Statement

According to a report in the press (Daily News July 26, 2006) the Chief Justice is quoted as having said:  ‘”go slow” activity as a pernicious act committed against the whole country. He noted that the whole country had to suffer because of the strike country also lost billions of rupees.’ [sic] The argument by […]

The following story about Fr. Terry, a Pastor in Pangasinan, shows how extrajudicial killings and other forms of violence and harm are planned and, more often than not, carried out in the Philippines against individuals who try to engage in community activities for the benefit of the people.   It is this type of planning […]

In an historic judgment the Criminal Court of Thailand held yesterday (July 25, 2006) that the Election Commission was guilty of malfeasance and illegal assistance to the Thai Rak Thai Party in the April 2 Election and Repeat Vote.  The Court sentenced the three members of the Commission to four years in gaol, revoked their […]

The president of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made her State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the 3rd Regular Session of the 13th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines.  Except for mentioning her condemnation of political killings in the harshest possible terms and urging the witnesses to come forward, and mentioning that together we […]

Lee Kuan Yew in a recent publication has paid himself a cheap compliment by comparing the tragic situation of Sri Lanka with Singapore.  He attributes Sri Lanka’s collapse from a one time better position than Singapore to the present crisis to the one man, one vote (universal franchise) system.  He is using the Sri Lankan […]

On July 18 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) described how a victim of alleged abduction, torture, armed robbery, illegal detention and extortion by Thai police has over three years been unable to excite any genuine interest or attention in his case by any government agency. As there is no part of the government with […]

The Daily Tribune has published an article by Marie A. Surbano on July 7, 2006 entitled “Papal Nuncio twits GMA on slay spree”, we reproduce this article below. In his comments the Papal Nuncio attempts to highlight the central importance of dealing with .  We hope that this will be an eye-opener for all the […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-172-2006 July 21, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)  SRI LANKA: Torture, worse than absurd  (This is the second in the series of statements which shows both the worst than absurd situation that results in torture and the worst attitudes in dealing with complaints of torture by the Sri […]

The Philippine National Police have a unique definition of the word “solved”. According to them, once a charge is filed against a suspect with the Office of the Prosecutor it is solved. Suspects not arrested? No matter, it is solved. Investigation flawed? No matter, it is solved. Requests of victim’s family for more inquiries unanswered? […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 20, 2006 AS-170-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission THAILAND: UN charge that killings “official policy” cannot be ignored On July 18 a senior UN human rights expert made an extraordinarily powerful and precise statement about life under the gun for the population of southern Thailand. While the government […]

In a very strange move that will surprise anyone concerned with the global effort to eradicate disappearances and gross human rights violations, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), which claims to be the country’s prime agency for the protection and promotion of human rights, officially decided to stop further inquiries into disappearance cases […]

On July 17 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an appeal on the alleged torture, armed robbery, illegal detention, and attempted rape and extortion of two persons in Saraburi, just northeast of Bangkok in Thailand. According to Uthai Boonnom, he and his partner were taken–at gunpoint and blindfolded–to a house in the forest where […]

This year is the 23rd anniversary of the Black July of 1983.  In a book published in June 2002, Sirisena Cooray, very much an insider to the regime in power in 1983 gives the story of the manner in which the racial riots in Colombo broke out and the responsibility of president Jayawardene for not […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to express its deep concern to the injured victims and the families of those who lost their lives in the bomb blasts in Mumbai, India on July 11, 2006. While the AHRC is shocked by the scale and brutality of the attacks, which targeted innocent citizens, it is […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 11, 2006 AS-165-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BURMA: Bloody killings expose myth of “state stability” In recent weeks and months there have been a growing number of reports of bloody killings of ordinary people by police and other state officers in the cities and towns of Burma. […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-164-2006 July 10, 2006  A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA – Torture, worse than absurd – (this is the beginning of a series of statements which shows both the worst than absurd situation that result in torture and the worse attitudes in dealing with the complaints of torture […]

The Criminal Procedure Code of India has been amended to include a provision for plea bargaining with effect from 7 June 2006. The new chapter in the statute, Chapter XXI A, allows plea bargaining to be used in criminal cases where the prescribed maximum punishment is below seven years. Plea bargaining is not allowed in […]

Throughout June, the authorities in Cambodia systematically used large numbers of police to attack the poor. Five cases included assaults on legally-demonstrating workers and evictions of large numbers of people from their houses to make way for big business.  On June 6, Keo Chutema, governor of the Municipality of Phnom Penh sent around 700 police […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that its poster issued on the occasion of the June 26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture in the Philippines has been altered by some unknown persons who inserted a different picture but retained the name and logo of the AHRC. The altered posters, which […]

The bench of three judges of the Supreme Court made an order on June 30, 2006 directing the Attorney General to consider whether action is warranted against two citizens who filed a fundamental rights petition relating to the appointment of four judges by the president without the recommendation of the Constitutional Council.  The basis is […]