Top Chinese Official Pays a Visit to Taiwan

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Operator, Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan–China’s top official in charge of relations with self-ruled Taiwan said on Friday that he understood and respected the choices of its people.  He was met by noisy protests in the traditionally anti-China far southern region of the island.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (left) and Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference meet and discuss relations between the two nations. (Photo Courtesy of Focus Taiwan)

Zhang Zhijun, director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, is making his first trip to Taiwan, a visit marked by a highly unusual meeting with an opposition party stalwart and mayor of the pro-independence southern port of Kaohsiung, Chen Chu.

Protesters waved placards deriding Zhang as a “communist bandit”. Zhang’s atypical charm offensive in Taiwan stands in contrast to China’s ties with several other countries in Asia where territorial disputes have erupted over maritime boundaries. China has recently condemned people in the former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997, for pushing for greater democracy.

Chen has previously visited China and met Zhang there, spearheading efforts by the Democratic Progressive Party to engage with Beijing.  Such high-level meetings in Taiwan with opposition figures are practically unheard of.

“We know that Taiwan people cherish very much the social system and the life style they have chosen,” Zhang said after meeting Chen. “We in mainland China respect what Taiwanese people have chosen.”

China welcomes people from all parties to help improve relations across the Taiwan Strait, Zhang added, calling his talks with Chen “pleasant”.

China has claimed Taiwan as its own, to be taken by force if necessary, though the two have been ruled separately since defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island in 1949 at the end of the Chinese civil war with the Communists. China says it will not tolerate a de jure independent Taiwan. Many Taiwanese look anxiously, and perhaps fearfully, at China, where the ruling Communist Party remains unmoved by calls for political liberalization. Taiwan is a structured democracy after undergoing a democratic transition in the 1980s. Pride in democracy has helped to reinforce the unwillingness of many Taiwanese to be absorbed politically by China.

That sentiment is felt particularly keenly in Kaohsiung, one of the main heartlands of Taiwanese cultural identity and where, in 1979, rights activists held a pivotal rally which helped spark Taiwan’s eventual democratic transition.

“It’s been a very difficult journey that Taiwan has gone through in the past few decades,” Zhang said.

Chen, who was deeply involved in Taiwan’s struggle for democracy, said she explained to Zhang that the protests he may have witnessed were part of Taiwan’s political system.

“I told director Zhang that as soon as he arrived at the airport, he may have heard very different voices and protest. I said this is a very normal part of Taiwan’s democracy. I appreciate if he can understand that,” Chen said.

In 2009, China reacted angrily at plans to show a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, a woman China labels a dangerous separatist, at the Kaohsiung film festival, sparking a boycott of the city by Chinese tourists. At the time Chen shrugged off China’s complaints, saying it would harm Kaohsiung’s commitment to human rights if it gave in to Beijing.

Underscoring the depth of feelings in southern Taiwan, Zhang was met by hundreds of protesters at Kaohsiung’s train station, some waving placards reading “Communist Zhang Zhijun, get the hell back to China”.

A much smaller group of protesters also greeted him when he flew into Taipei on Wednesday.

“Chen Chu should face the demands of the people and the values of human rights and refrain from the pursuit of economic growth at the expense of Taiwan’s hard-earned democratic achievements,” said Chen Yin-ting, part of another group of protesters outside the venue where Zhang and Chen held their unprecedented meeting.

The once heavily industrialized Kaohsiung has lost many of its companies and factories to China, drawn away by a massive population and low manufacturing costs, and it has struggled economically in recent years.

Zhang’s trip comes at a sensitive time.

Protesters occupied Taiwan’s parliament and mounted mass demonstrations over three weeks starting in March in anger at a pending trade pact, which will open various sectors in both economies. The opposition calls the pact a threat to Taiwan’s industry and sovereignty

Signed a year ago, it has stalled in Taiwan’s parliament, which is set to discuss it at a session overlapping with Zhang’s visit. Advocates, including the China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou, say it is a step to normalizing ties and will provide jobs and raise living standards.

For more information, please see:

Taipei Times– China respects Taiwan’s choice: Zhang –28 June 2014

The China Post– Kaohsiung mayor meets TAO minister –28 June 2014

Focus Taiwan– Taipei mayor talks of ROC during Beijing visit –27 June 2014

Reuters– China official met by protests, says respects Taiwan’s choices –27 June 2014

Syrian Regime Warplanes Target Militants inside Iraq

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

Damascus, Syria – The Syrian regime has reportedly carried out shelling attacks against militants fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS) in Iraq. At least 57 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than 120 others wounded by an attack that local officials say was carried out by Syrian warplanes that struck several border areas in Anbar providence on Tuesday.

Sabah Karkhout, the leader of Iraq’s Anbar provincial council, told the press that Tuesday’s airstrikes struck markets as well as fuel stations in area. “Unfortunately,” he said Wednesday, “the Syrian regime carried out barbarian attacks against civilians in Anbar province.”

A young girl waits with her family in Khazair to get into a refugee camp set up Iraqis displaced by the advance of ISIS militants into Mosul which ultimately led to Syrian airstrikes inside Iraq. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

Local officials said residents used scopes and other equipment in an attempt to see details on the warplanes to determine where they came from. Karkhout said he was certain the warplanes were Syrian claiming that they bore the image of the Syria’s flag. “Also, the planes flew directly from Syrian airspace and went back to Syria,” he said. The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, said on Wednesday that the warplanes that bombed the Iraqi border cities were not Iraqi jets, but he added that he did not have additional information.

However, the spokesperson for Iraq’s military, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, has denied reports that Syrian warplanes struck border towns inside of the state of Iraq. “We know our airspace. We have not recorded or registered infiltration of our air space from foreign jets, and all the warplanes and helicopters flying over Iraq airspace are Iraqis,” he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, has welcomed Syrian jets bombings targeting ISIS militants. However, al-Maliki’s government has acknowledged the strikes but insists they were carried out within the Syrian territory. Al-Maliki’s Shia government has accused Sunnis of collaborated with militants and has criticized the call for a more representative national government that would give more of a voice to Iraq’s minorities and would ultimately remove him from office.

Both the U.S. and a senior Iraqi military official confirmed that Syrian warplanes had struck militant positions on Tuesday in and around the boarding crossing at the town   of Qaim. White House Spokesperson Joshua Earnest said that the United States had “no reason to dispute” the reports that the Syrian air force had struck inside Iraqi territory.

In response to these developments U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Mideast nations on Wednesday against taking new military action in Iraq that might further inflame sectarian tensions. The Iraqi military official said Iraq’s neighbors – Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey – were all reinforcing flights inside their own airspace in order to monitor the situation. The Iraqi official spoke on a condition of anonymity because he had not been authorized to speak to the media.

While addressing diplomats from NATO countries “We’ve made it clear to everyone in the region that we don’t need anything to take place that might exacerbate sectarian divisions that are already at a heightened level of tension.” He said, “it’s already important that nothing take place that contributes to the extremism or could act as a flash point with respects to the sectarian divide.”

For more information please see:

The Guardian – Isis: Maliki Hails Syrian Air Raids in Iraq As Leaving Both States ‘Winners’ – 27 June 2014

CNN International – Syrian Warplanes Reportedly Strike In Iraq, Killing 57 Civilians – 26 June 2014

CBS News – Kerry Warns Mideast Nations after Syria Bombs Iraq – 25 June 2014

The Washington Post – Syrian Aircraft Bomb Sunni Militant Targets Inside Iraq – 25 June 2014

Brutal Attack Highlights History of Discrimination of Roma in France

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

Paris, France – A sixteen-year-old Roma boy known as Darius was found bloodied in a shopping cart in a suburb north of Paris last week after he was Kidnapped and beaten by about a dozen youths who accused him of stealing. French President Francois Hollande condemned the attack, calling it an unspeakable and unjustifiable act and saying that all efforts would be taken to find those responsible. Hollande added that the attack was “against all the principles on which our republic is founded.”

 

Dancers from Europe’s largest ethnic minority perform at a pride event in Paris last year celebrating Roma culture and heritage. Despite their numbers, an estimated 12 million across Europe, the Roma have historically been marginalized where ever they settle across the continent. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

Police say the young boy was dragged out of his home at an unofficial camp and into a cellar by a dozen locals, who accused him of breaking into a nearby flat the previous Friday. A police officer said “A group of several people went to find him in the camp and took him by force.” The boy’s mother contacted police when he was taken, the police found him unconscious later that night. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.

The boy had been known to police who had linked him to a number of thefts and break-ins but he had never been convicted of a crime. “The motive of this lynching, it was vengeance,” prosecutor Sylvie Moisson told the press, saying the boy’s condition remained life-threatening. “To practically condemn him to death is barbaric,” he said.

Anti-racism organizations say there has been a disturbing increase in violence against the Roma population. According to the human rights organization SOS Racism the attack was the result of an alarming change in attitudes towards Roma in France, which it said was “the clear result of the disgusting tensions into which our citizens have been plunged.”

Aline Le Bail-Kremer, a spokesperson for SOS Racism, says the incident is not surprising considering the current atmosphere in France. The incident reflects the growing atmosphere of ethnic tensions and discrimination of Roma which has persisted in French culture. Bail-Kremer believes the anti-Roma sentiment in France is reflected in the recent success of far-right political parties in the European Parliamentary election; she said “the fact is the National Front, which is a xenophobic party, won an election in this country and won a lot of gains all over Europe.”

Cases of hate crimes against the Roma population are not uncommon in France and even elsewhere in Europe. In February of this year a case against a 40-year-old man who was accused of throwing a mixture of bleach and cleaning fluids at a group Roma living near the Place de la République in central Paris was dismissed by a judge because the case reportedly lacked evidence. In May 2013 several Roma families were attacked at a campsite in northern France, and in October 2012 locals drove a group of Roma out of an encampment and burned everything at their campsites.

The influx of violence against Roma in France reflects a culture of discrimination that exists in the country. The Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe with a population of about 12 million across the continent. The Roma population in France face the reality of institutionalized racism from a young age, not only do their parents face difficulty finding work but Public Schools often refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Roma encampments, cutting children like Darius off from the level of access to education that is given to others living in France.

For more information please see:

The New York Times – Beating of Roma Boy Exposes Tensions in France’s Underclass – 25 June 2014

The Guardian – Broken Camp, Broken Lives, As Vigilante Attack Makes Itself Felt On Roma – 21 June 2014

National Public Radio – Brutal Vigilante Attack on Roma Teen Shocks France – 19 June 2014

Al Jazeera America – Savage Beating Of Roma Teen in Paris Prompts Outrage – 17 June 2014

The Guardian – Roma Teenager in Coma after Being Attacked By Residents of French Estate – 17 June 2014

Sudan Woman Freed From Death Row Arrested for Alleged Fake Travel Documents

By: Danielle L. Cowan (Gwozdz)
Senior Desk Operator, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – The Sudanese woman freed from death row has been accused of trying to leave country with fake documents, her lawyer told BBC news.

South Sudan’s embassy issued the document on Monday (photo courtesy of BBC)

 

The woman, Meriam Ibrahim, was detained on Tuesday, a day after the court released her, annulling the death sentence imposed on her for renouncing the Islamic faith.

Ibrahim, age 27, had been detained at the Khartoum airport along with her family. Her husband Daniel Wani said the family intended to leave the country for the United States. Wani is a United States citizen.

Ibrahim is currently still being held in a police station in Sudan.

United States officials said that they had received assurances that she had not been arrested and would be allowed to leave; however, a Sudan source told the Times of India that she was being investigated for carrying fake documents.

“The National Security took her and Daniel,” said the Times of India source. The same source also told the AFP that Ibrahim had been transferred from the custody of the National Intelligence and Security Service.

Ibrahim’s attorney said that more than 40 police officers prevented the family from boarding the plane to the United States.

“It is very disappointing,” Ibrahim’s attorney stated. “They were very angry. They took us [the family’s lawyers] outside, and took the family to a Niss detention center. They have not been given access to lawyers.”

Her attorney further stated that the appeals court had dismissed all of Ibrahim’s convictions and there were no restrictions on her travelling. He also added, however, that political differences within the government over the case may have played a part in the decision to prevent her leaving.

“I am very concerned,” her attorney claimed. “When people do not respect the court, they might do anything.”

Ibrahim was sentenced to death in May for abandoning Islam when she married a Christian. This marriage sparked outrage around the world.

A court had ruled that she was Muslim because that was her father’s faith. Her Christian marriage of 2011 was officially annulled. She was then sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery and death by hanging for renouncing Islam. Sex outside a “lawful relationship” is considered adultery under Sudanese law.

Ibrahim argued against the court’s ruling by claiming her father abandoned her family when she was six and she was brought up by her mother who was a Christian.

The court ruled that she would be released on June 23rd, but she was arrested the next day.

The United States says it is currently working with Sudan to ensure that Ibrahim will be freed.

South Sudan’s embassy says the travel documents are genuine.

Even though Ibrahim was brought up as an Orthodox Christian, the authorities still consider her Muslim because of her father.

For more information, please visit:
BBC News – Sudan death row woman ‘faked papers’ – 25 June 2014
Guardian News – Sudan death row woman accused of forging papers – 25 June 2014
International Business Times – Freed Christian Woman Meriam Ibrahim Accused of Forging Documents to Leave Sudan – 25 June 2014
The Times of India – Freed Christian woman detained trying to leave Sudan – 25 June 2014
The Guardian – Sudan death row woman Meriam Ibrahim detained again – 24 June 2014
Channel 4 News – Meriam Ibrahim detained at airport in ‘abuse of power’ – 24 June 2014

Thailand Received the Lowest Grade on U.S. Human Trafficking Report

By Hojin Choi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

BANGKOK, Thailand – The U.S. Human Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report downgraded Thailand to “Tier 3,” the lowest level. Tier 3 also includes over 20 other countries, such as North Korea, Syria, Iran, Malaysia, and so forth. The report is released by the Department of State annually.

Thailand maintained its rank in Tier 2 in 2009, but dropped to Tier 2 Watch List in 2010. The lowest, Tier 3, indicates that the government does not fully comply with the minimum standard set forth in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and that it is not even making significant efforts to do so. When a country is classified in Tier 3, the U.S. government imposes penalties by placing restrictions on bilateral assistance, including non-humanitarian and non-trade-related foreign assistance. The U.S. may also oppose assistance from international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

In the report, Thailand is reported as a “source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.” The majority of trafficking victims are “forced, coerced, or defrauded into labor or exploited in the sex trade.” The number of labor trafficking victims is also concentrated into commercial fishing and fishing-related industries. The report says some victims are “forced to beg on the streets.”

The human trafficking problems in Thailand became more known to the world when the Guardian, an English news media, revealed the slave labor in Thai fishing industries in June. The media had investigated a lead for six months regarding “20-hour shifts, regular beatings, torture, and execution-style killings.” The article says some workers were offered methamphetamines to keep them working, and their products are being sold to top global retailers, including U.S.-based Walmart and Costco, French-based Carrefour, and U.K.-based Tesco.

Migrant laborers in Thailand (CNN)

The Thai government appears concerned about the TIP report. Early this year, the Thai government entered a contract with leading U.S. law firm, Holland & Knight, LLP.  The deal called for lobbying to the White House, Congress, and the U.S. Department of State. The contract was intended to persuade these institutions and posit a defense that Thailand is fighting against human trafficking problems.

The Thai government expressed its regret that the TIP report did not recognize the nation-wide efforts to fight against the human trafficking problems. In a statement, one government spokesperson said “Thailand made significant advances in prevention and suppression of human trafficking along the same lines as the State Department’s standards.” According to the Thai government, combatting human trafficking is a “national priority” and human trafficking is “anathema” to the nation’s core values.

Vijavat Isarabhakdi, the Thai Ambassador to the U.S., said in the interview with CNN that 225 defendants were convicted in 2013 for human trafficking. This number represents over four times more than the previous year’s defendants. “I think that we’ve been doing a lot, but we acknowledge the fact that much more needs to be done,” he said.

However, according to the TIP report, it is questionable whether the government’s efforts could indeed have a remedial effect, citing “corruption at all levels.” Some government officials have protected brothels and industries from raids and inspections. Local and national police officers often make protective relationships with the traffickers. Immigration officials and police “reportedly extorted money or sex from Burmese migrants detained in Thailand for immigration violations and sold Burmese migrants unable to pay labor brokers and sex traffickers,” the report said.

 

For more information, please see:

U.S. Department of State – Trafficking in Persons Report 2014

CNN – Tackling Thailand’s human trafficking problem – 21 June 2014

The Guardian – Revealed: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK – 10 June 2014

The Guardian – Thai government condemned in annual US human trafficking report – 20 June 2014

Bangkok Post – Washington downgrades Thailand over human trafficking – 20 June 2014

The New York Times – U.S. Gives Thailand and Malaysia Lowest Grade on Human Trafficking – 20 June 2014