Malaysia: Muslim activists: Dr M’s daughter, Ambiga masterminds behind ‘anti-Islam’ NGO
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) accused today Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan of supporting a local human rights coalition called Comango, whose demands the Islamist group said were a threat to Islam.
Isma distributed 70,000 leaflets at mosques throughout the country after Friday...
Vietnam becomes 81st party to UNCAT
Vietnamese Ambassador Le Hoai Trung signed the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) on Friday, making the country the latest to join the convention.
On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, the Ambassador signed the UNCAT at the United Nations headquarters on...
Malaysia: 19 arrested for peacefully protesting against development project
The arrest of 19 people, including human rights defenders, during a peaceful protest against the demolition of a historical village in Malaysia confirm fears recently expressed by UN member States at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) conducted by the UN Human Rights Council, say the Observatory for the Protection...
Indonesia: Forest Misuse Costs Indonesia $7 Billion in Revenue, Report Says
Illegal logging and mismanagement of Indonesia’s forestry industry may have prevented more than $7 billion flowing to state coffers from 2007 to 2011, costing the government more than its health budget, Human Rights Watch said.
In contrast, the Indonesian government’s 2011 revenue from timber royalties and reforestation fees was $300...
Malaysia: Utusan accuses rights coalition of treachery and helping foreign powers
Utusan Malaysia has accused the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) of attempting to help foreign powers colonise the country.
It said the 54 NGOs in Comango were pro-opposition and what it was promoting was no longer about human rights and freedom.
“It is more towards the threat of national security,” said...
Myanmar: 1000s of Rohingyas pushed into cheap labor in India
Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been pushed into cheap labor in India after fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar, Press TV reports.
Escaping the death and destruction in their own country, thousands of Rohingya are living in abysmal condition in Muslims in Jammu region of Indian-controlled Kashmi where they work as...
Singapore’s Exploited Immigrant Workers
For Zahir (not his real name), the wealthy city-state of Singapore was meant to be his chance to make it rich. The Bangladeshi was so convinced it would be worth his while to move there that he paid $8,000 to a training center in his home country for placement...
Indonesia: Illegal Logging Pact Doesn’t Go Far Enough
On Sept. 30, Indonesia and the European Union entered into a historic agreement to protect Indonesia’s forests from illegal logging by guaranteeing that only legally harvested timber products will be exported from Indonesia to the EU.
Now, an international human rights group is saying the agreement does not go far...
Myanmar: ‘Culture of Impunity’ Reflected in Governor Shooting Case, Groups Say
WASHINGTON DC - Rights groups say the courts and police have shown themselves incapable of arresting a former governor found guilty of firing into a crowd of demonstrators—further demonstrating that Cambodia’s culture of impunity still exists.
Chhouk Bandith, the former governor of Bavet town, Svay Rieng province, remains at large,...
Myanmar: UNICEF Tells Govt to Increase Education, Health Spending
RANGOON — UNICEF is calling on the government to drastically increase government spending on education and health care in order to boost socio-economic development and improve the child rights situation in Burma.
Two UNICEF studies released on Wednesday analyze current government spending and conclude that revenues from the country’s rich...
