Asia

North Korea Ignores Advice to Improve Human Rights

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

GENEVA, Switzerland – North Korea has rejected a series of recommendations from the United Nations (UN) to improve its “appalling” human rights record.

In its response, North Korea’s Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ri Chol, rebuffed 50 of the 169 recommendations by the UN. 

At a meeting held on Thursday, Ri said that the recommendations arose out of animosity towards North Korea are aimed at undermining the North Korean regime.  Ri specifically stated that North Korea does not recognize UN’s human rights envoys.

UN urged North Korea to end capital punishment and public executions, forced labor, and military training for children.  The recommendation also included allowing UN human rights envoys to visit Pyongyang as well as improving human rights for the socially weak and allowing reunions of families separated by the Korean War.

The UN recommendation came on the heels of a reported high-profile execution by a firing squad of a former top North Korean government official.  The government official was executed for causing the current inflation and economic crisis in North Korea resulting from last year’s currency reform.

The last high-profile execution took place in 1997 when Pyongyang executed the director of Agriculture Ministry who was blamed for the famine that killed estimated two million North Koreans back in 1990’s.

In addition, Pyongyang has continuously refused to allow UN’s special human rights rapporteurs to investigate first-hand the human rights situation in the country. 

However, “Those who wanted to find some silver lining in the gray clouds of North Korea’s human rights record had pointed to North Korean participation in Geneva at least as evidence that North Korea wanted to put its side of the story,” said Mark Fitzpatrick from International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Nonetheless, members of the UN, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and France, have expressed their disappointment with North Korea’s response.

For more information, please see:

The Christian Science Monitor – North Korea spurns UN push to stop executions and torture – 19 March 2010

RTT – North Korea Shuns UN Recommendations On Improving Human Rights Record – 19 March 2010

Yonhap News – N. Korea rejects U.N. recommendations on human rights – 19 March 2010

Protesters In Thailand Stage Rally in Bangkok

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand- Anti-government demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok to press their case for the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call fresh elections. Many of the residents are in support of the protest to add pressure on the six party coalition government.

On Saturday thousands joined the protest on Saturday that consisted of motorcycles, vans and trucks that stretched up to eight kilometers along Bankok’s thoroughfares.  Government officials had warned residents to remain at home to avoid being caught in the traffic congestion.

The convoy came after a week of protests by the red wearing demonstrators who have targeted the 15-month-old government of Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, calling on him to dissolve the parliament and call elections.  In addition to the convoy, other protests which occurred during the week included the pouring of blood on key government administrative buildings in ritual ceremonies.

The demonstrators, also known as the Red Shirts, are led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship, or UDD, have the support of the main parliamentary opposition group, the Puea Thai Party.

Both of these groups are supporting the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted from power in a coup in 2006.  The groups claim that Mr. Abhisit’s coalition government is illegitimate as it came after courts removed two pro-Thaksin Government since 2007 elections.

Mr. Abhisit said in recent media comments that he will not b pressed to take the country to elections at the moment but is willing to hold talks with protest leaders.  Representatives from both sides are due to meet on Sunday.

Mr Thaksin is still in exile because of a two year jail sentence for corruption.  Because of the populist economic policies he held while in office, he maintains support from the northern rural areas, along with the poor and low income groups.  The middle class accused Mr. Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power while in office, in particular his government’s attacks on the media, and his perceived attempts to control all branches of power, including parliament and independent government agencies.

The protests have been peaceful so far.  The government was forced to enact security laws and bring in the military when anti-government demonstrations held in April of last year turned violent.

For more information, please see:
English.xinhuanet.com- Thai Anti-Gov’t Protesters End March In Bangkok Peacefully– 20 March 2010

Chinese Authorities Support the Detention of Lead Poison Victims for Months

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JIAHE, China – Police stopped a bus carrying 53 villagers suffering from lead poisoning. The citizens were traveling to get medical care when the officials blocked the bus.

In September 2009, police in Jiahe, Hunan province, prevented a vehicle occupied by parents and children who were contaminated by illegal emissions of heavy metals from a rural smelting factory. The factory in Jiahe was operated by Tenda Corporation, a company that had been ejected from other, wealthier areas because of its dismal pollution record. The regional government in Jiahe allowed the factory to operate despite warnings from the local environmental department that the plant was breaking toxic emission regulations. Jiahe is one of China’s poorest counties and needed the funding that Tenda Corporation offered. The cost, however, was the health of local citizens.

The officials not only stopped and questioned the vehicle filled with sick passengers, the police detained two of them for six months, mistakenly believing the villagers were planning to protest. The local government responsible for stopped the sick passengers was unapologetic for causing the tremendous delay.

According to Ou Shudong, the chairman of the local People’s Congress, “The villagers’ intentions were unclear. Even if they were going for a medical examination, they should have informed the government.” Beijing News cited a Jiahe county report as saying the punishment of a few people “served the purpose of public education for the majority.”

Other government officials tried to justify the event and the prolonged detention by responding to an investigation of the incident, “We may have blocked the wrong visit, but they should not have been on that road,” stated Li Ying, deputy secretary of Jiahe county political and legislative committee.

This type of occurrence is not unheard of, as it reveals the feudal control that local officials exercise over citizens in much of rural China. It also exemplifies the widespread strategy of stifling dissent by making an example of suspected insurgents, a tactic known as “killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.”

Recent testing results since the September detention confirmed that the passengers were in fact in dire need of health care, and were not attempting to protest. The latest results, received on 24 February 2010, revealed that 250 of the 397 children in the village had excess levels of lead in their blood. The victims included four of the five children of Liao Mingxiu, one of those still in police detention. Further investigative reports state that local people complained of health problems and unusually outrageous behavior and poor performance in school among children, but local petitions to the authorities were ignored for more than three years.

Nevertheless, Chinese authorities still defend the six-month detention of lead poisoning victims, claiming it was a punishment necessary for “public education.”

For more information, please see:

Tibetan Review –Mistaken punishment justified as education for majority – 19 March 2010

The Sydney Morning Herald – Poisoning victims used as an example – 19 March 2010

The Guardian –China defends detention of lead poisoning victims who sought medical help – 16 March 2010

Death Penalty Sparks Debate in Taiwan

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Capital punishment has stirred up a debate in Taiwan, leading to the resignation of the country’s justice minister and a letter from Amnesty International to the country’s president.

Taiwan has not carried out executions in the past four years and just last week, Taiwan’s Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng affirmed that no executions would take place during her term.

However, her comment drew heavy criticism from the Taiwanese public, which resulted in her speedy resignation.

Like many of its neighbors, Taiwan has not abolished the capital punishment system and reserves death penalty for serious crimes, e.g., aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Furthermore, opinions polls show that there is a widespread public approval of capital punishment and that sentiment has not diminished over the years.  In an interview conducted by United Daily News last week, 74% of the interviewees in Taiwan said they support capital punishment. 

Conversely, Taipei Bar Association’s Human Protection Committee is working to end capital punishment. 

Hsueh Chin-feng who heads the Committee said, “We have a long way to go before Taiwan formally abolishes the death penalty.  Wang’s resignation has dealt a further blow to the cause of ending capital punishment. . . .”

Amnesty International also sent a letter to Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou urging him to end death penalty and set an example for other Asian countries to follow.

The letter said, “We [Amnesty International] look to Taiwan as a leader in the region on progress toward abolition. . . The lives of the 44 inmates on death row must not be comprised . . . Taiwan should . . . abolish capital punishment in row or practice.”

One of the death row inmates, Su Chien-ho, was initially sentenced to death back in 1995.  Su spent most of his adult life on death row for murder.  He went through series of trials, and another retrial has been ordered by Taiwan’s Supreme Court.

Rights activists argue that Su’s situation exemplifies a flawed death row case.  Other activists have expressed concern over the risk of executing the innocent.

In another public opinion poll, only 35% of Taiwan’s public said that they view life imprisonment as an acceptable replacement of capital punishment.

For more information, please see:

Taipei Times – Capital punishment debate stirs up Taiwan – 20 March 2010

Taiwan News – Death penalty row risks Taiwan’s image – 19 March 2010

Taiwan Today – Amnesty International urges Ma to end death penalty – 19 March 2010

US Continues Drone Strikes in Pakistan

By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NORTH WAZIRISTAN, Pakistan – The US government continued its drone-striking campaign against the Taliban over the past week.  This time the government killed at least two alleged pro-Taliban fighters in the tumultuous northwestern region of Pakistan.  The two attacks, which included direct hits in North Waziristan, occurred within an hour of each other on Wednesday according to Pakistani officials.  The first attack included a series of four missile strikes aimed at a departing vehicle in Miran Shah, an important center in North Waziristan.  This initial four-missile strike also razed a residence which was close to the targeted vehicle.  The second attack consisted of a three-missile strike in Madakhel, another town approximately 40 km from Miran Shah.

These particular missile strikes occurred after a recent US drone strike killed at least eleven peoples all suspected to be agents acting in allegiance with the Taliban.  Previous attack, along with the latest couple of drone missile strikes, demonstrates a pattern of concentrating the targeted killing of pro-Taliban fighters in North Waziristan.

Although the US drone attacks have been an effective means of killing Taliban supporters, their continual use and adverse effects have come under immense scrutiny on a number of occasions.  The UN and the international community, along with many NGOs and other human rights groups, have made numerous human rights violations claims.  There has been a history of significant collateral damage caused by the US drone strikes.  Many opponents of US drone attacks have claimed that the strikes cause an unconscionable arbitrary loss of civilian lives.  Although unintended casualties are to be expected in the theater of war, those challenging the legality of US drone strikes have determined that the high rate of civilian death supersedes allowable collateral damage.

Furthermore, there have been conflicting views of whether or not the US drone strokes constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life and property without due process.  The CIA, which has control over conducting the missile strikes, does not release public statements regarding their attacks, but has continually defended the legality of implementing drones.  However, the intelligence organization has yet to release a statement responding directly to the myriad human rights violations it has allegedly perpetrated.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Pakistanis die in US drone raids – 17 March 2010

BBC News – US drone strike in Pakistan ‘killed key al-Qaeda man’ – 17 March 2010

Radio Free Europe – US Drone Strike Kills Five in Northern Pakistan – 17 March 2010

The US government continued its drone-striking campaign against the Taliban over the past week.  This time the government killed at least two alleged pro-Taliban fighters in the tumultuous northwestern region of Pakistan.  The two attacks, which included direct hits in North Waziristan, occurred within an hour of each other on Wednesday according to Pakistani officials.  The first attack included a series of four missile strikes aimed at a departing vehicle in Miran Shah, an important center in North Waziristan.  This initial four-missile strike also razed a residence which was close to the targeted vehicle.  The second attack consisted of a three-missile strike in Madakhel, another town approximately 40 km from Miran Shah.

These particular missile strikes occurred after a recent US drone strike killed at least eleven peoples all suspected to be agents acting in allegiance with the Taliban.  Previous attack, along with the latest couple of drone missile strikes, demonstrates a pattern of concentrating the targeted killing of pro-Taliban fighters in North Waziristan.
Although the US drone attacks have been an effective means of killing Taliban supporters, their continual use and adverse effects have come under immense scrutiny on a number of occasions.  The UN and the international community, along with many NGOs and other human rights groups, have made numerous human rights violations claims.  There has been a history of significant collateral damage caused by the US drone strikes.  Many opponents of US drone attacks have claimed that the strikes cause an unconscionable arbitrary loss of civilian lives.  Although unintended casualties are to be expected in the theater of war, those challenging the legality of US drone strikes have determined that the high rate of civilian death supersedes allowable collateral damage.
Furthermore, there have been conflicting views of whether or not the US drone strokes constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life and property without due process.  The CIA, which has control over conducting the missile strikes, does not release public statements regarding their attacks, but has continually defended the legality of implementing drones.  However, the intelligence organization has yet to release a statement responding directly to the myriad human rights violations it has allegedly perpetrated.