By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TOKYO, Japan – Japan and five Southeast Asian nations in the Mekong region ended a successful summit meeting on Saturday with Japan promising more than $5.5 billion in loans and grants in the next three years.

Japan’s prime minster said that the Mekong region comprising Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand is a “priority area” for Japan’s official development assistance.  The Mekong region is one of the poorest areas of Southeast Asia, isolated and marred by war and political turmoil.

The prime minister released a statement saying, “We strongly recogni[z]ed the need for further strengthening of Mekong-Japan relationship and cooperation to maximi[z]e the potential of the Mekong region.” 

A Japanese official from the foreign ministry added, “Japan plans to expand our humanitarian aid and assistance for human resources development….”

Accordingly, Japan’s prime minister plans to increase aid to Myanmar, a country criticized by the international community for its human rights abuses, including the detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Japan has given about $31 million worth of aid to Myanmar in the past.  The aid came mostly as disaster relief and humanitarian assistance since Japan has been reluctant to provide loans and grants to countries criticized for human rights violations.

The goal of the leaders at the Summit was to boost development through cooperation, and they agreed on a plan that would promote development, protect the environment and combat climate change.

The participants at the meeting also stated that they “expect” the Myanmar government to take “more positive steps in its democrati[z]ation process” and called for transparent elections next year.

The Japanese prime minister has been advocating for an EU-style Asian community and has been committed to strengthening economic development in Asia.  The Summit also came at a time when tensions between Thailand and Cambodia are increasing because of Cambodia naming Thailand’s fugitive ex-premier as Cambodian government adviser.
For more information, please see:

Asia One – Japan to increase aid to Myanmar: PM – 8 November 2009

Channel News Asia – Japan steps up aid to Mekong nations – 7 November 2009

Straight Times – Japan-Mekong talks wrap up – 7 November 2009

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Government officials in Malaysia seized and continue to refuse the release of 10,000 Bibles sequestered for using the word “Allah” to refer to God. Officials maintain their position after announcing their plan to withhold the Bibles on Wednesday, November 4.

The Bibles were apprehended by the Malaysian customs services, and according to a Home Ministry official, the government told the importer to return the Indonesian-language Bibles last month.

 The tension stems from the use of the word “Allah” in the Bibles, which is banned by the government for use by non-Muslims in an apparent act to appease Muslims. According to the same Home Ministry official, “the publications, the Bibles, are already banned.” He declined to make further comment, indicating that he is not authorized to make public statements.

Christians in Malaysia say the Muslim Malay-dominated government is violating their right to practice their religion freely. About 30 percent of the country’s 28 million people practice Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or other faiths. The concern is that Malaysia will no longer be regarded as a peaceful nation. The Christian Federation of Malaysia, which had called for the release of all Bibles, described the seizure as “ridiculous and offensive.” The government maintains that the Arabic-origin word “Allah” is an Islamic word and its use by Christians and others will upset Muslims.

Bishop Ng Moon Hing, chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia said, “This constitutional right (to practice freely) is rendered illusory if Christians in Malaysia are denied access to Bibles in a language with which they are familiar.” 

In addition to the 10,000 most recently seized by the Malaysian government, another 5,100 Bibles, also imported from Indonesia, were confiscated in March and have not been released. There is apparently no immediate information on those Bibles or whether the publications will be released or returned in the near future.

For more information, please see:

MSNBC World News – Malaysia rejects call to release 10,000 Bibles – November 8. 2009

BBC World News – Malaysia withholds ‘Allah Bibles’ – Novmeber 4, 2009

The Jakarta Globe – 10,000 Indonesian Bibles Seized in Malaysia for Using the Word ‘Allah’ – November 6, 2009 

Associated Press – Malaysian government has refused to release 10000 Bibles – November 4, 2009

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia 

KABUL, Afghanistan- In his first comments since Hamid Karzai was declared to have won the fraud-hit election, former Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said Karzai’s reelection is “illegal” and his government a failure.  Abdullah told reporters in Kabul that Karzai’s government would lack the legitimacy needed to deal with problems such as checking corruption and fend off the Taliban. 

Article 21 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.”  This article also declares, “The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government, this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine election which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

President Karzai was declared the winner after Abdullah withdrew from a run-off election on Monday saying the vote would not be free or fair.  He contended that he was not quitting as a concession, but because he could not trust the process.

The scrapped run-off vote was originally planned for this weekend.  President Karzai agreed to the run off after hundreds of thousands of votes from the 20 August first round were discounted because of widespread fraud.  An investigation by the Electoral Complaints Commission revealed that President Karzai’s share of the vote dropped to 49.67%, below the required 50% plus one vote threshold needed to avoid a run-off.

Because the fraud which occurred in the August round affected the ability of the Afghan people to freely elect their representatives, their right to vote was diminished.  The reelection of President Karzai could be considered as not being genuine as Abdullah has alluded to since some of the population’s votes were not counted.

Abdullah said the decision of the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) not to have a run-off had “no legal basis”.  “Such a government which lacks legitimacy cannot fight corruption…A government which comes to power without the people’s support cannot fight the phenomena of terrorism threats, unemployment, poverty and hundreds of other problems,” he told reporters.

He said the election commission, which critics believed was biased towards Karzai, had exceeded its mandate.  Critics have called Karzai’s victory unconstitutional since he did not secure more than half of the vote.

Although his words were sharp, Mr. Abdullah said that he saw the flawed Aug. 20 election as finished and that he did not plan to continue his efforts to challenge the results.  He said “The process has completed itself with that final illegal decision,” referring to the IEC.  “I leave it to the people of Afghanistan to judge.”

The former foreign minister has urged his backers to remain peaceful.  He also called on his supporters to show restraint and not do anything illegal to oppose the government.  Karzai has promised his new administration will be inclusive, but Abdullah has ruled out playing a role in the administration, despite pressure for a unity government.  “I have no interest in the future cabinet of Karzai’s government and I will pursue my agenda, which is change,” he told the news conference. 

This crisis has delayed decisions by the US and NATO partners on sending more troops to fight the Taliban insurgency, in addition to paralyzing the Afghan government for months.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Afghan Election Victory ‘Illegal’ – 4 November 2009

The New York Times- Karzai’s Top Rival Denounces Afganistan’s New Government– 4 November 2009

Examiner.Com- Karzai Opponent: Abdullah Abdullah Says Re-election Was Illegitimate– 5 November 2009

United Nations- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– A Chinese dissident, freed recently after spending eight years in prison, is seeking Obama’s help in gaining medical parole for two friends jailed with him for forming a political study group.

Yang Zili sits in an interview in Beijing, Wednesday, November 4, 2009 after being imprisoned for eight years. Yang seeks PrResident Obama’s help in gaining medical parole for two friends still imprisoned for forming a political study group. Photograph courtesy of MSNBC.com. 

Yang Zili appealed to President Obama in a letter on behalf of those who were arrested with Yang. Yang said he felt an obligation to help his friends, who are ill, and Obama may be able to raise their cases with Chinese leaders during his trip to Beijing next month.

By writing to President Obama, Yang risks being re-arrested because the terms of his parole ban him from political activities. In an interview on November 4, Yang said, “I have no choice but to take this risk because I feel I have a responsibility to help them.” He went on to say that, “If I don’t make an appeal that is particularly on behalf of these two people, they might just slip through the cracks.”

Yang was released after serving eight years of his ten year sentence for his involvement in the New Youth Study Group, an informal group of young professionals and academics that met privately to discuss democratic reform. The group was known as the “four gentlemen of Beijing.” Their gatherings indicated to many that China remained intolerant of political dissent. When Yang and his friends were arrested and given their harsh sentences, this notion was further confirmed.

While imprisoned, the other two members of the “four gentlemen of Beijing,” Xu Wei and Jin Haike, suffer from mental problems and sickness as a result of “an appendectomy that went badly,” according to Yang.

Yang and fellow-former member of the New Youth Study Group, Zhang Honghai wrote and signed a letter explaining their situation to President Obama. A copy of the appeal was emailed to the U.S. Embassy. Yang urges President Obama to persuade President Hu Jintao to give the men amnesty or medical parole. He says the study group did nothing illegal.

 In the letter Yang and Zhang plead that, “As the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the president of the greatest democratic country in the world, you have tremendous influence with the Chinese government and its people.” In talking about the letter, Yang states that “Whether or not this letter is effective depends on how much Obama cares about human rights in China.”

Yang and Zhang are not alone. Many Chinese, political activists and religious dissenters especially, are eager to see whether President Obama will take a stand on human rights during his first trip to China as president on November 15. Other letters express similar concerns and seek freedom for detained activists and a stronger line on human rights concerns from the administration.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo! World News – Chinese activist risks jail with letter to Obama – November 5, 2009 

Forbes – Chinese activist risks jail – November 6, 2009 

MSNBC World News – Chinese activist risks jail with letter to Obama – November 5, 2009

By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The European Union (EU) recently imposed a deadline on Sri Lanka’s human-rights report.  The consequences of failure to adhere to the EU deadline include a termination of trade concession worth up to $116 million dollars under the GSP Plus program.  The GSP Plus program functions to allow Sri Lanka tax-free exports to Europe on principle products such as domestic garments.  Only fourteen countries in the world currently enjoy such an economic relationship with the EU.

The tariffs cut would entail significant economic ramifications for Sri Lanka, while European countries would face minor inconveniences such as price increases for Sri Lankan import textiles.  The refusal for second-round tariffs would have the effect of eliminating thousands of jobs in Sri Lanka’s textile industry.

The Sri Lanka report to the EU must demonstrate the progress of the Sri Lankan government’s resettling initiatives for the hundreds of thousands internally displaced persons following the end of a twenty-five year war against the Tamil Tigers insurgency group.  Since the defeat of the Tamil minority’s fighting force, the Sri Lankan government has been confining scores of Sri Lankan nationals in refugee camps.  Due to the inadequacy of essential resources, dwellers in the camps, jointly funded by the UN and the Sri Lankan government amongst other groups, endure sub-human conditions.  Furthermore, recent flooding has increased the risk of water-borne diseases spreading in the camps.  Weather-worn roads have also made transportation of food and clothing to the camps difficult.  

The EU report concerning Sri Lankan’s practices include allegations of indiscriminate killing of civilians and arbitrary imprisonment.  EU officials stated that the observations made by the Sri Lankan government in its reports would be scrupulously examined before the EU can further consider the continuation of trade concessions.  The EU’s intense scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s government practices seems to stem from the Sri Lankan government’s prior failures to fulfill promises expedient resettling of internally displaced persons.  Furthermore, the international community expressed skepticism with the Sri Lankan government’s claim of conducting internal investigations in the form of a screening process to identify rebel attacks amongst the encamped civilians.

Sri Lankan officials voiced their dissatisfaction of apparent lack of clarity in some of the EU’s reporting demands.  The Sri Lankan government claims to have responded to specific human rights issues raised by the EU, although it never mentioned whether or not it compiled a full report until this morning (November 6).  The EU has yet to send its response to the Sri Lankan government.

Without the continuation of the trade concession, Sri Lanka’s textile workers will lose their business to other Asian countries such as Vietnam, India, and China.  The job cuts would be massive, and the inability to freely export garments would significantly strain Sri Lanka’s economic interests.  Considering the submission of the report, the EU suggested that it will continue discussions with Sri Lanka concerning the continuation of trade concessions.  

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Sri Lanka faces EU tariffs – 05 November 2009

Lankaweb – Sri Lanka’s observations on EC GSP Plus report handed over – 06 November 2009

Tamil Guardian –Sri Lanka hardens stand on GSP Plus – 29 October 2009