Malaysia: Sarawak indigenous communities launch campaign against land grabbing
Sarawak indigenous leaders have launched an online signature campaign against land grabbing by private and government corporations, reports Pan AP.
Over a hundred leaders of various Sarawak indigenous groups gathered at a public forum in Kuching on 15 November to launch an online signature campaign against land grabbing by private...
Myanmar’s president pardons 69 political prisoners
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s president on Nov. 15 pardoned 69 political prisoners, including two grandsons of a former dictator, as part of a promise to free all such detainees by the end of the year.
Most of those newly freed are members of ethnic minorities, said Ye Aung, who...
Cambodia: Defamation suits follow NGO report
Tycoon Try Pheap has filed a defamation complaint against two people quoted in an NGO report released last week that accused him of illegal logging and widespread land grabbing, summonses obtained yesterday reveal.
The documents, bearing the signature of Kandal Provincial Court prosecutor Sam Rithy Veasna, are dated Friday.
This is...
Cambodia: Venue change for CNRP rally
The opposition announced over the weekend that it will move its mass Human Rights Day demonstration on December 10 from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap to allow civil society groups easier access to City Hall permits for their own demonstrations in the capital.
The party has also announced plans to...
UN Human Rights Council: Heal thyself
What do Algeria, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam have in common?
If you believe in the international community’s ability to uphold humane standards and the rule of law, you might think that addressing abuses in those six countries are on the agenda for the UN Human Rights Council’s...
Thai anti-government protesters storm ministry compound in Bangkok
Bangkok (CNN) -- Anti-government protesters in Thailand have stormed the offices of the country's finance ministry, as mass demonstrations raise political tensions to the highest level since the deadly unrest of 2010.
Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister under the previous Democrat-led government, led the group...
Women at risk as Brunei introduces stoning
It is a scandal that in 2013 women still risk death by stoning in 15 countries. Incredibly, that number is now set to rise as the southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei prepares to introduce this brutal punishment.
Last month, the Sultan of Brunei announced a harsh new penal code based...
Malaysia: International NGOs take up plight of the Penans
Some 30 human rights and environmental non-governmental organisations have sent letters to 15 Malaysian missions worldwide calling for "good faith negotiations" with more than 100 Penan families who are displaced by the Murum hydroelectric dam project in Sarawak.
The organisations which represent national, regional and international civil society groups are...
UN rights experts urge Malaysia to reverse decision to restrict use of ‘Allah’ to Muslims
Several independent United Nations human rights experts today urged the Malaysian Government to reverse its decision to ban a Catholic publication from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God, warning that the case may have far-reaching implications for religious minorities in the country.
“Freedom of religion or belief is...
The UN Resolution on Rohingyas In Myanmar – Analysis
By Dr. Tint Swe
The UN resolutions passed earlier on human rights situation in Burma/Myanmar have been applauded by the oppressed people of the country since 1992. In fact this has been an encouragement for the people, while the then successive governments of Burma/Myanmar continuously rejected them. Even today, the...
