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Three Chinese set themselves ablaze after being evicted

By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Three people in eastern China were in serious condition in hospital on Sunday after they set themselves on fire in protest against forceful eviction by the local government officials, according to reports from Chinese state media.

Instantly after the incident in Jiangxi province, Chinese online reports showed graphic pictures of at least two people engulfed in flames, but it is suspected that many other reports were quickly deleted by government Internet censors.

Pictures showed one person standing on the roof of a residential building entirely engulfed in flames, while another photo showed another person jumping from the building while on fire. The trio remained in life-threatening condition, the report said.

This incident took place on Friday in Fuzhou when Luo Zhifeng, 59, her daughter Zhong Ruqin, 31, and family friend Ye Zhongcheng, 79, set themselves on fire, according to reports from rednet.cn, an official news website based in Hunan province.

The three were reportedly discontent with compensation provided in return for their forced eviction from their homes and neighborhood to make way for a bus terminal.

In recent days, China has witnessed a surge of violent protests over land seizures as local government officials forcibly evict residents to make way for infrastructure projects and property developments, thus causing official discomfort over potential social unrest.

Such incidents began to emerge last year as profit-minded officials and businesses sought to exploit on a nationwide trend of property boom by forcing residents out and developing their land, according to previous reports.

This led to a fatal incident in April, when a Communist Party official in Henan province was detained after he allegedly ordered a truck driver to run over a protester, who died as a result, in a land dispute.

Another case involved a 47-year-old woman who set herself on fire in November in Sichuan province over the planned demolition of her husband’s garment-processing business. She also died 16 days later.

These incidents, in addition to growing public anger over rapidly increasing housing prices, led to the government’s adoption of a series of preventive measures to stabilize the property market.

For more information, please see:

ABC Radio Australia – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 12 September 2010

Etaiwannews – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 13 September 2010

Adelaide Now – Three set themselves ablaze in China row – 12 September 2010

Human Rights Groups Condemn Murder of Colombian Indigenous Leader

By Ricardo Zamora

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

RIOHACHA, Colombia – Another human rights activist was gunned down last week week, the latest murder in the ongoing struggle between human rights supporters and guerilla groups. Human rights groups are urging Colombia to be more proactive in protecting activists and in prosecuting and punishing those responsible for this and other crimes against humanity.

Luis Alfredo Socarras Pimienta, a local dentist, dental-care campaign organizer, leader of the Wayuu indigenous people, and human rights activist was gunned down last Friday in the doorway of his home. The unidentified gunman reportedly fled the scene after the shots were fired.

Over the past year, Pimienta had organized several demonstrations to protest the human rights violations and egregious living conditions the Wayuu people were subjected to. The Wayuu people used the demonstrations to urge the Colombian government to respect their human rights and assist them in obtaining a better quality of life.

During the year Pimienta also ran for the position of mayor of the Manaure municipality and for a position on the Polo Democratico Alternativo party.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) reports that Pimienta was widely recognized as a human rights activist and indigenous leader of the Wayuu poeple. The Commission explained that “attacks against leaders break down the cohesion of indigenous people when it comes to defending their human rights, and undermines their sociocultural integrity” and “that the work of human rights defenders is an essential component in building a solid and lasting democracy.”

In short, the IACHR says that it urges the State to protect activists because a leader’s removal essentially disintegrates the cohesion, and therefore the voice, of prejudiced groups, whether indigenous peoples or otherwise.

Guerilla groups and others opposing the movement for human equality thrive by capitalizing on the weakness of the individual. Without leaders such a Pimienta, indigenous groups cease to have a collective voice, leaving only the voices of independent and unintegrated individuals which are unlikely to be heard or understood by local or federal governments.

Created by the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR is an independent panel consisting of seven independent members equally representing its 35 member nations. It assists in unifying the voices of victims of human rights violations.

For more information please see:

CNN – OAS Human Rights Commission Condemns Colombian Activist’s Slaying – August 2, 2010

Colombia Reports – OAS Body Condemns Murder of Indigenous Leader – August 2, 2010

Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources – IACHR Condemns Murder of Human Rights Defender of Wayuu People in Colombia – August 2, 2010

East Timor’s parliament rejects Australia’s proposal to build an asylum-seeker center

By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SYDNEY, Australia – East Timor’s parliament has unanimously passed a resolution to reject Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s proposal to establish an offshore asylum seeker detention centre on the country.

Prior to the passage of the resolution, Ms Julia Gillard has said she hopes to cooperate with other nations in the region to establish a processing center for asylum seekers, with the possibility of setting up one in East Timor.

The Prime Minister has backed away from suggestions the centre would be located in East Timor. As it turns out, she had only discussed the plan in a phone conversation with East Timor’s president, Jose Ramos-Horta.

President Jose Ramos-Horta acknowledged that he had discussed with Ms Gillard the “possibility” of hosting a processing centre. He further stated, however, that the purpose of any centre in Timor would be to process asylum-seekers who were in danger on the high seas and had not found safety in another country. Also, he specified that it should be the UN, not Australia or Timor that should administer any holding facility in East Timor.

The resolution comes after the parliament in Dili last week formally condemned Ms Gillard’s idea as unworkable. East Timor’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao last week allowed his own party to join in a unanimous condemnation of the plan in parliament.

Ms Gillard has currently refused to set a date for the rollout of any policy.

For more information, please see:

ABC News, East Timor MPs reject asylum centre proposal, 12 July 2010

The Australian, East Timor’s parliament rejects Gillard plan for regional asylum-seeker centre, 12 July 2010

Sky News, East Timor rejects asylum seeker centre, 12 July 2010