By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – After Sri Lanka’s final victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels, the country continues to grapple with the issue of postwar resettlement.

Approximately 280,000 Tamil civilians remain detained, finding themselves living inside barbed wire fences in large tents. Despite challenges to their detention from various human rights agencies, the government maintains that their detention is an imperative security measure. Security in the detention facilities continues to be tightened with limited humanitarian access. Vehicles of aid organizations have been barred after the military suggested they were smuggling out members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Resettlement remains an issue for the Sri Lankan government who have not yet produced a clear plan. No details have been shared with the UN who have ample experience in this area and are willing to provide greater assistance.

The Sri Lankan government has maintained a closed door policy on these matters and have publicly refuted accusations of mismanagement and human rights violations during and after the fighting. There has been little or no probe of the military’s tactics during the fighting, and claims implicating the army’s indiscriminate shelling of civilians have been swept under the rug. Earlier this week a presidential panel set up to investigate human rights abuses during the fighting was also shut down.

Sri Lanka maintains a firm stance on state sovereignty since it has often been undermined in developing countries by the world’s super powers. However that being said, some level of intervention is necessary in order to investigate and respond to matters of human rights – especially when 280,000 displaced civilians are at stake.

For more information, please see:

Christian Science Monitor – Sri Lanka’s Post-war Resettlement Stalls – June 19, 2009

NPR – Sri Lankan Tamils Ponder Future – June 19, 2009

Tamil Sydney – Rising Threat of Post-war Disappearances – June 19, 2009

The Hindu – Sri Lanka Not to Allow Visits to Tamil Camps – June 19, 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia– After a week of negotiations, 20 families with HIV/AIDS were evicted from their homes in Cambodia today.  The families have been forced by the Cambodian government to move out of the Borei Keila community in central Phnom Penh and resettle in Tuol Sambo, which is known as the “AIDS village” by the locals.

Families have been protesting the move for months, complaining that they would have no means of income or medical care at the new location.  Tuol Sambo has no clean water or electricity, and the homes are made of metal sheets.  Most families are not in the position to battle the authorities, and they fear that they will face further discrimination by living in Tuol Sambo.

A man carries his belongings as another resident watches before being transported to the new resettlement site (Source: AP)

Amnesty International has condemned the move calling it “segregation,” and added, “The site’s long distance from the city hampers access to health services and jobs…[t]he families have urgent humanitarian needs…[t]here is a real risk that the health of the evicted families will deteriorate there.”

However, the Cambodian government is claiming that the families had illegally settled on government land where the authorities now wish to build new offices for Ministry of Tourism.

Last year, around 23,000 Cambodians were evicted from their homes and another 150,000 are at risk of facing eviction due to land disputes and commercial development projects.  Human rights organizations said evictions are a major social problem hurting Cambodia’s stability.

Furthermore, according to the 2008 estimate by the UN, 75,000 Cambodians are infected with AIDS and 100,000 have died due to AIDS-related causes, which is the highest in Southeast Asia.  The government is trying to decrease its HIV/AIDS prevalence to 0.6% by 2010 and have allocated about $50 million to combat the disease.

Despite the government’s efforts, Director of Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights Naly Pilorge said, “It is tragic that the government has chosen to create a permanent AIDS colony where people will face great stigma and discrimination.”

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Amnesty International Condemns Cambodian Government’s Eviction of 20 Families Living with HIV/AIDS – June 18, 2009

Kaiser Daily Reports – Cambodia Aims to Decrease HIV/AIDS Prevalence to 0.6% by 2010 – 6 April 2009

MSNBC – Cambodian authorities evict HIV-affected families – 18 June 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A mine collapsed on Tuesday, triggered by a methane explosion, killed at least 28 people and injured several others on the island of Sumatra. However, the numbers continue to rise, and it is believed that 14 people are still trapped.

Seventeen others sustained serious burns in the explosion, and many of them are hospitalized. Rescuers from nearby cities of Sawahlunto and Solok have been dispatched and are trying to rescue those trapped.

A member of the Padang search and rescue team said, “We received reports of the collapsed mine around midday Tuesday. Thirty people are feared still in the mine when it collapsed, while the other nine have been pulled out.”

The current mine collapse is reminiscent of numerous others in Asia in the recent past. Several Asian countries continue to conduct dangerous mining with limited regard to safety. Last year China lost over 77 people in at least three mining accidents that occurred in July and September respectively. In a separate mine blast in 2007 China saw a death toll as high as 105 according to Chinese news sources.

Developing countries with extensive mining operations remain at a risk for fatal accidents. Perhaps the international community should strive for more stringent safety and precautionary requirements in order to curb the danger miners face when conducting such operations.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Indonesian Mine Explosion – June 16, 2009

United Press International – Indonesian Mine Tragedy – June 17, 2009

CNN – Mine Collapse in China – July 6, 2008

CNN – Deaths Rise in Indonesian Mine Collapse – July 17, 2009