By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—

Gunmen dressed as Pakistani security forces stopped two buses in Mastung on Friday night and shot at least 22 ethnic Pashtuns. The buses were traveling from Quetta to Karachi. It is unclear why the Pashtuns were targeted by the gunmen.

Around 15-20 gunmen checked passengers’ identity cards on the buses, looking for Pashtuns. Officials say that some Pashtun passengers were shot while on the bus, while others were lined up outside of the buses and shot there.

About 35 of the passengers were kidnapped by the attackers, according to Sarfaraz Bugti, the home minister of Baluchistan. The bodies of 22 passengers were later found a short distance away from the highway where the buses were stopped.

Hundreds of troops have been carrying out a search for the attackers across the Mastung District. Officials state that at least five victims of the attack have been rescued.

Mastung is located in southwestern Pakistan and is about 40 miles from Quetta, the provincial capital of the conflict-ridden Baluchistan Province in Pakistan.

Baluchistan is home to both ethnic Baluch and Pashtuns. Attacks by Baluch separatists on Pashtuns are rare and risk upsetting relations between the two groups. There have been no other attacks in which Pashtuns were killed after having their identity cards checked.

While no group has taken responsibility for the killings yet, there have been similar attacks carried out by Baluch separatists. The Baluch separatists have maintained a low-level insurgency since the mid- 2000s, calling for greater autonomy and a greater share of the natural resources in Baluchistan, which is rich in oil and minerals. The separatists have a long history of conflicting with Pakistani security forces.

There is also a great deal of violence carried out by Islamist militants against security forces and Shi’ite Muslims, who are a religious minority in Baluchistan. Earlier in May, a group of militants killed at least 43 bus passengers, who were from Pakistan’s Shi’ite community.

A Pashtun lawmaker from Baluchistan, wishing to maintain his anonymity out of fear for his safety, has stated that the attack was meant to disrupt plans for an economic corridor allowing China easier sea access with the help of a network of rail, road, and pipeline infrastructure. The project was announced while Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan in April. China has pledged $46 billion to Pakistan to help fund the economic corridor.

Pakistani officials believe that India supports terrorism in Pakistan and that India is backing the separatist movement in Baluchistan. India has denied having any involvement in the movement.

On Saturday, hundreds of Pashtun protestors held a sit-in outside outside the Governor’s house in Quetta and demanded that the killers be punished. Businesses in Quetta also closed in protest of the killings. The relatives of 16 of the victims joined the protestors and laid out the victims’ bodies in front of the Governor’s house. The sit-in ended peacefully after the protestors met with Abdul Malik Baluch, Baluchistan’s top elected official.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Pakistan Bus Raids: Balochistan Gunmen Kill at Least 19 – 29 May 2015

Wall Street Journal – Gunmen Kill 20 in Pakistan Bus Attack – 29 May 2015

New York Times – Hundreds Protest After Gunmen Target Ethnic Pashtuns in Southern Pakistan – 30 May 2015

Reuters – Gunmen Kill 22 Bus Passengers in Pakistan Attack – 30 May 2015

U.S. News and World Report via Associated Press – After Pakistan Bus Attacks Kill 22, Worries That Baluchistan Insurgency Growing More Violent – 30 May 2015

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia 

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia

Joshua Wong, an 18-year-old democracy activist from Hong Kong, was barred from entering Malaysia on Tuesday. Mr. Wong was scheduled to speak at forums overseen by Malaysian youth activist groups, including the Malaysia Youth and Student Democratic Movement. The forums commemorate the 26^th anniversary of the crackdown on Tiananmen Square protestors in Beijing in June 1989.

Mr. Wong is the leader of Scholarism, a student activist organization in Hong Kong. In the scheduled forums, Mr. Wong was going to speak about the democratic movement in China. Specifically, he was going to speak about his experiences as one of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement, a student-led protest in Hong King last year during which tens of thousands of activists gathered and demanded free elections of leaders. Chinese officials ultimately used force to break up the gathering and refused to give in to the protestors’ demands.

Mr. Wong was sent back to Hong Kong on Tuesday and stated that he was told by Malaysian immigration officers that a government order banned his entry into the country. A Hong-Kong immigration department spokesman said that the Hong Kong government had no control over the entry of its residents to other countries.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Malaysian minister of home affairs, said he did not know that Mr. Wong was denied from entering Malaysia and that he would speak with the director-general of immigration about the issue, according to Malaysiakini, a Malaysian news website.

In a statement made by Mustafa Ibrahim, director-general of the Malaysian Immigration Department, it was stated that Mr. Wong was on the list of people barred from entering Malaysia. The statement did not give a reason as to why Mr. Wong was on the list.

Organizers of the forums at which Mr. Wong was scheduled to speak have demanded an answer to why he was barred from entering Malaysia. Critics are calling the denial of Mr. Wong’s entry an act of political censorship by the Malaysian government.

Eric Paulson, co-founder of the Malaysian civil rights organization Lawyers for Liberty, has stated that the Malaysian government was attempting to contain the influence that Mr. Wong may have had on Malaysian youth. Youth in Malaysia are discontent with widespread corruption and increases in the cost of living and have participated in street protests this year.

The Malaysian Working Group on the 26^th Anniversary of June 4 said that the forums commemorating the 26^th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown will still be held. Mr. Wong stated that he intended to try to address those attending the forums in Malaysia through videoconference.

 

For more information, please see: 

BBC – Hong Kong Activist Joshua Wong Refused Entry to Malaysia – 26 May 2015

The New York Times – Malaysia Denies Entry to Joshua Wong, Hong Kong Democracy Activist – 26 May 2015

Voice of America – Hong Kong Democracy Activist Denied Entry to Malaysia – 26 May 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Hong Kong Student Activist Joshua Wong Barred From Malaysia – 26 May 2015

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

ANDAMAN SEA AND MALACCA STRAIT, Off the Coastlines of Thailand and Malaysia–

Thousands of migrants are stranded in boats in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand and in the Malacca Strait near the coast of Malaysia. The migrants have been unable to find asylum after fleeing from oppression and economic troubles in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Many of the migrants are Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar. There are over one million Rohingya in Myanmar and more than 100,000 have fled from persecution in recent years. The Rohingya are a minority in Myanmar and have faced systematic discrimination by Myanmar’s government. They are also subject to attacks by radical Buddhists. Anti-Muslim views are common among the people of Myanmar, many of whom are Buddhist.

In Myanmar, the Rohingya are not entitled to rights of citizenship, freedom of travel or access to education. Myanmar’s military government has stated that the Rohingya are Bengali migrants whose presence is an unwelcome reminder of colonialism in Myanmar. Bengladash’s government disagrees that the Rohingya are Bengalis and has made attempts to close its borders to the Rohingya migrants.

The other migrants traveling with the Rohingya are fleeing from economic hardship in Bangladesh. Legal migration is time consuming and expensive, so many of those migrating from Bangladesh have used the same trafficking routes and boats as the Rohingya.

Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have all turned boats of refugees away at their shores, leaving the migrants with no option but to go back onto the open sea.

Malaysia turned away one such boat full of migrants on Wednesday. Malaysia has a shortage of unskilled labor, making it a prime destination for fleeing migrants. Malaysia has already admitted tens of thousands of Rohingya, but those who arrive through people trafficking routes are treated like illegal immigrants and are placed in slums. They are treated with discrimination and their only employment options are dangerous and low-paying jobs.

Although Malaysia has admitted a number of Rohingya, the recent surge in migrants reaching Malaysian and Indonesian shores has caused both countries to state that they will not accept any more migrants unless they are in extreme peril. A Malaysian official has stated that the rush of migrants is unwelcome and that the Malaysian government will not allow any illegal entries into Malaysia.

Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar has voiced concern that if Malaysia continues to admit the fleeing migrants, then hundreds of thousands more migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh will come to Malaysia.

A boat carrying an estimated 660 migrants arrived in Indonesia, a Muslim country, on Friday morning. Yet another boat was sighted in the Malacca Strait by the Indonesian Navy on Friday morning and was turned away before it could come ashore. Indonesia’s government has stated that illegal immigrants will not be admitted.

Another boat, carrying hundreds of migrants, reached the shore of Thailand on Thursday after journalists found it in the Andaman Sea of the Thailand shore. The boat’s crew had abandoned the boat without a working motor, leaving the passengers stranded without food and water. Although there are differing accounts of how many people aboard the ship have died, passengers have stated that 10 people on board the ship had died and were then thrown overboard, The Thai government repaired the boat’s engine and provided the passengers with supplies and enough fuel for 33 hours.

Thai authorities claimed that the passengers on board the ship wanted to continue their journey to Malaysia instead of getting out in Thailand. The boat had, however, already been turned away from Malaysia on Wednesday. A Thai reporter witnessed the boat’s parting and stated that some of the migrants aboard did not seem to want to leave. She stated that women on the ship were crying as the ship pulled away from the Thai coast.

While the Thai government has stated that its navy will give humanitarian aid to migrants, they do not want the migrants to settle down permanently in Thailand.

United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has stressed Myanmar’s responsibility for the migrants’ fleeing because of its discrimination against the Muslim Rohingya. He has stated that until discrimination against the Rohingya is addressed, the migration of the Rohingya refugees will continue.

 

For more information, please see:

CNN – We Will Send Rohingya Back, Says Malaysia, Amid Calls to Rescue Migrants – 15 May 2015

The New York Times – Boat With Hundreds of Migrants From Myanmar Heads Farther Out to Sea – 15 May 2015

BBC – ‘Ten Deaths’ on Stranded Myanmar Migrant Boat – 14 May 2015

The New York Times – How Myanmar and Its Neighbors Are Responding to the Rohingya Crisis – 14 May 2015

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

JAKARTA, Indonesia–

Five political prisoners in the Papua province of Indonesia were released on Saturday by Indonesian President Joko Widodo as part of an effort to improve human rights conditions in Papua. The five prisoners were convicted after a raid on an Indonesian military arms base in 2003 and were facing sentences ranging from 19 years to life.

 

 

President Widodo has stated that the release is meant to alleviate conflict in Papua. There has been political unrest and violence in Papua since it was annexed by Indonesia in 1963. Since then, a group of separatist insurgents, called the Free Papua Movement, has fought against the Indonesian government. There are also activist groups who have petitioned for a vote on Papuan independence.

Thousands of Papuan citizens have been killed during clashes with Indonesian police and military forces throughout the last several decades. Last December, five people were killed for protesting a young boy’s beating by Indonesian soldiers.

The prisoners’ release comes just weeks after seven foreigners and an Indonesian national convicted of drug-related offenses were executed by a firing squad in Indonesia. President Widodo ignored international calls for their release and has expressed his support of the use of the death penalty in Indonesia.

Humans Rights Watch, an international organization that researches and advocates for human rights, has pushed President Widodo to release other political prisoners. Overall, there are at least 100 political prisoners being held in Indonesia. Prison sentences are often lengthy and many political prisoners have complained of torture and other abuses at the hands of prison guards.

According to the advocacy group “Papuans Behind Bars”, there are dozens of political prisoners being held for political demonstrations and for acts such as waving the separatist flag. Such acts are viewed as treason in Papua. 26 prisoners held for treason in Papua have rejected the option of being freed under a governmental amnesty program because being released in such a way means admitting guilt for crimes that they did not commit.

President Widodo also recently lifted a ban on foreign journalists traveling to Papua in a further effort to improve human rights conditions in the region. He has stated that journalists are now free to travel to Papua. Previously, foreign journalists needed government clearance before traveling to Papua. Last year, two French journalists were imprisoned for 11 weeks for illegally using their tourist visas to work as journalists in Papua.

The restrictions on journalists were established because of the tensions created by the insurgency movement. The Papuan people saw the travel restrictions on foreign journalists as allowing the Indonesian police and military forces to continue to operate unrestrained in their abuses against Papuan citizens.

For the Papuan people, the freeing of the political prisoners and the lifted ban on foreign journalists are positive steps toward addressing human rights violations in their region.

 

For further information, please see:

ABC News — Indonesia Lifts Travel Ban for Foreign Journalists to Papua — 10 May 2015

Reuters — Indonesian President Lifts Foreign Media Restrictions in Papua — 10 May 2015

BBC — Indonesia Frees Prisoners and Lifts Media Curbs in Papua — 9 May 2015

The New York Times — Indonesia President, Joko Widodo, Pardons Prisoners in Papua Province — 9 May 2015

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Aid has been slow in reaching the most isolated communities in Days after the devastating 7.9 Magnitude Nepal after the devastating earthquake that struck the small mountainous country four days ago, claiming the lives of at least 5,000. People remain stranded, waiting for rescue and aid, in many of the countries remote towns and villages. While the relief efforts continued Tuesday, government officials warned that they were hindered by problems of getting aid into Nepal and then delivering it to the nation’s remote Himalayan communities in desperate need.

The government has declared three days of mourning in Nepal for the victims of Saturday’s earthquake which claimed the lives more than 5,000 people, left at least 10,000 people wounded and effected eight million people across the country, many of whom have now been displaced as a result of the large scale devastation. Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala says the government is doing all it can but is overwhelmed by the scale of the catastrophe. Thousands of people remain unaccounted for, especially in remote Himalayan villages, and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has warned that the death toll could rise to more than 10,000 people.

Aid efforts are still ongoing in the nation’s capital. On Tuesday heavy rains hampered the recovery effort in city of Kathmandu. The country’s Armed Police Force (APF) is now being assisted by teams from both China and India. APF officers are concerned that if bodies of the deceased are not recovered in time from the collapsed buildings that can be seen all over the historic city, an epidemic will break out in the city, putting even more lives at risk. “We are working as fast as we can and our response teams are moving from place to place but there is still a lot of work to do. Besides recovering the bodies, we believe that there may still be some survivors buried under all that rubble,” says one APF commander. The United Nations estimates that eight million people in 39 districts across Nepal have been affected by the devastating earthquake, more than a quarter of the nation’s population.

When addressing the nation to announce three days of mourning for the victims of the tragic disaster Prime Minister Sushil Koirala stated that his government was according top priority to rescue and search for the missing, and provided much needed medical treatment of the injured. He also promised that the nation would rebuild the historical, cultural, archaeological and religious monuments destroyed in the devastating earthquake.

For more information please see:

BBC News – Nepal Earthquake: Official Mourning Declared For Victims – 28 April 2015

CNN International – Nepal Earthquake: Death Toll Passes 4,600 As Rescuers Face Challenges – 28 April 2015

The Guardian – The Guardian’s View on the Earthquake in Nepal: It Will Be a Long Road Back – 28 April 2015

The Hindu – Quake Death Toll Could Reach 10,000, Says Nepal Prime Minister – 28 April 2015