Tag: Freedom of Expression / Information / Speech
What senators’ silence on Duterte threat means
MANILA, Philippines – Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of Mindanao’s Davao City, has a novel strategy to address the problem of rice smuggling: murder the suspected smugglers. At a public hearing of the Philippine senate this week, Duterte boasted that if a notorious suspected smuggler tried to do business in...
In search of a secular president
Indonesia is in dire need of a secular president because it is a secular country by law.
The de jure fact that Indonesia is a secular country is often blurred by the de facto reality that too many Indonesian leaders indulge themselves in religious symbols. Such lifestyles have reached an...
Abducted, tortured and jailed NDFP consultant freed in Philippines
CEBU (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 8, 2014) – A peace consultant of the leftist National Democratic Front of the Philippines, who was abducted, tortured and jailed by Philippine authorities, has been freed after a local court dismissed rebellion charges against him, the human rights group called Karapatan said.
Ramon Patriarca,...
Investigation commission for Du Chee Yar Tan incident to report at the end of this month
An investigation commission for Du Chee Yar Tan village incident was formed with ten commission members on 6 February with the order from Presidential Office. It was published in government owned newspapers on 7 February.
Chairperson of Myanmar Red Cross Association Dr. Thar Hla Shwe acted as chairperson of the...
Arrest Of Five Journalists Throwback To Bad Old Days
A number of international human rights groups and media watchdog organisations condemned the Burma government for jailing five journalists for allegedly exposing states secrets.
In a strongly worded media release the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) “condemns the arrest and continuing detainment of five Burmese journalists following the publication of...
Violence Ensues In Thailand as Vote Stands
UNITED NATIONS (TRNS) – Amidst the growing violence, The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said in a statement that they have “been alarmed to see individuals at protest sites with weapons”. They are urging all sides in the conflict to abstain from violence and carrying weapons, as many...
Hun Sen Warns Against Attempts to Hold Cambodia ‘Hostage’
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday accused certain groups of trying to hold the nation “hostage," saying his government was functioning normally despite opposition calls for him to resign and hold fresh elections following disputed polls.
His administration has also drawn criticism over its heavy handed response to protests...
Fear ‘making bloggers, reporters self-censor’
Cambodian bloggers and journalists often self-censor out of fear that they could face legal or physical threats, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said in a report on freedom of expression released yesterday.
The policy brief, a summary of six roundtable discussions held over the past two years with bloggers,...
Poser over rights coalition’s legality after ‘amended’ statement by Home Ministry
Questions have arisen over the status of the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the Universal Periodic Review Process (Comango) following an amendment apparently made to an ealier statement by the Home Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Khalid Shariff.
The coalition said it is a legal organisation based on the amendment which...
Vietnam Dissident Released After Brutal Arrest
A well-known Vietnamese human rights activist has been released from detention, just 24 hours after he says he was brutally arrested inside his home.
Nguyen Bac Truyen says hundreds of police and undercover agents raided his home in southern Dong Thap province Sunday, firing three gunshots before violently taking him...
