Thailand: Court to read verdict in freedom of expression case
On 11 December 2013, at 9 am in the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court on Sathorn Road, the Supreme Court verdict will be read in the case of Bantit (last name withheld), charged with violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Black Case No. 725/2548 (Red Case No. 1483/2549),...
Japan’s PM Urged to Raise Case of Missing Lao NGO Leader
Rights groups have asked Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to raise concerns about disappeared Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone at an upcoming regional summit, saying Tokyo and other international donors should push for an independent probe if Laos continues to drag its feet on the case.
Abe should urge...
Cambodia: Groups insist on equal rights
Seila, a tall, heavily made-up woman with orange-blonde hair, said she was in a park in Siem Reap last year when policemen approached her, put a gun to her head and told her if she ran, they would shoot.
Her only crime, she says, is being transgender, which in Cambodia,...
Cambodian Opposition Pushes Reforms as Region Marks Human Rights Day
Thousands of opposition party supporters held a rally in Cambodia’s capital Tuesday to mark Human Rights Day, calling on the government to improve the country’s rights record and investigate electoral fraud charges.
Around 6,000 Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) supporters gathered in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park, waving national flags and...
The Philippines: 4 alleged human rights violators promoted by Aquino
MANILA — If Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has a favorite general in the person of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., President Benigno Aquino III has his own favorites too. These military officials who have been promoted and appointed to key positions by Aquino have, like Palparan, tainted records when it comes...
The Philippines: Peaceful march of war refugees in Zamboanga City stopped
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 11, 2013) – Police stopped the peaceful march of a huge group of war refugees and human rights advocates in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
Police said the group had no permit when they marched to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the International Declaration...
Ethnic Violence in Myanmar
Anti-Muslim sentiment in Myanmar is threatening to derail the significant progress the country has made toward democracy since the military junta formally stepped down in 2011. In June and in October 2012, rampages in Rakhine State against Rohingyas, a minority Muslim group, left scores dead. Tens of thousands fled...
Rights Groups Press for Release of Leading Vietnam Dissident
A coalition of human rights organizations have issued an open letter calling for the release of prominent Vietnamese blogger, lawyer and human rights activist, Le Quoc Quan.
In an interview with VOA's Vietnamese service, Benjamin Ismail, the head of the Asia-Pacific Desk at Reporters Without Borders, said his organization together...
ASEAN Must Be Brought to Task on Human Rights, Say Advocates
PHUKET: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan should give public prominence to human rights issues and concerns at the Japan-Asean summit, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the prime minister.
Japan's summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is scheduled to be held in Tokyo from...
New Study Sees ‘No End in Sight’ to Cambodia’s Land Conflicts
Vague policies and weak implementation of the law are fueling a rapid rise in land disputes in Cambodia as the government grants land concessions through a system which benefits the political elite, a new two-year study showed Thursday.
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), which conducted the study, called...
