August SEA Newsletter

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August 2011

SEAsia Action Network Newsletter 1

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

SOUTHEAST ASIA ACTION NETWORK

Countries in this issue:

Indonesia p. 3 Thailand, p. 5

Myanmar, p. 4 Vietnam, p. 5

Philippines, p. 4

Australia Update, by Leila Chacko, Country Special ist

The governments of Australia and Malaysia

signed a deal in July to send 800 asylum seekers

from Australia to Malaysia. Australia, in

exchange, agreed to resettle 4,000 refugees

from Malaysia. The Australian government

claimed it would help curb human trafficking and

smuggling by showing smugglers that potentialasylum seekers would not be welcome in the

country. Australia receives thousands of asylum

seekers each year, and the country is ill-

equipped to deal with the numbers of people.

Amnesty Australia condemned the exchange of asylum seekers. The UNHCR says there

are 90,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. Therefore, those transferred to

Malaysia would not have adequate access to social support. Furthermore, asylum seekers

in Malaysia have been subject to torture in the past, and Malaysia is not a signatory tothe United Nations Refugee Convention, nor has it ratified the UN Convention against

Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, or the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Earlier this month, the High Court of Australia halted the deal, saying that it needs

further review. It could, however, still be implemented in the future.

Photo from Adam

Countries In This Issue:

Cambodia, p. 2 Philippines, p. 6

Indonesia, p. 4 Thailand, p. 7

Myanmar, p. 5 Viet Nam, p. 7



August 2011


Special Report from Cambodia

By the SEAsia Co-group

On 2 August 2011, the well-respected Cambodian NGO Sahmakum Teang

Tnaut (STT) received a letter from the Ministry of Interior ordering it to “suspend [its] activities” until the end of the year, citing vague administrative

and procedural breaches, such as “failing to

modify its leadership structure.” According to

legal experts, there is no legal basis

whatsoever for this sudden, shocking, and

arbitrary order. STT’s primary work has been

documentation, research, and advocacy

concerning land rights of the urban and rural

poor. In a context of widespread forced

evictions – “the involuntary removal of persons from their homes or land, directly or

indirectly attributable to the State” (UNHCR,

1996). “Land grabbing” is a massive social

and political issue in Cambodia today,

affecting tens of thousands of people nation-

wide whose land and property is seized and residents displaced to make

room for commercial enterprises – logging, mining, cash crop plantations,

urban property development. According to a recent article in The Guardian,

an estimated 30,000 people are displaced annually in Cambodia. Forced

evictions have increasingly gained international attention, and are a focus of Amnesty International’s work in Southeast Asia. A week after the suspension

of STT, the World Bank suspended new lending to Cambodia in a dispute

over a property development project in Phnom Penh that is filling in a city

lake and displacing thousands of people to make way for luxury

accommodation and high-end shops.

There are enormous concerns that the suspension of STT is an ominous sign

of things to come, and it has greatly amplified concern over a proposed NGO

and Associations law which would impose burdensome, complex, and

expensive formal registration processes on any civil society group. The

proposed law effectively opens the door to government strangling civil

society, because of provisions that would allow officials to deny groups

permission to operate (or simply leave them “pending” indefinitely), without

any transparent processes or avenues of appeal. It should be emphasized

that it would not be the first time that arbitrary bureaucratic mazes have

been imposed in Cambodia to effectively undermine peoples’ rights.

“Land grabbing” is a

massive social and political

issue in Cambodia today,

affecting tens of thousands

of people nation-wide

whose land and property is

seized and residents

displaced to make roomfor commercial enterprises

– logging, mining, cash

crop plantations, urban

property development.



August 2011


Amnesty International is continuing to monitor and vigorously campaign for

freedom of association in Cambodia.

FEARS FOR SAFETY OF INDONESIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST Human rights defender Yones Douw has received medical treatment after he

was beaten by military officers on 15 June. However, he continues to fear forhis safety and the safety of his family after he received information that he is

under surveillance by members of the Indonesian security forces.

Issued 19 August

AUTHORITIES REFUSE PRISONER MEDICAL CARE Papuan political prisoner Kimanus Wenda is in urgent need of medical

treatment. He has a tumour in his stomach, and needs to be transferred to ahospital to undergo an operation. Prison authorities have refused to pay for

his transport and medical costs.

Your Country Team at Work and P lay:

Check out recent Southeast

Asia UAs

Indonesia:Issued 5 Au ust 2011

Myanmar Country Specialist Nancy Galib

(left), and Co-Group Coordinator Claudia

Vandermade (center) tabled at the

Steve Earle concert at the Birchmere in

Alexandria, VA on August 13th. After the

show we were able to meet Steve, and

gave him a Filep Karma t-shirt.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/new-mob-attack-on-ahmadiyya-amid-sentencing-controversy-in-indonesia-says-amnesty-international


http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/025/2011/en/01cfa12f-8c4b-4c24-8d51-021c651eb982/asa210252011en.pdf






August 2011


Update: IndonesiaIn the News:

President Obama will be traveling to Bali in November for a summit of EastAsian leaders, the first attended by a U.S. president. In advance of that trip,rights groups and critics in Congress warn that the administration is too

eager to brand Indonesia as a democratic success story. Referencingthe minor sentences of troops involved in torture and murder in Papua, Tim

Rieser, senior policy advisor to Senator Patrick Leahy said: "If they wereserious about accountability, these kinds of crimes would be severely

punished.” (Report from the Jakarta Globe.)

Amnesty News:

Papuan activist Melkianus Bleskadit has been imprisoned in West Papua

province for his involvement in a peaceful protest and for raising anindependence flag. His sentence highlights the continuing use of repressivelegislation to criminalize peaceful political activities in the province. Amnesty

International calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Amnesty International calls on the Indonesian authorities to halt attacks on

the country’s Ahmadi minority after a radical Islamist group led an attackon the Ahmadiyya in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Hundreds of members of

the group the Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) attacked some ten Ahmadiyya in

their place of worship on a recent Sunday. Armed with machetes andbamboo sticks, the FPI members stormed the building at around 1am andattacked worshippers, inflicting serious head injuries on at least one

Ahmadiyya member. Three local human rights defenders, two from the

Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Makassar and one from theIndonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) were beaten by the mob

while trying to stop the attacks. According to them, police officers who werepresent did nothing to stop the violence or protect the victims.

New Action on Filep Karma:

Amnesty International has received informationfrom credible sources that Filep Karma has

complained of pain in his abdominal area and fears he may be suffering from internalbleeding. He requires full and immediatemedical treatment, however has been denied

access to the Abepura prison doctor. Click forAction.

Chalk drawing of Filep Karma at our most

recent rally at the Indonesian Embassy in

Washington.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/human-rights-concerns-follow-obamas-2nd-trip-to-indonesia/462418



http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/027/2011/en/eb914fbc-c8e6-4f4e-8b40-3bee9713c8c8/asa210272011en.pdf




http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/indonesia-new-mob-attack-ahmadiyya-community-amid-sentencing-controversy-20


http://www.scribd.com/doc/61930690/Filep-Karma-Update-8-9-11











August 2011


New Indonesia Action:

Arbitrary and Excessive Use of Force and Firearms in

North Sumatra.

Update: Myanmar

In the News:

The government of Myanmar has taken an unusual path in the last few

weeks. First, state-run newspapers have stopped their long-held practice of publishing daily criticisms of the BBC and other international broadcasters.Then, all the major Burmese journals carried pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi’s

face-to-face meeting with President Thein. Previously, no photos of Suu Kyi

were allowed in the papers, though recently small pictures would appear oninside pages.

However, the UN envoy to Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, recently visited the

country and secured no guarantee for the release of political prisoners. In

Police form a blockade during the attempt to

forcibly evict the communities in North Sumatra,

June 2011 © Private

On 27 June 2011 security forces

in North Sumatra provincereportedly used arbitrary and

excessive force and firearms in

an attempt to forcibly evict acommunity in Langkat district.

At least 700 families from the

villages of Barak Induk, Damar

Hitam and Sei Minyak in the

Besitang and Sei Lapan sub-districts have been involved in

an ongoing land dispute with

local government authorities

who claim that their villages are

located within the Leuser

Mountain National Park (Taman

Nasional Gunung Leuser, TNGL).

According to local sources, on the morning of 27 June 2011, at least 5,000 people

from the three villages were invited to meet with officers from the TNGL and

others to discuss the ongoing dispute. After waiting for more than three hours,

villagers from Sei Minyak received news that their houses were being

destroyed in an attempt to forcibly evict them from the land. Click for Action.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14574072



http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21951






http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA21/026/2011/en/f3aa3fe8-b269-4eec-89ec-35b278e727bc/asa210262011en.pdf








August 2011


his statements he said, “Another concern is the continuing allegations of torture and ill treatment during interrogation, the use of prisoners as porters

for the military, and the transfers of prisoners to prisons in remoteareas where they are unable to receive family visits or packages of essential

medicine and supplemental food.”

Update: Philippines

New Action:

James Balao helped found the Indigenous

peoples' organization Cordillera Peoples Alliance

(CPA) in 1984. He has since worked as aresearcher for Indigenous peoples' rights. Hehelped draft provisions on Indigenous Peoples'

rights in the Philippines' constitution. He

disappeared from his home on September 172008.

Before he was abducted, he had sent an email to his family detailing thesurveillance that he said he had been under since June 2008. He described

being tailed by a blue-and-white van. People who have been kept undersurveillance in this way in recent years have later been extrajudicially

executed. Click for Action.

Amnesty News:

A vote in the Philippine Senate on 23 August opened the way for the countryto become a party to the International Criminal Court (ICC). After more than 10 years of campaigning by Amnesty International and

others, the vote to approve the Rome Statute brings the Philippines closerto joining the global effort to end impunity for genocide, crimes against

humanity and war crimes. Earlier this month, Amnesty InternationalPhilippines submitted a petition of more than 8,000 signatures by Philippine

citizens urging the Senate to approve ratification.

States that ratify the Rome Statute commit to investigate and prosecutegenocide, crimes against humanity and w ar crimes before their national

courts and agree that, if they are unable or unwilling to do so, the

International Criminal Court may step in. They also agree to cooperate fullywith the work of the ICC in investigating and prosecuting crimes committed

around the world.

Amnesty International calls on the Philippine authorities to release Ericson

Acosta or else promptly bring him to trial. Amnesty International expressedconcern that the 37-year-old activist and journalist has been held indetention without trial for six months now. On 13 February, Acosta was

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/iar/remember-the-disappeared-in-the-philippines/






http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA35/004/2011/en/51c1df4f-596d-439c-a9c7-b3891738510c/asa350042011en.pdf












August 2011


arrested by the military in San Jose, Samar. The military alleged he was anofficial of the once-banned Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Acosta said he was detained at a military camp and subjected to 44 hoursof interrogation with only two hours of sleep. He also said that

interrogators threatened to kill him.

Update: Thailand

In the News:

The trial of Chiranuch Premchaipron, a well-

respected online media editor, will resume onSeptember 1st in Bangkok’s Criminal Court. Dr.

Agnes Callamard, the executive director of ARTICLE19 said, “Chiranuch’s trial is a litmus test for

Thailand’s tolerance of freedom of expression. Usinga combination of lèse majesté and computer crime

charges, the Thai authorities have created aclimate of fear in which any form of debate around

the lèse majesté law and the role of the royalty inThai society is hushed or faces severe

consequences.”

On 10 August 2011 a Bangkok court sentenced atorture victim to two years in prison for speaking

out against his alleged torturers. According to

the Asian Human Rights Commission, “Thus, the

human rights priorities of the state in Thailand are

made patently clear: not to investigate alleged

abuses of human rights but to investigate,prosecute and imprison persons who allege suchabuses. Not to criminalize torture and imprison

torturers, but to criminalize the complaint of torture and imprison the tortured.”

The UN Rapporteur on trafficking in persons,

especially women and children, Joy Ngozi, spent twoweeks in Thailand recently. Abuses on fishing trawlers were recently the

subject of an article in the Bangkok Post.

Update: Viet Nam

Amnesty News:

Amnesty International calls on the Vietnamese authorities to immediately

release a French-Vietnamese blogger who has been sentenced to three yearsin prison on national security charges. Professor Pham Minh Hoang, a maths

lecturer who holds dual nationality, was accused of writing articles that “blackened the image of the country” by the judge at the trial in Ho Chi Minh

The quality of our

society reflects the

extent of our

justice - our sense

of fair play and our

notion of

compassion. If we

can't understand

that we must

extend these

principles and

virtues to our

foreign workers,

regardless of their

race and

nationality, then

we are doomed as

a society.

From the editorial

desk of Asia News

Network, regarding

trafficking in

Thailand.

http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/2712/en/thailand:-freedom-of-expression-on-trial




http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-103-2011



http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=20581&sec=3



http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/250857/migrants-abused-by-trawlers



http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/viet-nam-urged-release-jailed-blogger-2011-08-10













August 2011


City. He told the court his writings were not aimed at overthrowing anyone,and that Vietnam needs to be more democratic, reports said.

An article in the New York Times focused on the stigma of Vietnamese

women and girls who have been rescued from trafficking in the village of HopTien. “Fearful that a fallen woman would cast shame on the whole family,

several households quickly disowned their kidnapped daughters.

Some of the girls built makeshift tents, blue specks that can still be seentucked high into the mountainside, a wide distance from town”. However,Vang Thi Mai, a 49-year-old woman of the town, began to take the women

in, and eventually brought them into a small textile cooperative founded byher and her husband.

Meet your amazing and dedicated team of

Country Specialists:

Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia Jeanne Marie Stumpf [email protected]

Indonesia Max White (and Timor-Leste,

Papua New Guinea)

Gartini Isa

Carole Marzolf

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Laos, Thailand Tyrell Haberkorn [email protected]

Myanmar Jim Roberts

Nancy Galib

Anil Raj

[email protected]

Philippines Perfecto Boyet-Caparas

Leila Chacko (and Pacific

Islands)

Vener (Nerve) Macaspac

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Vietnam Jean Libby [email protected]

Co-Group and RAN Coordinator,Newsletter editor

Claudia Vandermade [email protected]

Have a question about AI’s work in a particular country? Wonderinghow to take your country work a step further? Contact a CountrySpecialist, or the Co-Group Coordinator, Claudia Vandermade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/world/asia/17vietnam.html?_r=1&ref=asia




mailto:[email protected]































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