By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Human rights organizations around the world are urging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) not to deport Tamil journalist, Rathimohan Lohini, back to Sri Lanka where she may face torture and other reprisals for her affiliation with the rebel group.

Lohini, along with 19 other Tamil refugees in the UAE, were given the deadline of April 11^th to leave the country.  Lohini faces deportation from the UAE despite enjoying UN refugee status which gives her the right to stay.  Because of her status, she should be afforded basic rights under international refugee law and international human rights law.

Lohini, an ethnic Tamil who was born and raised in Northern Sri Lanka, lived in the Kilinichchi District which the Tamil rebels retained control over during their bloody, twenty six year civil war with the current Sri Lankan central government.

She went to work for the National Television of Tamil Eelam (NTT) in June of 2006.  She attained the post of main female news anchor and gained notoriety and fame with the domestic news watchers.  Lohini left the television network in December of 2008, and fearing for her life, she fled Sri Lanka in April of 2009.

Lohini knew that her post as a Tamil news anchor woman and her regular appearances on the evening news would make her easily identifiable to the military and central Sri Lankan government authorities.  She fled to Dubai in October of 2012, believing that it would be a safe alternative to persecution back in Sri Lanka.

Reporters Without Borders and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka both expressed their concerns regarding Lohini’s forced deportation from the UAE back to Sri Lanka.  Because of the current political climate and human rights abuses toward the Tamil minority and former rebels, the consequences of Lohini’s forced return are feared to be dire.

The two human rights groups pleaded with UNHRC to at least stay the decision of forced deportation citing that the action by the UAE is a complete violation of international human rights and refugee law.  The risks of torture and any bodily harm are apparent as evidenced by the finding of a Tamil reporter in 2009 who was bound and naked.

The reporter was a colleague of Lohini’s and was identified only as Isaipriya.  Lohini is currently being held at a refugee camp in Dubai which is operated by UNHCR in cooperation with Dubai immigration awaiting her ultimate fate.

For further information, please see:

BBC – UAE urged not to deport Sri Lanka journalist Lohini – 10 April 2013

Colombo Telegraph – UAE Urged Not To Deport Tiger TV Journalist Rathimohini – 10 April 2013

Committee to Protect Journalists – UAE may deport refugee Tamil journalist to Sri Lanka – 10 April 2013

Tamil Guardian – UAE urged not to deport Tamil journalist – 10 April 2013

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – The Muslim population in Myanmar continues to live in fear after a recent fire engulfed a downtown Yangon mosque and religious school killing 13 students on April 2nd.

The central government and local police investigators maintain that the fire was accidental and most likely a product of faulty wiring which caused an electrical short circuit.  The police attempted to calm the fears of the people and promised that an investigative committee would be established to look into the incident a bit further.

Security forces were sent in by the central government to disperse an angry crowd that had gathered in downtown Yangon demanding the truth regarding the deadly fire that killed Muslim children.  Muslims continue to believe that the fire was a product of sectarian violence.

The fortunate children and teachers that were able to escape the blaze told the press that the doors to the mosque and religious school were locked when those inside attempted to escape when the fire first started.  The doors were only opened after emergency response teams reached the scene.

Furthermore, the escapees said that there was an oily substance on the ground that smelled like petrol or diesel.  Many of the children and teachers slipped on the dirty, oily substance while trying to escape.  Muslim leaders continue to impose their suspicions with new evidence, like the oily substance on the floors, coming to light.

The Muslim population’s fears are not unfounded.  The accidental fire at the mosque comes at a time when the Buddhist “969” movement is gaining steam in Myanmar.  The 969 movement has been the driving force behind anti-Muslim violence throughout Myanmar.

969 supporters, like Kyi Lwin, tell the media that the movement is not necessarily supporting violence against Muslims.  Kyi says that the movement is meant to “build a fence” around Buddhism and its followers.  They want to discourage Buddhist to Muslim interaction; they are not trying to convert or destroy the religion in anyway.

Muslims in Myanmar, however, like Mohamed Irshad, say that they cannot even sleep at night due to the rising amounts of sectarian violence.  Irshad says that those in his neighborhood must be on constant guard in case the Buddhists attack again.

Ruhla Min takes a different approach.  He and his congregation were instructed to peacefully pray for a resolution to the violence and conflict.  Ruhla Min’s congregation does not want to add any more fuel to the fire that is already smoldering in Yangon and beyond.

For further information, please see:

Reuters – Fear stalks Yangon’s Muslims after Buddhist-led killings – 10 April 2013

France 24 – Muslim school fire kills at least 13 in Yangon – 2 April 2013

India TV News –  13 die in devastating fire in Muslim orphanage school in Yangon, Myanmar – 2 April 2013

NBC World News – 13 boys killed in Myanmar Islamic school fire amid anti-Muslim violence – 2 April 2013

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

LUCKNOW, India – Four sisters in India suffered varying degrees of burn injuries after being brutally attacked with acid by two unidentified men on a motorbike.

The four sisters are all teachers at a local government school in the town of Kandhla in Shamli district which is located in the western Uttar Pradesh state.  Their ages range from nineteen to twenty four.  The attack occurred when the four were on their way home after work.

Abdul Hameed, the senior police officer in charge of investigating the case, released a public statement saying that the youngest of the sisters, 19, suffered the severest of burns and was rushed to a hospital in Delhi for treatment.  Hameed also told the public that the motive behind the attacks is still unclear.

Proponents for greater protection of Indian women against violent abuse said that women who deny the orders or advances of lovers, husbands or even employers are often brutally attacked like the four sisters in the current case.

The cheap chemicals and acids used in these types of attacks are readily available in commercial markets in India.  “Tezaab,” a household cleaning agent designed to clean rust off tools is the weapon of choice in these attacks.  Human rights activists have clamored for greater restrictions on the sale of chemicals and acids that are generally used in the attacks.

President Pranab Mukherjee recently passed legislation that imposes harsher punishments on those who commit certain acts of violence against women.  The newly signed laws contain greater penalties for the crime of rape.  Rapists can now face the death penalty.

The punishments for attacking women with acid, however, have remained unchanged.  Perpetrators can face up to 12 years in prison depending on the amount of damage they inflict with their attack; however the offenders can be bailed out.

Reports by the London-based Acid Survivors Trust International estimate that about 1,500 acid attacks are carried out and recorded internationally per year.  However, this figure may be inaccurate because many of the victims of acid attacks do not officially report their injuries to the proper authorities and suffer in silence.

The majority of the acid attacks that occur throughout the world are carried out in South Asia in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan Afghanistan as well as India.  Pakistan, India’s neighbor, recently passed legislation in 2011 that increased the punishment of acid attacks.  Prison sentences range from 14 years to life and a minimum fine of one million Pakistani rupees is imposed.

For further information, please see:

Mmegi Online – Four sisters in India injured in acid attack – 4 April 2013

The Nation – 4 Indian sisters hurt in acid attack – 4 April 2013

BBC – India acid: Four sisters injured in Uttar Pradesh attack – 3 April 2013

Global Post – Acid attack on four Indian sisters – 3 April 2013

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – An unidentified gang attacked the office of a local Sri Lankan newspaper run by individuals previously associated with the Tamil separatist group who fought a bitter civil war with the current central government.

The office publishes a Tamil-language newspaper that routinely runs stories that are highly critical of the current regime in Sri Lanka.  This episode of violence occurred merely two weeks after the United Nations passed a resolution asking the Sri Lankan central government to investigate and remedy the human rights violations redolent in their country which includes intimidation of journalists.

The attack was carried out against the Uthayan newspaper office located in the northern portion of the country where the former civil war was waged.  This marks the fourth attack on a Sri Lankan media outlet since January.

Six unidentified, masked individuals stormed the office causing damage to the building, vehicles, computers and other property.  Five of the employees at the newspaper office, including the manager, we injured during the attack.  Three of the workers were reportedly hospitalized, and the remaining workers suffered minor injuries.

The publisher of the Uthayan newspaper is E. Saravanapavan, a legislator for the Tamil National Alliance party and has strong ties to the former separatist rebels.  The local police and government officials could not be reached to provide a statement on the attack against the Tamil newspaper.

Saravanapavan released a statement to the media suggesting that the attack was directly linked to stories that the newspaper had recently run which criticized the paramilitary forces and their actions in the former northern war zone.

Though politically motivated violence has significantly dwindled since the current Sri Lankan regime stamped out the Tamil rebellion four years ago in 2009, pundits in the international human rights community believe that violence against reporters and other subversives are still are problem.

Rule of law, human rights groups say, has yet to be firmly established in the tumultuous aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war.  There have been no arrests in relation to the attacks that occurred against the media earlier this year.  Authorities and internal administrators that should be conducting these investigations have yet to be full restored after the civil war.

Sunil Jayasekara, a spokesperson for the Media Movement in Sri Lanka (a freedom of press group), released a public statement stating that these attacks are not only a threat to the freedom of the media, but a threat to the entire country of Sri Lanka.  Jayasekara called for the government to take more responsibility for these types of attacks against the media.

For further information, please see:

BBC – Tamil paper Uthayan attacked in northern Sri Lanka – 3 April 2013

Breitbart – TAMIL NEWSPAPER SAYS STAFF ATTACKED IN SRI LANKA – 3 April 2013

The Global Times – Tamil newspaper office attacked in Sri Lanka – 3 April 2013

Reuters – Sri Lanka newspaper office attacked, five workers hurt – 3 April 2013

Shanghai Daily – Tamil newspaper office attacked in Sri Lanka – 3 April 2013

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A report released to China’s central government in Beijing theorizes that over one million Chinese die prematurely each year due to poor air quality in the rapidly industrializing nation.

The report was first presented in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study and published in a British medical journal.  The report mainly focuses on statistics from India and China which has some of the most densely populated and polluted cities in the entire world.

The 2010 report estimates that air pollution ranked as the fourth leading killer in China behind dietary problems, high blood pressure, and tobacco smoking.  Air pollution ranked as the seventh leading risk factor contributing to premature deaths worldwide, killing roughly 3.2 million people in 2010.

Ambient particulate matter pollution, tiny pieces of solid matter floating around in the atmosphere, is what causes the deaths after it is inhaled by people who live in the densely populated Chinese cities.  Barbara Finamore, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council to China, warns that if you travel to Beijing you immediately feel the effects after getting off the plane in the form of stinging eyes and sore throats.

The air pollution in Beijing, and all over China, routinely gets so poor that citizens will walk through the streets wearing protective masks.  Young children are also not allowed to play outside in the streets.  There are certain days when the ambient particulate matter levels are so high in the cities that it is impossible to see the buildings across the street.

Robert O’Keefe, researcher at the health effects Institute in Boston, states that China’s rapid growth is causing the dramatic decrease in air quality.  Cars and trucks are hitting the urban streets in major cities at an alarming rate, and the power plants all over the country are burning large amounts of low-grade coal.

The Chinese government has been pressed by the international community to control the environmental impact of their explosive growth and energy consumption.  Though officials are under severe pressure, a study released last Thursday suggests that the information on pollution in Chinese cities has gotten less accessible in recent years.

An official report released last week by a Chinese news source states that the reversal of some of the environmental degradation in China would cost roughly $230 billion.  The report only focuses on the 2010 figures.  The estimate came from research that was conducted in 2004 by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

For further information, please see:

International Business Times – Airpocalypse In China: Air Pollution Linked to 1.2M Deaths, Study Says – 2 April 2013

NPR – China’s Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths – 2 April 2013

Yahoo news – Air pollution linked to 1.2M deaths in China in 2010 – 2 April 2013

The New York Times – Air Pollution Linked to 1.2 Million Premature Deaths in China – 1 April 2013