By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILA, Philippines – A freelance journalist Carlos Conde, who regularly writes for The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune, has been named as an enemy target in a list titled “order of battle” compiled by the Filipino Army.  The list names individuals who are not doing anything illegal, but are nevertheless killed with impunity.

“Why my name is included in the ‘order of battle’ is a mystery,” said Conde.  “[T]his [list] has caused anxiety and fear in my family, because, as we all know, an ‘order of battle’ in the Philippines is a veritable hit list.”

Carols H. Conde (Source: Asia Sentinel)

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that the Filipino government’s failure to end the culture of impunity against journalists and the media has given the country a reputation for being one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world.

Since President Gloria Arroyo took power in 2001, more than 60 journalists have been killed.  Six out of the seven journalists killed in the Philippines in 2008 were murdered, and two journalists escaped murder attempts in February of this year.  Most recently, on May 20, 2009, a journalist was shot and wounded in Zamboanga Sibugay, a southern province of the Philippines.  The Committee to Protect Journalist released a report in March stating that 24 murder cases of journalists remain unsolved in the Philippines, which is one of the world’s highest number of media killings.

“The Government of Gloria Arroyo-Macapagal (sic) must accept responsibility not just for its silence on impunity against journalists but for actively encouraging suspicion and violence against the Philippines media community,” said IFJ’s Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park.

Conde suspects that his time as one of the coordinators of National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, during which he staged local campaigns protesting against murders of journalists, may be the reason for his inclusion in the hit list.  Media rights activist groups are urging the Filipino government to immediately clarify this situation.
For more information, please see:

Asia Sentinel – A Filipino Journalist and a Hit List – 19 May 2009

Committee to Protect Journalists – Philippine Journalist alleges he is on military ‘hit list’ – 20 May 2009

GMA News – Gov’t urged to explain journalist’s inclusion in Army ‘hit list’ – 28 May 2009

Reporters Without Borders – A journalist on army target list, another shot, possibly by soldier – 22 May 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KACHIN, Burma – Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) found new evidence of human rights violations in Burma.  CSW said they heard horrifying, first-hand testimonies of rape, religious discrimination, land confiscation, and human trafficking of ethnic minorities in Kachin State of northern Burma.

Benedict Rogers, CSW’s East Asia Team Leader, said ethnic Kachin people, especially women, live in constant fear of the Burmese soldiers, yet no one dares to intervene.  Rogers also said that despite the ceasefire between the ruling junta and the Kachin Independent Organization, people of Kachin continue to suffer severe restriction, discrimination, and military impunity.

Villagers fleeing Burma Army troops (Source: AP)

CSW report included an account of a local pastor who was forced by the Burmese military to make a speech at a public rally denouncing human rights campaigners and claiming complete religious freedom.  Furthermore, CSW spoke with a 21-year old student who was raped and strangled by Burma Army soldiers.  The rape victim did file a complaint and requested investigation, but no action was ever taken.  She merely received 100,000 Kyats for medical care, a rice bag, and cooking oil.

“Many rape cases in Kachin State go unreported because victims are afraid and [too] ashamed to report it. There are many more cases we don’t know about,” said Rogers. He added, “No women are safe in Kachin State.”

Kachin Development Networking Group’s Chairman Awng Wa, who works inside Burma, described the current situation by stating that, “You can hear of rape cases everywhere, if there is a military camp set up.  But no one dares to complain because they are afraid that it could create… more repression.”  The Chairman further added, “Land confiscation and forced labor are common too.”

According to Rogers, the Kachin people feel forgotten by the international community.  He said, “It is time that their voices are heard, and that the international community responded to the political, social, humanitarian and environmental disaster in northern…Burma.”
For more information, please see:

Chinland Guardian – CSW: Chin and Kachin Face Brutalities in Burma – 25 May 2009

The Christian Post – CSW Uncovers More Evidence of Human Rights Abuses in Burma – 25 May 2009

Christian Today – SCW uncovers more evidence of human rights abuses in Burma – 25 May 2009

Mizzima News – Junta violations severe in Northern Burma: CSW – 25 May 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ALIGARH, India – Nearly 100 human skulls were found in a dried up pond in the Northern Indian city of Aligarh. The remains belonged to people whose bodies the police were unable to identify.

The discovery was made by children playing in the pond after it had dried up. The children located several skulls, after which police officials were notified. Police officials recovered approximately 98 more skulls alongside other bones and human remains. The bodies appear to have been there for at least a decade.

Local officials commented that the bodies most likely belonged to victims of road accidents, inconclusive shootings, and the like, and the police disposed off the bodies in the pond in order to avoid having to organize cremations. Aligarh city police chief, Maan Singh Chauhan, said he suspected this had been going on for two decades and many junior-rank officials could be responsible.

Several human rights groups in India are appalled at this recent discovery and have accused the police of being callous. A senior official of the Uttar Pradesh State Human Rights Organization, Asish Shukla, said “even dead bodies deserve honorable cremation after post mortem…It seems the dead bodies were just thrown in the pond, denying them the respect they deserve.”

In a region that is known to house rampant human rights violations where even the living are often accorded no respect, it comes as no surprise that the dead are treated the same.

For more information, please see:

CNN – 100 Skulls Found in Indian Pond – 25 May 2009

AOL News – Skulls Found in India – 25 May 2009

ABC News – 100 Human Skulls Found in India – 25 May 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– China’s Ministry of Public Security arrested Zhang Weizhu, one of the most wanted criminals for human trafficking in China.  Zhang is the third suspect to be arrested after the Chinese police launched a nationwide campaign against human trafficking in April.

Despite the efforts by the Chinese police, the parents of kidnapped children claim that the government efforts are not enough to curb this growing social problem.  The parents are prevented by the police and neighborhood security committees from staging protests to bring attention to the problem.  A parent of a missing child with the surname Mo said, “On the day we planned to hold the protest, the police kept watch at the bus terminal and intercepted us.”

Parents who try to report their missing children to the authorities are often met with refusal by the police, and the local media has failed to publicize information regarding the abducted children.  A mother with the surname Deng said, “The TV station demanded a note from the police station proving that our child was really missing.”  She added, “But the police station said this was a big criminal case and…cannot be publicized.  They said it would have a bad effect on society.”

Young Chinese girl in Anhui Province (Source: AFP)

Nevertheless, Zhang Xinfeng, the Vice-Minister of Public Security, released a statement urging all authorities to continue their efforts in cracking down on the human trafficking rings and to compile a DNA database to identify the missing children.

There is apparently a huge market for children in China, and both boys and girls are being trafficked.  260 children were freed after the Chinese police solved 312 child trafficking cases since the campaign started in April, and there is a reward of 50,000 yuan ($7,326.55) for information leading to the arrest of the suspects on the top 10 most wanted list.
For more information, please see:

China View – China arrests most-wanted suspect in human trafficking cases – 22 May 2009

People’s Daily Online – Vice police chief vows to strike against human trafficking – 15 May 2009

Radio Free Asia – China Vows Action on Trafficking – 21 May 2009

Shanghai Daily – Police net third trafficker – 22 May 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PESHAWAR, Pakistan– The fierce battle against the Taliban in Pakistan has taken to the streets. As the Pakistani military advances towards Mingora; the stronghold of the Taliban in Swat, the number of civilian casualties has exponentially increased. Civilians on ground and international agencies blame the Taliban and the army equally.

In response to the Pakistani military’s advancement, the Taliban have heavily mined Mingora and prevented many civilians from fleeing. The UN based Human Rights Watch said that the Taliban were using innocent civilians as “human shields” to deter attack. Human Rights Watch further reported that the Pakistani army itself was not taking precautionary measures when conducting aerial and artillery attacks which has resulted in even more civilian casualties.

Defense and political analyst, Talat Masood, reported that the Pakistani army was engaged in a frontal combat; something even the US troops did not engage in extensively in Afghanistan. As a result of this fight, the enemy is vulnerable and in close firing range from the army.

The civilians are just as close.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Pakistani Troops Fight the Taliban on the Streets – 18 May 2009
Daily KOS –A FailSafe Plan to Reduce Civillian Casualties – 21 May 2009
South Asia News – Pakistanis Angered over Civillian Deaths – 19 May 2009