Urgent Appeal Case

Dear Friends Inhuman Assault by the Bagawantalawa police of three young men The victims are; Name : Ramaiya Dhanapala Singham Age : 23 years Civil status : married with one child Address : Chapelton Estate, T.V. Division Bagawantalawa Employment : estate worker in Chapelton Name : Ramaiya Saravanaraj Age : 26 years Civil status : […]

Dear friends Victim: Padukkage Nishantha Thushara Perera (23 years old) Address of the victim: No. 63, St. Sebastian’s Road, Kandana Perpetrators: Police officers attached to the Divulapitiya Police Station Period of detention and torture: from 7 September until now Details: Padukkage Nishantha Thushara Perera (23 years old) was arrested by four police officers at around 4:30am on 7 September […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received news that a female Burmese migrant worker was raped and killed by three men in Mae Sot, on the Thai border with Burma. One of three was identified as the factory security guard, who is a Thai national. However, no serious action has been taken […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received another two cases of deaths in custody in Sri Lanka. It is already the third custodial death case that AHRC has received in the past week. Victims of both cases were allegedly tortured and killed by police officers. AHRC expresses our deep concern for the […]

Dear friends, Disappearance of 26 year old man after arrest and torture by Watthegama Police officers in Kandy District Victim: Saliya Padma Udaya Kumara (26 years old) Date of incident: from 26 August to 28 August 2003 Alleged Perpetrators: Police officers at Watthegama Police Station in Kandy District DETAILD INFORMATION: (based on the statement from the victim’s […]

Dear Friends We are forwarding updated information from the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) regarding the killing of the Blancos, a Mangyan family, by elements of the 16th Infantry Batallion (IB) of the Philippine Army (PA). The Blanco family were part of the Hanunuo tribe, situated in Sitio Talayob, Nicolas, Magsaysay Occidental Mindoro. […]

Dear Friends Torture of two young persons and fabrication of charges by Ankumbura Police; Illegal arrest; Illegal detention for 8 days Victims: Bandula Padma Kumara (14 years old) and Saman Kumara (17 years old) Address: c/o M.G. Karunawathie (Mother), Godahena, Dolaphihilla Dates of incident: from 20 July to 28 July 2003 (Bailed out on 15 […]

Dear Friends Brutal Torture of a 17 year old and others, causing permanent injuries; Illegal arrest; Illegal detention for 8 days Victim: B.G. Chamila Bandara Jayaratne of 166 Godahena, Dolapihilla (17 years old), educated up to 11th grade Dates of incident: from 20 July to 28 July 2003 Perpetrators: Several Police Officers from Ankumbura Police Station and Gramma Arraksaka […]

Dear Friends The controversy over the large dams project on the River Narmada has come to symbolise the struggle for a just and equitable society in India. We are forwarding updated information from the Narmada Bachao Andolan organisation regarding the forced displacement of indigenous groups by the Narmada Valley Development Plan. In brief, the Government […]

Dear Friends We are forwarding updated information from the National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS), Pune, regarding a case of torture and brutal beating to death of an Adivasi tribal, leading to his death in Police custody on 15 June 2003. Below are background details, followed by more explicit details and a sample letter. BACKGROUND […]

Dear Friends On 21 July, about 100 police and the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation (MSFC) security personnel destroyed about two hundreds huts of adivasis – indigenous people – and more than thousand acres of crops. No notice was given to the people. Several hundred adivasi children and women have been rendered homeless. The adivasi people […]

SRI LANKA: Torture and custodial death of Sunil Hemachandra by police officers SRI LANKA: Murder, torture and extortion by police officers ————————————————————————————————————————– Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the case of the torture by the police officer and custodial death of Sunil Hemachandra in Sri Lanka. The AHRC has received […]

INDIA: Extra-judicial killings and torture; alleged torture and killing of Ningthoujam Mangoljao and extra-judicial killings of three young boys in Manipur INDIA: Extra-judicial killings and torture ————————————————————————————————————————– Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned with recently repeated extra-judicial killings and torture in Manipur, India. The AHRC has received a report that Mr. […]

Dear Friends SITUATION: The unexpected and unjustifiable decision of Mr. M.Enkhbold, the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city has caused a real tragedy for five poor families living in the Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar. The decision No.159 signed by Mr.Enkhbold remained secret from April 25, 2003. The 37 five family members who are affected by this are […]

MALAYSIA: Right to assembly, right to education, denied for seven suspended university students ————————————————————————————————————————— Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a report that the academic careers of seven university students who were detained allegedly for illegal assembly on June 8, 2000, continue to wait for the resumption of their studies pending […]

HONG KONG: Fundamental human rights at risk; threat to the rule of law and freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and the press ———————————————————————————————————————- Dear Friends On July 1, 2003, more than half a million people in Hong Kong took to the streets to protest against the National Security (Legislative Provisions) Bill to implement Article […]

THAILAND: Case of abuse of migrant worker rights in Mae Sot, Thailand ———————————————————————————– Dear Friends BACKGROUND INFORMATION: On 23 June, 420 legal Burmese workers from the King Body Concept Co. Factory were dismissed and deported for submitting a complaint after a dispute over wages and working conditions. All these workers were legally registered under the […]

Dear Friends The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has reported that the police in Bangkok arrested 11 Burmese activists for distributing leaflets demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The 11 activists are detained at the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) and Thai authorities have indicated that the 11 activists may be […]

Dear Friends BACKGROUND INFORMATION: On 23 June 2003 more than 300 security guards at the Nestle plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, the Philippines, together with 200 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and hired assistants, attacked the Nestle workers who have been on strike since 14 January 2001. Under the banner of the United Filipro […]

CAMBODIA: Riots and violent confrontation over Labour disputes Riot police in Cambodia seriously assaulted the labour rights of workers on 13 June 2003 when they fired into a crowd of several hundred demonstrators who were airing their grievances over pay, the sacking of a union member and other labour issues. The violence resulted in the […]