Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you a statement issued by the World Forum for Democratization in Asia. The statement points specifically to the current state of democracy in Thailand, Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Urgent Appeals Prorgramme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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MEDIA STATEMENT: 5 April 2006
CURRENT THREATS TO ASIAN DEMOCRACIES
Istanbul The World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) has taken an active role to participate and facilitate Asian participation in the Fourth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy. Meeting here with fellow democrats from around the world, we express our concern at the state of democracy in Asia. On the one hand, there is a complete lack of progress in countries such as Burma, China, Laos, North Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. At the same time, there are several Asian democracies that are facing significant threats today.
First, the dramatic events in Thailand give cause for cautious optimism, but also the need for heightened vigilance. We strongly support the rights of civil society to demonstrate and peacefully protest as they have done so far. We have previously expressed grave concerns about the governance of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in addition to his serious conflicts of interest. In particular, we have condemned the abuses committed in Southern Thailand, which have inflamed the situation there; the summary executions carried out in the name of the war on drugs; the legal persecutions against journalists; as well as the creeping politicization of key constitutional institutions.
We cautiously welcome the gesture of Mr. Thaksin yesterday to pledge to not seek the prime ministership when the new parliament convenes. We call for a return to normal constitutional rule at the earliest possible date. This must include a truly representative parliament derived from the full mandate of the people and including all major political parties.
Second, in the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has yet to account satisfactorily for the serious allegations of manipulations of the 2004 presidential elections. This has created a significant question mark over the very legitimacy of her tenure in office. The resulting political tension and deadlock has brought to a halt many urgently needed reforms. On the contrary, the country is experiencing an upsurge of old issues such as political violence and corruption, which are integrally linked to the political struggle at the center.
We call for a combination of measures both to end the current crisis as well as transform it into an opportunity for systemic change. In the first place, the security forces must immediately cease all operations against legitimate civil society and opposition figures; the military must remain in the barracks absolutely, and the police need to carry out their proper mandate to protect the security of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation. Second, the president will need either to fully address the election related issues or step aside in order to move the country out of this political impasse. Finally, constitutional reforms are necessary to ensure a healthier functioning of government in the future.
Third, in Nepal, the process of democratization was completely cut off by the kings suspension of the constitution and seizure of power in early 2005. The crisis thus created remains unresolved until today and the human rights situation has continued to deteriorate. We call on the government to take necessary steps to restore a multi-party democracy system and bring justice to those responsible for human rights violations.
Fourth, in Bangladesh, we are alarmed at the recent rise of politically motivated violence, apparently by various terrorist groups, which has greatly heightened the tension between the ruling and opposition parties. We call for the two parties to establish a genuine and effective dialogue, including among the leaders themselves, to realize that they need to unite against violence and extremism.
All of these situations are sharp reminders that democratization can suffer reverses. In addition to promoting democracy in countries that have no experience of it, further efforts are needed to consolidate it after transitions. As a network of Asian democrats, WFDA will strive to be vigilant in all such cases.
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Mr Bo Tedards, Coordinator, WFDA
c/o: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Tel: +886-2-2708-0100
bo@taiwandemocracy.org.tw
