Statement

The electoral victory of Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) in 1977 created what is now commonly known as ‘elective dictatorship’. This dictatorship was made permanent through the legal structure arising from the 1978 Constitution. Additionally, the transformation of democratic rule into tyrannical rule was approved by a vast majority in the parliament. Most of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2006 AS-101-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDIA: Snail pace progress at the National Human Rights Commission the Commission must accept responsibility The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a communication from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India on 9 May 2006, informing the […]

Why is a police officer the director-general of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation? The DSI was established under the Ministry of Justice so that it would not be subject to direct control of the police but still have full investigative power in special cases, including those where government or law-enforcement officers may themselves be suspects. […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) notes that the Government of Indonesia is bidding for membership within the United Nations Human Rights Council. Elections are to be held on May 9, 2006. Indonesia has made a voluntary pledge and commitments to human rights as part of its bid, but the AHRC considers that the country […]

A statement made by Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice, Sarath N. Silva at a recent public meeting is causing many comments, both public and private, on the state of the judiciary and rule of law in the country. In his statement the Chief Justice is reported to have cursed the Sri Lankan police as being highly […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is monitoring India’s candidacy to the United Nations Human Rights Council with interest. India, along with the other 17 candidates from Asia that are vying for 13 seats on the Council, has made a voluntary pledge and commitments to human rights to accompany its candidacy. The Council, which is […]

On April 24, the government of Thailand submitted the country’s candidacy for the new UN Human Rights Council. The election of the council’s first members is planned for May 9. The election should be viewed as a good opportunity for serious examination of the human rights records of candidates, including Thailand. In this respect, Thailand’s […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2006 AS-096-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission NEPAL: Momentum is key in ensuring positive change toward peace, development and human rights in Nepal The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) sees in recent events in Nepal, arising out of the sustained mass demonstrations during the last month, a […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the move by the Indian government to draft a new Police Act, thus replacing the old act of 1861. The committee constituted for this purpose in September 2005 was given six months to produce a draft bill. The official term of the committee expired on January 31, 2006. […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 3, 2006 AS-092-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) INDONESIA: Flawed state institutions unable to uncover Munir’s killers Close to two years after the death of Indonesia’s leading human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, little has been revealed regarding why he was killed and who was responsible. Local […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that over recent months, members of various Cambodian security forces have in separate incidents shot and injured young women in Phnom Penh, shot dead a villager in Kompong Cham, and wantonly driven a car into a smuggler there, killing him on the spot. The AHRC has also […]

On 28 April 2006 the Municipality of Phnom Penh issued a ban on peaceful demonstrations that three trade unions had planned to celebrate International Labour Day on May 1. The trade unions–the Independent Teachers’ Association (ITA), with over 8000 members; the Free Trade Union Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC), with over 70,000 members, […]

On the 1st May, 1993, R. Premadasa, the executive president of Sri Lanka, was killed in a massive bomb blast while participating in the May Day public activities.  The blast also killed and injured many others.  Before becoming president he was the prime minister to J.R. Jayawardene who came to power through a huge electoral […]

Since it was reported on April 26 that General Sonthi Boonyaratglin admitted that the Thai army and police are using “blacklists” to hunt for alleged insurgents in the south, discussion has turned on how the lists are being made. “One wonders exactly what sort of evidence is needed to have a person put on one […]

The parliament of Nepal will meet tomorrow, April 28, 2006, for its first meeting since King Gyanendra of Nepal was pressured into re-establishing it as a result of weeks of massive popular protests in the country. The meeting represents the dawning of a new era in Nepal, and credit is due to the peoples’ movement […]

There have been many disappearances in Pakistan’s political history. The present disappearances are occurring in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of the country, largely by law enforcement agencies. In response, Pakistani citizens have organised two protest rallies against these disappearances. One of these will be held in Karachi, Pakistan on April 28, 2006 organised by the […]

The speeches by the King of Thailand to the Supreme Court and Administrative Court judges on 25 April 2006 have with good reason been reported all around the world. Among his remarks, he told the judges that “When an election is not democratic, you should look carefully into the administrative issues. I ask you to […]

On April 25, as the second anniversary of the 28 April 2004 killing of 106 young men in the south of Thailand approached, army commander Sonthi Boonyaratglin reportedly made a remarkable admission. There are, he said, “blacklists” of wanted persons in the south. The blacklists, he also reportedly admitted, are perhaps being used by some […]

The murder of Inspector of Police (IP) Douglas Nimal and his wife, who with several other police officers were making allegations of high ranking police officers being involved in drug trafficking, casts a dark shadow on the capacity of the Inspector General of Police and other high ranking officers to maintain the rule of law […]

The trial of 58 persons charged after the fatal 25 October 2004 protest outside the Tak Bai police station is getting under way in Narathiwat, southern Thailand. Although 85 persons were killed–seven during the protest and 78 in army custody afterwards–it is not the military and police officers responsible for their deaths who are on […]