Indonesia: Survey shows human rights index declines in RI
A survey by the Setara Institute has revealed that Indonesia’s human rights index declined in 2013 as the public continues to be dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the human rights issues.
“This year’s trend depicted the public’s accumulated disappointment of the state, in particular President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration...
HRW Urges Cambodia to Shut ‘Unjust’ Detention Centers
Hundreds of drug users, sex workers, beggars and street children are unlawfully detained in Cambodian rehabilitation centers where they face torture, sexual violence and forced labor, a leading rights group said Monday.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for the immediate closure of eight detention centers that are supposedly...
Cambodia bans march in celebration of Int’l Human Rights Day
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Interior Ministry has allowed the opposition party to hold a rally at the Freedom Park in the capital Phnom Penh to mark the International Human Rights Day on Tuesday, but march was not permitted.
"The Ministry of Interior allows the Cambodian National Rescue...
The Philippines: The killings of five journalists and activists in a week is evidence of a ‘license to kill’
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned over the renewed targeted attacks against journalists, human rights and political activists and indigenous people, in the Philippines. The victims, journalists, who are known critical of corruption and in local politics; rights activists and indigenous people, who are engaged in...
The Philippines: Impunity is a serious matter
On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which marked the first semester of the Aquino administration, President Benigno Aquino III declared his government’s commitment to human rights. He announced the formation of a human rights office in the Armed Forces of the...
Myanmar: Freeing religion from oppression
Attacks on Muslim communities were cited in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2013 Annual Report as being among the primary reasons that Myanmar continues to be designated by the US State Department as a “country of particular concern” in the area of religious freedom.
According to the report,...
Malaysia urged to ratify human rights treaties urgently
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should ratify the remaining six of nine core international human rights treaties as soon as possible and not be left behind, a discussion heard.
The country has only ratified three of the nine treaties since 1995, namely the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination...
Vietnamese workers protest exploitation by their government
Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Vietnamese migrant workers and their spouses gathered Monday at the Vietnamese Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (VECO) to protest what they see as the Vietnamese government's exploitation of its nationals who work abroad.
Members of the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan and the Vietnamese Migrant...
Thailand, RI refuse reconciliation
Both Thailand and Indonesia have made the transition to more progressive forms of government.
In the former, the concept of democracy has repeatedly been tested. Even though several prime ministers have been elected constitutionally since the 1980s, military coups and strong grassroots protests against governments remain.
On the other hand, Indonesia...
Philippines Promotes Human Rights-Based Approach to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, in ASEAN
The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Justice – Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), hosted an ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Regional Workshop on the Human Rights-Based Approach to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, in Makati from 27...
