By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

Myanmar’s new freely elected parliament opened this week, signifying an official end to almost fifty years of military rule in the country.

In November 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy Party (NLD), led her party to win a majority of the parliamentary seats against the leader of the then-ruling military party, Thein Sein. Mr. Thein Sein, who during his presidency worked to move toward a civilian run government, gave a speech last week promoting Myanmar’s democratic transition.

The military’s influence in Myanmar’s government is not completely eliminated, however, as military members retain one-quarter of the parliamentary seats. Members of the new parliament have also chosen U Ti Khun Myat as deputy speaker, despite his belonging to the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP). Lawyer U Win Myint, part of the NLD, will serve as speaker.

At least 110 out of the 390 NLD members in the new parliament are prior political prisoners. Ms. Suu Kyi herself was placed under house arrest after her party won Myanmar’s national election in 1990, with the military annulling the results and refusing to hand over power. She remained under house arrest for almost two decades.

Mr. Thein Sein’s duties as president will end in March, but Ms. Suu Kyi is unable to take his place due to a constitutional provision prohibiting those with foreign family members from becoming the president. Both of Ms. Suu Kyi’s sons have British citizenship, as did her husband before his death in 1999. Ms. Suu Kyi has, however, been elected as the chairman of the upper house of the new parliament

There are several other individuals being considered for the presidency, including lawmaker Daw Su Su Lwin and former military commander U Tin Oo. The new parliament will select the next president among three official vice president nominees later this month.

Among the challenges that the new parliament will face are highly prevalent poverty rates, environmental and economic troubles, and continuing violence against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group often persecuted by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority.

 

For more information, please see:

Bloomberg – Myanmar Parliament Elects Suu Kyi Ally as Upper House Chairman – 3 February 2016

The New York Times – First Freely Elected Parliament After Decades of Military Rule Opens in Myanmar – 1 February 2016

NPR – Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party Takes Control of Myanmar’s Parliament – 1 February 2016

Voice of America – Myanmar Parliament Sworn In; Next President Unknown – 1 February 2016

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

MANILA, Philippines –

A small number of former Philippine comfort women continued peaceful protests during Japanese Emperor Akihito’s state visit to the Philippines last week. In his talks with Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, Mr. Akihito failed to address the issue of the comfort women, who were forced into sexual slavery by members of the Japanese military during World War II.

Mr. Akihito’s state visit marks the 60^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines. Mr. Akihito met with Mr. Aquino during his state visit and addressed the Japanese military’s World War II atrocities, but made no mention of the comfort women.

A presidential spokesman for Mr. Aquino stated last week that the issue of the comfort woman should be addressed by Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, instead of the emperor. Mr. Akihito’s position is largely ceremonial, but he has earned the respect of the Japanese people and may be in a prime position to apologize to the Philippine comfort women.

While the plight of Korean women forced into sex slavery during World War II is well known, there were also many comfort women who came from China and the Philippines. Researchers believe that over 1,000 comfort women came from the Philippines. 70 of those women are still alive.

One prior Phillipine comfort woman, Hilaria Bustamante, was abducted by Japanese soldiers in 1943 and taken to a Japanese garrison, where she was raped multiple times a day for 15 months. Ms. Bustamante is the oldest living Philippine comfort woman at this time, and says she will join street protests to continue the campaign to secure formal reparations from Japan.

In December 2015, Japan issued a formal apology to the South Korean women who were forced into sex slavery, along with a $8.3 million reparation payment. Japan has not made similar apologies to the comfort women of other countries, including the Philippines. Japan has made reparation payments, but those payments come from the private sector instead of the Japanese government. The former Philippine comfort women want formal reparations from the Japanese government itself instead, as well as recognition of their ordeal in Japan’s history books.

The issue of the Philippine comfort women may be overshadowed by the substantial trade agreements between Japan and the Philippines as well as their shared concern over China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea. Both Japan and the Philippines have territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea.

 

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – In Philippines, World War II’s Lesser-Known Sex Slaves Speak Out – 29 January 2016

Manila Bulletin – PH’s WWII Sex Slaves Demand Justice From Japan – 26 January 2016

Al Jazeera – Filipino Comfort Women Seek Talks With Japan’s Emperor – 25 January 2016

International Business Times – Japanese Emperor Visits Philippines Amid World War II Sex Slave, South China Sea Issues – 25 January 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

Chinese authorities have ordered a prominent women’s legal aid center in Beijing to shut down. The Beijing Zhongze Women’s Legal Counseling and Service Center, a product of the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, was not given a reason for the closing.

The center, led by attorney Guo Jianmei, was set up as an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) at Peking University and later moved to Beijing. The center provided legal assistance concerning rights issues regarding domestic violence, child custody, land rights, and employment for twenty years.

At the time of the center’s founding, China was struggling to receive international acceptance following the Tiananmen Square massacre a few years earlier. The center’s opening was symbolic because it signified a significant move toward greater civil freedoms.

The center’s closing shocked many women’s rights advocates. In the past, it has been China’s official policy to promote gender equality and the status of women. China had also just expressed its dedication to women’s rights at the United Nations conference in September. The center had a good reputation and Chinese authorities seemed to tolerate the work that the center was doing, according to Maya Wang of advocacy group Human Rights Watch.

Colleagues of Ms. Guo believe that authorities shut down the center in part because of its foreign funding. The center was unable to receive domestic funding because its work did not conform with governmental objectives. In the past, Chinese authorities have been known to blame independent advocacy organizations of taking money from foreign entities that want to destabilize the country.

The high-profile cases that the center had taken in the past could also have contributed to its closing. One of the center’s most high profile clients was Li Yan, a woman sentenced to death for murdering her husband. Ms. Li’s sentence was commuted by a court last year.

The closing of the center is only one of the many measures the Chinese government has taken recently to curb the civil liberties of its citizens.

 

For more information, please see:

Shanghaiist – Chinese Authorities Order Beijing-based Women’s Legal Aid Center to Shut Down – 30 January 2016

South China Morning Post – Leading Woman’s Rights Group to Shut Down as China Tightens Squeeze on Civil Society – 30 January 2016

The New York Times – China is Said to Force Closing of Women’s Legal Aid Center – 29 January 2016

China Digital Times – Guangzhou Activists Sentenced; Beijing Women’s Legal Aid Center Closed – 29 January 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

KATHMANDU, Nepal –

Police shot and killed three ethnic Madhesi protesters in Rangeli, Nepal last week. The killings occurred amidst continuing political discord over Nepal’s new constitution.

Protesters disrupted a pro-constitution rally run by the Youth wing of Nepal’s governing Communist Party last Thursday, according to Toyam Raya, the chief district officer of the region. The event was organized to honor Nepal’s current prime minister, K. P. Oli.

The United Madhesi Front, a group that has organized most of the Madhesi protests, reportedly warned the Youth wing of the Communist Party not to have its rally. The United Madhesi Front also said that it would disrupt any attempt to honor Prime Minister Oli.

Protesters began to throw stones at police, at which point the police fired tear gas at them and attempted to use batons and blank shots to control the crowd. When those tactics did not work, the police then opened fire on the protesters.

The number of injuries is unclear at this time. Mr. Raya states that eight protesters and 13 police officers were wounded during the conflict, while the Madhesis say that 35 people were injured.

The Madhesis have repeatedly called for changes to the new constitution, primarily because it redraws the boundaries of Nepal’s provinces. The redrawn districts, according to the Madhesis, deny them adequate political power and representation. They have called for the districts to be redrawn so that electoral constituencies are based on population and proportional representation. Members of the Madhesis have held talks with Nepali authorities on the issue, but those talks have failed to end in agreement.

Nepal’s parliament proposed a constitutional amendment in an attempt to quell the protests, but the Madhesis rejected the amendment this week. Laxman Lal Karna, a member of the United Democratic Front, says that the amendment was incomplete and failed to address the Madhesis’ concerns.

Since the introduction of the new constitution in September 2015, over 50 people have been killed in confrontations between police and protesters. Protesters have also blocked supplies coming in from India, leading to a severe fuel shortage in Nepal.

 

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Nepal Police Fire on Madhesi Protesters, Killing at Least 3 – 21 January 2016

Voice of America – Police Fire on Protesters in Southern Nepal; 3 Killed – 21 January 2016

Business Standard – 3 Killed in Police Firing as Madhesis Clash with CPN-UML – 21 January 2016

ABC News – Ethnic Protesters in Nepal Reject Constitutional Amendment – 24 January 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

A student who traveled to North Korea as a tourist has been detained for a “hostile act”, according to North Korea’s state-run media. Otto F. Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, has been accused of entering North Korea with the intent to bring down the foundation of North Korea’s “single-minded unity”.

Mr. Warmbier traveled to North Korea with Young Pioneer Tours, a China-based company that organizes trips to North Korea. The company released a statement saying that Mr. Warmbier had been detained in Pyongyang on January 2 as he went through customs. It appears that Mr. Warmbier was about to travel to China when he was detained.

Young Pioneer Tours also stated that it was in contact with Mr. Warmbier’s family and the Swedish Embassy, which offers consular assistance to Americans in North Korea. KCNA, North Korea’s state-run news source, has disclosed that Mr. Warmbier is currently under investigation. Further details about Mr. Warmbier’s detainment are currently unknown.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Mark Toner, has stated that the State Department is aware that Mr. Warmbier has been detained and that the Department is working with the Swedish Embassy to address the situation. The Swedish Embassy represents U.S. interests in North Korea, as the U.S. and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations with each other.

Other Americans have been detained by North Korea in the past, often for activities seen as subversive due to their religious or political nature. The U.S. State Department and Canada’s government have warned against traveling to North Korea because of the westerners who have been detained there. Despite the warnings, around 6,000 westerners continue to travel to North Korea every year.

Mr. Warmbier is the third westerner known to be held in North Korea at this time. The others include a Korean-American detained on spying charges and a Canadian pastor who allegedly plotted to overthrow North Korea’s government.

 

For more information, please see:

CNN – North Korea Arrests American Student for ‘Hostile Act’ – 23 January 2016

BBC News – North Korea Arrests US student for ‘Hostile Act’ – 22 January 2016

The New York Times – North Korea Says It’s Holding U.S. Student for ‘Hostile Act’ –22 January 2015

Reuters – North Korea Detains U.S. Student on New Year Trip for ‘Hostile Act’ – 22 January 2016