Fiji Rights Commissions Investigates Election of the Past, while the Government Looks Forward to the Future

The Fiji Human Rights Commission has organized an open inquiry to be held throughout the country for those citizens who wish to report irregularities and fraud that they observed during the 2006 elections.  The committee, which will include by lawyer Gyaneshwar Prasad Lala, will begin traveling around the country next week taking the accounts of persons and political parties to try to determine what, if anything, went wrong in the previous election.  The information that is gathered, says Lala, will then be used to make recommendations about how the interim government should conduct itself in the upcoming election to ensure that such irregularities do no repeat.  Already the commission has received so many submissions that the Chairman of the Inquiry, Dr. Shaista Shameem, said that the consulted hired to take the interviews will be forced to wrap his first round soon because so much information has already been brought forward.

This investigation comes even after international observers declared that the elections were not irregular.  Spokesmen for the committee insist that the inquiry is necessary because the international observers were not aware of a huge loss of voting paper from the election, a loss that was only discovered after the 2006 coup.  Lala says that it is not yet certain if the missing voting paper contributed to election fraud, but that this is what the inquiry is designed to find out.

In other news, interim Prime Minister Bainimarama said on 15 August that the next election of Fiji’s government is scheduled to be held on March 13, 2009; however, he went on to say that this date was incumbent upon all of the necessary preparatory work being completed in time.  It is this preparatory work, or the lack thereof, that has brought on criticism from the chairman of the Forum/Fiji Workgroup, Peter Eafeare.  Eafeare, who is also PNG’s High Commissioner to Fiji, says that before an election can be held certain infrastructural milestones–such as a census, updates to the electoral roll and a redrawing of constituency  boundaries–must first be reached.  Of the lack of boundary reform Eafeare has said, “Not withstanding the fact that you require a full constitutional body like a parliament to decided on that, [the Constitutional Boundary Commission] was supposed started 7th July and be completed by the 31st August still not seen hide nor hair of [it].”

Parmesh Chand, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, spoke out saying that the international community has not offered sufficient praise to Fiji’s Government for its positive strides towards a democratic future.  Chand said that the government has made a commitment to hold elections by March 2009 at the latest and has ear-marked funds for electoral commissions and a census, but despite these steps  he and other members of the  government face travel restrictions from New Zealand, Australia and the United States.  “Where is the goodwill of the international community and your government as well in all this?” Chand asked, referring particularly to New Zealand.

Please see also:
“Date set for next election” Fiji Times Online (16 August 2007)
“Lawyer Lala leads probe into last poll problems” Fiji Times Online (16 August 2007)
“Fiji Human Rights Commission appoints Suva-based lawyer to investigate 2006 election” Radio New Zealand International (15 August 2007)
“Fiji falling behind agreed election schedule” Radio New Zealand International(15 August 2007)
“Fiji rights group commission probe of 2006 election” Radio New Zealand International (15 August 2007)

Mines in Niger Have Made Humanitarian Relief Impossible

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

Severe hunger and flood related damage are a major concern in Iferouane, Northern Niger. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesperson Marcel Izard stated, “We got a request from the mayor who said they have a humanitarian crisis due to floods and the security situation which has cut the city off.” However, while humanitarian aid groups attempt to provide resources to the struggling, mines placed by anti government fighters have made access to this remote city impossible.

Since February 2007, in Iferouana, the Nigerian army and foreign mining companies have been targeted by a militant group called National Movement for Justice (MNJ). The MNJ are presently campaigning for more autonomy for the ethnic group, Toureg. Furthermore, the MNJ want a percentage of Niger’s oil resources.

Presently, the Niger government is trying to increase security in region by deploying troops and attack helicopters. While, the army and MNJ have provided ICRC security methods and guides to cross the mined areas, the ICRC aid still has not gotten through to the flood damaged areas.

ICRC spokesperson Izard stated “We are not concerned about either the rebels or the army, only the antipersonnel and antitank mines. We have already had security guarantees from both sides but the mines make it very unsafe to go because the floods mean the mines could have shifted, even if we are told exactly where they were laid.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Niger: Despite Security Assurances, Mines Keep Aid Agencies Out of North – 13 August 2007

AllSafeTravels.com – Niger – MNJ Attack Two Towns in North – 10 August 2007

IFRC – The ICRC in Niger – August 2007

Philippines Close to Outright War

The Philippines armed forces started a new campaign against southern Muslim insurgents. Their apparent aim is to topple the 300-member Abu Sayyaf group. They also threaten to increase the conflict with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

There are 5,000-12,000 soldiers there now. In August, 50 people were killed and thousands of civilians have evacuated.

The MILF, which signed a ceasefire in 1996, has allowed the army to pass through territories it controls to pursue Abu Sayyaf. However, the MILF and the army clashed on July 10 and several people were killed. Formal peace talks have stalled since September 1996, but are scheduled to reopen this month.

The MNLF has claimed responsibility for recent attacks. The MNLF is still the dominant force in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindinao, but a final peace been formed because the deal fell short of guaranteeing the ethnic Moro the ancestral homeland they sought.

Also, a new counter-terrorism law has given the government wide power to deal with internal security threats, including armed insurgent groups. That legislation may provide legal protection to the army as it launches its new campaigns.

For more information, please see:

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-14-voa24.cfm

http://www.asiaobserver.com/content/view/324352/102/

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IH17Ae01.html

China’s Plan to Track People

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US financed China Public Security Technology will install about 20,000 police surveillance cameras along streets in southern China.  The cameras will be guided by sophisticated computer software to automatically recognize the faces of police suspects and detect unusual activity.

Beginning this month, China residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips will be issued to most citizens.  The chips will include the citizen’s name, address, work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status, and landlord’s phone number.  Personal reproductive history will supposedly be included for enforcing China’s controversial “one child” policy.  Plans may be made to include credit histories, subway travel payments, and small purchases charged to the card.

Although China’s plans may be the world’s largest effort to meld computer technology with police work to track a population’s activities and to fight crime.  The plan is to better control an increasingly mobile population and to fight crime.  Experts say the technology may violate civil rights though, saying this may help the Communist Party retain power by maintaining tight controls on the population.

Shenzhen, a computer manufacturing center next to Hong Kong, is the first Chinese city to introduce the new residency cards.  Those who do not have the cards will not be able to live in China and cannot get government benefits.  Some civil rights activists  say the cameras are a violation of the right of privacy contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

For more information, please see:

–http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aaCZvgCJIgTM&refer=asia

–http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/business/worldbusiness/12security.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

–http://investing.reuters.co.uk/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=2007-08-12T201228Z_01_N12267967_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-CHINAPUBLICSTOCK-NYTIMES-DC.XML

Human Rights Violation Continues

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch, Africa

While addressing a crowd in Harare during Zimbabwe’s National Heroes’ Day, President Robert Mugabe used the opportunity to blame Britain for the country’s failing economy. With an inflation rate past 5000 % and unemployment at 80 %, Mugabe accused the former colonial of conspiring with his opposition and undermining the country’s economy.

Mugabe also reiterated his warning to business owners against profiteering by raising prices. Thus far at least 7,500 business managers and shop owners have been arrested. In a desperate move to gain support, Mugabe has reverted to evicting white farmers, a strategy that won him the presidency. The government announced last week that white farmers who resist eviction of land targeted for blacks would be arrested.

Critics blame the violent eviction for the country’s food shortage and poor production. More than 4000 white farmers have lost their land and the remaining has had the size of their land reduced. Furthermore, the government has passed an amendment prohibiting former owners from challenging the eviction.

The Human Rights Forum, founded in 1988 when Mugabe sent troops to crush food riots, has documented 5,307 human rights violations. The violations include 328 cases of torture, 481 assaults by a governmental or military personal, 802 unlawful arrests and detention, and 1,937 violation of freedom of expression.

For more information please see:

Yahoo – Mugabe Rails Against Britian on Zimbabwe’s Heroes’ Day – 13 August 2007

Yahoo – Zimbabwe Rights Violations Rising-Report – 08 August 2007

Yahoo – Zimbabwe Threatens White Farmers on Evictions – 08 August 2007