By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan – 20,000 people from Taiwan’s gay and lesbian community took the streets of Taipei Saturday demanding that the government better safeguard gay rights and their lifestyle choices.  The marchers, shouting the slogan “Love Out Loud,” specifically asked for equal rights and recognition of same sex marriages.

This was Taiwan’s seventh annual Gay Pride Parade and attracted supporters from neighboring Asian countries like Hong Kong and Japan. 

Tung Chu-chu, the chief organizer of the march, said, “We urge the government to better protect gay human rights including same-sex unions so we can have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.” 

Another participant, Nancy Chen, added, “I hope the government will not only legalise same-sex unions but also allow us to adopt children.”  Chen said, “Even though Taiwan is becoming more open-minded towards gays, many still think that gay people can have romantic relationships but not something as serious as starting families.”

Gay rights activists in Taipei.  Courtesy of MSN.

A Taiwanese professor Ho Chuen-juei said this parade is not only to raise the voices of the gay, lesbian and transgender community, but also to fight prejudice and discrimination.

Taiwan is actually one of the most tolerant Asian countries regarding homosexuality.  Taiwan is said to have the most vibrant gay community in Asia, and its parade is the largest among the Chinese-speaking communities.

Furthermore, in 2003, Taipei’s mayor began subsidizing the annual Gay Carnival.  However, the funding for the Carnival as decreased over the years, in addition to some recent cases of suppression of homosexuals.  Also in 2003, Taiwan became the first Asian country to draft a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, but the bill still has not yet been passed.

Tung criticized the Taiwanese government for not passing the anti-discrimination legislation saying, “We love the people around us, but sometimes the society and the government don’t love us, or even see us…The government made us lots of empty promises, but so far they haven’t come through.”

Despite the government’s inaction, the organizers of the parade remain hopeful and plan to expand the parade to other parts of Taiwan next year.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Thousands march in Taipei for gay marriage – 31 October 2009

GMA News – Taiwan’s gays march for enactment of anti-discrimination measure – 31 October 2009

Taipei Times – Gay pride throngs Taipei streets – 1 November 2009

The Times of India – 20,000 march in Taipei for gay rights – 31 October 2009

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia     

 

Jakarta, Indonesia- Indonesia has stated the 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers stranded in a boat off the coast of Sumatra must either cooperate with authorities over identity checks or risk expulsion.

The Sri Lankans were caught in Indonesian water on 18 October while attempting to reach Australia.  Both nations agreed to a deal last week which would see the asylum seekers moved to an Indonesian detention center.  The Sri Lankans, ethnic Tamils who are on board the Australian vessel “Oceanic Viking” have refused to be moved to Riau Island, an immigration detention center in Tanjungpinang, said an Indonesian diplomat. “The Sri Lanka immigrants insist on going to Australia instead,” said Sujatmiko, the foreign ministry’s diplomatic security director.

The asylum seekers numbering 68 men, five women and five children, were detained by Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking, 240 miles from Padang in waters near Enggano Island.

Teuku Faizahsyah, Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesperson told the BBC that Indonesia will only be able to host the asylum seekers until they have been clearly identified.  The asylum seekers have so far resisted any efforts to get off the ship.  Faizahsyah says that if the stand-off continues, Indonesia will have no choice but to expel the Sri Lankans.

Indonesia could not force them to move to the Riau Islands’ immigration detention center because it would violate international law.  The refugees initially rejected health check-up by an Indonesian medical team but finally gave up after being persuaded by members of the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry’s team.

“Today the Oceanic Viking ship is still in water around 12 miles off the Bintan District coast,” said Sujatmiko.  The permission by the Indonesian government allowing the ship to moor near Cempedak Isle expires next Friday.  Sujatmiko denied a report saying that Indonesia had received US$50 million as compensation for accepting Sri Lankan immigrants, stating the government was willing to accept the asylum seekers because of humanitarian reasons.

The deal has been seen as a prelude to a wider-ranging agreement between the two nations expected to be signed in November.  The agreement would see Australia hand over cash to Indonesia, in exchange for Jakarta ensuring that Australia-bound ships with asylum seekers on board are intercepted.  The agreement has been criticized by some in Indonesia who say it is only a way for Australia to outsource its problems to their country.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Indonesia ‘Might Expel’ Refugees  – 29 October 2009

Antara News- Sri Lanka Refugees to Budge From Australian Ship – 28 October 2009

Sri Lanka Watch- Australia Refuses to Accept SL Asylum Seekers  – 30 October 2009

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KABUL, Afghanistan –   As women lined up to cast their ballots at various national voting stations, the event was tarnished by fraud and corruption. One man cast 35 votes for female relatives. Others lugged in sacks full of voting cards they claimed had been collected from women voters. In a village of only 250 people, 200 women supposedly voted in three hours.

Unfortunately, these stories are not unfamiliar. In Afghanistan‘s recent presidential election in August, one very sensitive area was that of fraud as women exercised their right to vote. The same speculation and concern remains present as the election on November 7 draws near for the runoff between President Hamid Karzai, and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Analysists are concerns as the stakes are so high.

Accepting the presence of fraud as it relates to allowing women to vote, the situation cannot be resolved in the weeks just before the election. There is a general acceptance of proxy voting by male relatives on behalf of female family members. In such circumstances, many women have expressed their reluctance to vote, primarily because of the threats of violence and polling centers that swarm with men. Further, those women who do brave the polling centers and are able to cast their ballots are often uneducated and therefore more easily manipulated.

Despite the uncertainty of how deeply rooted or how significant the impact of fraudulent women voting will be on the results in November, there is increasing speculation that women’s polling stations were more problematic than men’s since officials have not yet released the list of women’s polling stations.

This Photograph, taken August 20, 2009 shows Afghan women voters lining up to cast their ballots. Image Curtesy of Associated Press.    

According to a U.N. report, back in August, men arrived at voting stations carrying and submitting hand-fulls of female voter cards. Poll workers permitted these ballots to be cast without argument. The report further revealed that in some cases, men dragged in sacks full of cards supposedly for their female relatives. Under this sort of sporadic and unregulated election scheme, Theresa Delangis, part of a team working on election issues with the U.N. women’s fund, commented, “It allowed for women’s votes to be manipulated. Block voting, proxy voting, or there were just no women at the polling stations and those ballots were used for fraudulent votes.”

Concern remains as observers indicate that Afghanistan is no more of a safer voting environment now than it was two months ago. Election officials claim they have plans to recruit more women, but there is no reported progress to-date, as government workers are apparently waiting on a report of gender related proposals to the voting process.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – Intimidation and Fraud Observed in Afghan Election – October 31, 2009 

Yahoo! World News – Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election  – October 30, 2009 

Khaleej Times – Fraud surrounds women in Afghan election – October 31, 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TOKYO, Japan –Japanese and international organizations sent a joint letter to Japan’s new justice and foreign ministers asking that the country’s new administration pressure Burma to end human rights abuses against minority groups.

The letter urged Japan to “urgently review its policies to protect the Rohingya both in Japan and Burma,” and to grant residential permits to Rohingyas in Japan.  In addition, Japanese government was asked to rescind their deportation order against Burmese asylum seekers.

The Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted minority groups in Burma, and the Burmese government refuses to grant Rohingyas legal status in Burma, which leaves this minority group stateless.

Human Rights Watch reported that human rights violations against the Rohingyas include extrajudicial killings, religious persecution, forced labor, and restrictions on movement.

Kanae Doi, Tokyo director of Human Rights Watch, said, “Tokyo’s silence sends a message to Burma’s generals that their horrendous persecution of the Rohingya can continue…The Rohingyas have faced persecution…and mistreatment in the countries where they seek refuge.  The Japanese government should ensure their protection….”

In the past ten years, 110 Rohingya refugees have entered Japan and have petitioned the Japanese government for asylum.  However, although reports of forced repatriation do not exist, Rohingyas in Japan have been denied refugee status or have received deportation notices.

Japan has traditionally been reluctant to pressure Burma regarding human rights issues.  However, the signatories of the letter asked that Japan’s new government “make human rights a central pillar of Japanese foreign policy” by pressuring Burma to stop the human rights abuses and to grant Rohingyas full citizenship rights. 

Rohingya mother and child at a refugee camp by the Burma/Bangladesh border.  Courtesy of BBC.

Human Rights Watch also released a photo essay and report on the Rohingyas.  The report points to insufficient international attention to this issue and documents the exodus of Rohingyas from Burma to Bangladesh, in addition to focusing on the 20-year long persecution of Rohingyas inside Burma, especially in the Arakan state.

The drafters of the letter also held a public event in Tokyo concerning the treatment of Rohingya refugees in Japan.

For more information, please see:

Asian Tribune – The Rohingya Refugees: Victims of Exploitation – 5 October 2009

Democratic Voice of Burma – Japan ‘should protect’ Burmese Rohingya – 29 October 2009

Human Rights Watch – Japan: Protect Burmese Rohingya Seeking Asylum – 29 October 2009

Human Rights Watch – Joint letter to Japanese Justice Minister and Foreign Minister on Rohingya – 29 October 2009

By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COX’S BAZAAR, Bangladesh – Enduring a 30-year history of persecution in their native land, members of the Rohingya Muslim minority continue trying to elude human rights abuses under the Burmese junta.  The Rohingyas, who generally reside in the state of Myanmar, have been able to cross into neighboring nations such as Bangladesh and Thailand to escape impunity.  However, the recent construction of a razor-wire fence along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, across which many Rohingyas traverse in search of freedom from subjugation, further undercuts the Muslim minority groups’ reach for liberation.

The razor-wire barrier effectively eliminates one of the Rohingya peoples’ only routes to less hostile territory.  Though the Bangladesh government neither recognizes nor welcomes the Rohingyas, hundreds of thousands of them reside in makeshift camps in Bangladesh.  Although the U.N. attempted a repatriation into Myanmar for the Rohingyas in 2005, government threats of higher oppression of the minority Muslim group ended the initiative.

By keeping the Rohingyas within Myanmar borders, the government may continue to exploit and abuse them.  The Burmese government persistently denies Rohingya Muslims any form of national citizenship and continues to force the minority group into labor.  The Myanmar government also has a history of executing military operations against civilian Rohingyas.  In 1978, an army operation called “Nagamine” targeted Rohingya civilians living illegally in Myanmar and entailed the destruction of schools, mosques, and other structures.    

Considering the disposition of the ruling powers of Myanmar, Rohingya refugees in Thailand and Bangladesh cannot return to their homes.  Effectively disallowed from re-entering Myanmar borders, the Rohingyas must live under derisory, unsanitary conditions of refugee camps with a scarcity of food and clothing.

Bangladeshi authorities have also taken measures to prohibit more Rohingyas from entering the country.  Border patrol used to arrest and imprison Rohingya peoples attempting to cross into Bangladesh illegally.  However, given the significant number of refugees attempting to cross, Bangladeshi jails quickly became filled with Rohingya escapees looking for solace in Bangladesh.   Operations recently began to send new Rohingya refugees back to Burmese land.

Bangladeshi officials released statements saying that the Rohingya minority places a social and economic burden upon Bangladesh.  Although relief funds from Germany and numerous human rights organizations help maintain the refugee camps, the Bangladeshi government refuses to allow the Rohingyas to indefinitely remain within the nation’s borders.

Without a home to find peace, it seems the plight of the Rohingyas will continue to plague the group until the international community devises an effective means to secure the minority groups’ rights.   

 

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Rohingya suffer in Bangladesh camps – 28 October 2009

Burma Library – Bangladesh-Myanmar Relations and the Stateless Rohingyas – June 2001

Mizzima – Germany donates $430,000 for Rohingya relief in Bangladesh – 17 October 2009

ReliefWeb – Bangladesh expels Rohingyas – 16 October 2009