AHRC News

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CAMBODIA: A salute to the workers’ defiance of politically-motivated ban on demonstrations

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 I...

SRI LANKA: The thirteenth anniversary of the violent death of a gross human rights abuser

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 m...

THAILAND: Does anyone have the right to make a list for killing and kidnapping people?

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 ha...

: SRI LANKA: An open letter to DIG Kandy; Cruelty towards a family by the police

 first seriously injuring two of the family members, leaving permanent injuries on one and thereafter fabricating charges against the victims themselves by filing a case, 73456 MC, at the Teldeniya. ...

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission has ceased to function – what will you do about it?

This is to bring to your notice that the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, which is your counterpart in that country, has ceased to function as the time of office of the earlier commissioners, cha...

NEPAL: Parliament to meet and usher in crucial period of change towards democracy and human rights in Nepal

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 i...

INDIA: Allegation of corruption by Sub-Inspector of Police Mr. Vijayan of Thrissur Traffic Police Station; request for inquiry

I am writing to you to express our concern about the information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that a group of private stage carriage operators in Thrissur district has formed a...

PAKISTAN: Protests against disappearances deserve public support

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 ag...

THAILAND: King’s remarks a watershed for democracy and the rule of law

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 judg...

SRI LANKA: Escalation of violence and the absence of human rights monitoring bodies in Sri Lanka

As the violence has escalated within the last few days and the lives of many are affected by the actions of all sides, the issue that comes to the forefront is the absence of any human rights monitori...

THAILAND: Army chief’s “blacklists” admission must be followed by high-level investigations

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. Th...

SRI LANKA: The murder of the Inspector and his wife calls for drastic changes in the police hierarchy including the replacement of the IGP in order to ensure rule of law and witness protection

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, ca...

THAILAND: Democracy on trial in Narathiwat

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–...

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka faces a problem far greater than the escalation of violence

Violence is escalating in Sri Lanka, with an attack by a suicide bomber in Colombo on the army headquarters that has seriously injured the army commander and killed many others. In retaliation, the Go...

SRI LANKA: Complaint regarding apparent malpractices that seems to be taking place in the case of Mr. Chamila Bandara

(Kandy High Court case number 231/2005); and request for an inquiry regarding it The case of Mr. Chamilla Bandara was taken up yesterday, that is on 25 April 2006 at the Kandy High Court. The accused ...

INDONESIA: Supreme Court should set clear guidelines in death penalty review

On April 17, 2006 the Indonesian Supreme Court announced that a five-member panel of judges would review the case of three men on death row in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Although the men–Fabianus T...

SRI LANKA: Civil society in Sri Lanka must learn lessons from the people’s movement in Nepal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-080-2006  April 25, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Civil society in Sri Lanka must learn lessons from the people’s movement in ...

NEPAL: Rekindling the flame of democracy in Nepal

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) joins hands with the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Nepal who have successfully defeated a coup started on February 1, 2005 by the ...

CAMBODIA: New law removes custodial sentence for defamation but restricts freedom of expression

Under sustained international pressure, the government of Cambodia on April 21 decided to remove the custodial sentence of eight days to one year for defamation under article 63 of the 1992 criminal l...

THAILAND: Department of Special Investigation or Department of Sporadic Interest?

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) again appears to have lost interest in the case of abducted human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. After local human rights defenders obta...