations. It examines AICHR’s progress, achievements and shortcomings in addressing the human rights situation in Southeast Asia […]

Think tank set to support ASEAN rights body

The ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) finally gets a think tank to help it carry out its duty, with the establishment of the Human Rights Resource Center for ASEAN (HRRCA).

HRRCA chairman Marzuki Darusman said Tuesday the HRRCA was forged to conduct training and research that would support the AICHR’s work […]

20-26 September: Demonstrations and Media Crackdowns Mark 3rd Anniversary of Saffron Revolution

Today marks the 3rd Anniversary of the Saffron Revolution when tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators led by Buddhist monks took to the streets of Burma’s cities, triggered by an overnight 500% increase in fuel prices on 15 August 2007. The protests escalated to hundreds of thousands of monks, nuns, and citizens participating in over 150 protests across the country. On 26 September, the SPDC launched a violent crackdown, arresting over 3,000 people and raiding monasteries. At least 31 people were killed […]

Demonstrations and Media Crackdowns Mark 3rd Anniversary of Saffron Revolution

Today marks the 3rd Anniversary of the Saffron Revolution when tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators led by Buddhist monks took to the streets of Burma’s cities, triggered by an overnight 500% increase in fuel prices on 15 August 2007. The protests escalated to hundreds of thousands of monks, nuns, and citizens participating in over 150 protests across the country. On 26 September, the SPDC launched a violent crackdown, arresting over 3,000 people and raiding monasteries. At least 31 people were killed […]

It Is AICHR’s Turn to Move Forward to Promote and Protect Human Rights in Southeast Asia

On the issue of Burma, we remain deeply concerned that AICHR has stayed silent on the ongoing widespread and systematic violations of human rights that constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, as defined by international law. These violations include torture, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced labour and the recruitment of child soldiers, and are committed in a pervasive culture of impunity […]

Submission to the AICHR Meeting, 20-24 September in Kuala Lumpur

More than 50 civil society and people’s organizations from Southeast Asia participated in the Third Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights, organized by the Solidarity for Asian Peoples’ Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA-TF AHR), from 16-18 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The consultation produced this submission to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights ahead of its meeting on 20-24 September 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. This submission concerns the status of AICHR’s Rules of Procedure, its work plan and the drafting process of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration […]

Week 27: 2010 Election Watch (7-13 September)

Developments

• The Myanmar Democracy Congress and the Myanmar New Society Democratic Party failed to field at least three candidates as required by the SPDC election laws. Myanmar Democracy Congress General Secretary Kaung Htet announced that the party would boycott the upcoming elections because of the SPDC Election Commission’s “unacceptable and unsatisfactory” actions […]

Thai AICHR Rep Calls for ‘Open Doors’ in Burma

The Burmese military government should accept the UN’s proposed Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma if the regime wants to prove it has transparency, said a Thai representative at an Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) […]

Open Letter to ASEAN Coordinating Council

Dear Excellencies,

We urge the ASEAN Coordinating Council, during this ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to firmly discuss Burma’s failing democratic transition, egregious international crimes, and additional actions that violate the ASEAN Charter, SEANWFZ, and other international agreements. ASEAN is endeavouring to move towards greater regional integration by 2015. However, in order to take the region to a higher plane, ASEAN must be willing to take stronger measures to deal with the region’s rogue state. […]