Hong Kong, China — While hundreds of persons remain detained or are missing in the aftermath of the uprising that gripped Burma in September, and new sporadic protests emerge, its national newspapers have consisted of the usual phalanx of army officers forcing their largess

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every administration has committed to building a child-friendly society where children are "nurtured and allowed to grow and develop in dignity."More than a decade ago, the gov

Hong Kong, China — A large proportion of the Indonesian population lives a perilous existence at the edges of society, both literally and metaphorically. Literally, they live along the edges of rivers, like the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, as the land in the heart of the city

Manila, Philippines — Philippine human rights activists Tuesday welcomed, with reservations, the recent U.S. Senate action in serving notice to the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that it wants the Manila government to prosecute human rights violators, includin

Hong Kong, China — In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and decimated its government, economy and society. The extremist communist group forced people out of the cities and into the countryside to forcibly work in labor camps.

Sylhet, Bangladesh — Sakerun Nesa's 10-year-old son, Shafikul Islam, received a call from his stepbrother, Mokhlesur Rahman, on the evening of Aug. 25, 2000.

Hong Kong, China — Sri Lanka's political reasons for objecting to any form of monitoring by U.N. agencies are merely an extension of its existing rules that such matters should not be subjected to any investigations or prosecutions.

Hong Kong, China — When Madi Alilatay was picked up in Yala, southern Thailand on July 23 this year he was not charged with anything. He was not held under any law, for any reason, or for any purpose.

Hong Kong, China — Cambodia is currently making preparations for the election of members of parliament to be held in July next year, making it the third, after the one organized by the United Nations in 1993. It has now proceeded to update the electoral rolls.

Hong Kong, China — What would happen, if a person publicly claimed knowledge of manufacturing crude bombs, even if that person were to be in police custody? That the police would question the person and investigate his claim would be the expected response from law enforceme

SYLHET, Bangladesh — The decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh to separate the judiciary from the executive branch of government was protested by magistrates at a recent seminar in Dhaka. One magistrate at the function remarked, "The government has humiliated me as a ma

Hong Kong, China — A day for the disappeared will be commemorated in Sri Lanka by the Families of the Disappeared and Right to Life together with the Asian Human Rights Commission on Saturday. A monument for the disappeared was established at Raddoluwa Seeduwa, near Negombo

Hong Kong, China — The lead article in last Sunday's South China Morning Post breathlessly reported that some of those involved in recent protests throughout Burma had received training from the National Endowment for Democracy, a group funded by the United States governmen

Hong Kong, China — In the midst of recent allegations of corruption involving the Philippine government's award to Chinese firm ZTE Corp. for nationwide broadband services for government agencies, bribes to congressmen to support a weak impeachment motion that will immunize

Phnom Penh, Cambodia — For those who are enthusiastic about firing a few rounds from an M16 or an AK47 or even throwing a few grenades for fun, the Kingdom of Cambodia has rolled out its carpet. Advertisements in hotel lobbies in the kingdom, particularly in Phnom Penh, lure vi

Sylhet, Bangladesh — An ordinary citizen of Bangladesh, frustrated after a long job search in the public and private sectors, decided to establish a small factory to make cotton using cut pieces of fabric from garment factories. The man needed only a few things: a place for t

Hong Kong, China — Thailand at the start of the month acceded to the U.N. Convention against Torture, after years of work by many persons, among them human rights advocates and personnel in its Justice Ministry; the latter having convinced those in other parts of government

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's international image with regard to human rights took another beating with the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. In her final media briefing, she made it clear that the absence of the rule of law and the

Hong Kong, China — Jasih, a 30-year-old mother, set her two sons on fire while they were sleeping and then killed herself in the same way. Neighbors found her dead body hugging her 4-year-old boy.Her husband, Mahfud, explained that their life had come to the end of its te

Hong Kong, China — India is hardly different from any of its neighbors. To the outside world, India is a democracy marching ahead with sustainable development.

Hong Kong, China — U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour is currently in Sri Lanka for a five-day country visit.

Hong Kong, China — The Hong Kong University this week hosted a talk on recent events in Burma by its dean of social sciences, who was billed as arguing "for new forms of intervention that take policy responses beyond the bankrupt strategies of sanctions imposed by Western s

Hong Kong, China — Some years ago, at a public forum to debate a future trial of the Khmer Rouge, three "intellectuals" who had been senior Khmer Rouge officials laid the blame for the mass killings and the devastation of Cambodian society squarely on the shoulders of Pol P

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The visit to Sri Lanka of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, provides the best chance for the discipline of human rights to be imposed on the conflicting parties.

Hong Kong, China — The government of India has issued a statement expressing support for the democratic movement in Myanmar and requesting the military junta to keep its door open for discussion. The statement is a welcome move by India, the world's largest democracy.

Sylhet, Bangladesh — Bangladesh is witnessing a show of legal battles in the country's courts. Since the state of emergency was imposed last January, the military-backed government has been arresting and detaining numerous people every day under the Special Powers Act-1974 an

Hong Kong, China — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday called on the Burmese junta to end its crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and monks, following violence that has left hundreds of protesters dead. Hun Sen urged the junta to have maximum patience, not to

Hong Kong, China — A Dutch journalist, Jon Bottis, learned a lesson about Sri Lankan policing when he made a complaint about the theft of his personal belongings from his apartment in the holiday town of Hikkaduwa recently. One policeman called him outside the station and a

Hong Kong, China — The reports of car crashes, court cases and actresses' haircuts that normally comprise the television broadcasts on Hong Kong's aboveground trains last week gave way to the images seen all over the world of monks leading their people in prayer and protest

Hong Kong, China — In 1986, religious leaders -- bishops, clergy members and nuns -- played a significant role in the non-violent struggle during the EDSA revolution to restore democracy in the Philippines. Historical images of priests and nuns in tears carrying rosaries an

Manila, Philippines — The Philippine government and the military establishment under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo do not respect the practice of human rights lawyering and regard human rights lawyers as enemies of the state, therefore included in the

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The Sri Lankan government came out with a forceful campaign in favor of the global war against terrorism and against those whom it claimed sought to use human rights as a tool against states, in New York at a recent meeting of the U.N. General Assembly an

Hong Kong, China — The anniversary of Mohandas K. Gandhi's birth, Oct.

Sylhet, Bangladesh — The Election Commission of Bangladesh, which has reportedly recently been made "independent" by the military-backed government, is now the talk of the country for its recent decision to "reform the political system." In a forced-feeding approach to reform

Hong Kong, China — The Buddhist monks in Burma have been on the streets for several days now, falling upon the last resort under their disciplinary code, the Vinaya Pitaka, to call upon the military regime of the country to step down and respect the people.The people of B

Hong Kong, China — Among the many inspiring photographs to come from Burma in this past week, perhaps one of the most compelling was not of rain-soaked monks wading through flooded Rangoon streets or teenagers and their grandmothers with hands locked together to form protec

Hong Kong, China — After 20 years of work, a draft of Indonesia's revised penal code was to be submitted in August to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who in turn would present it to Parliament for debate. Not surprisingly, this sequence of events did not occur.

Hong Kong, China — At least one state in India does not have a prison -- Arunachal Pradesh, the land of the rising sun. A land without prisons is a good concept.

Sylhet, Bangladesh — Wherever in the world a military government has been established, a human rights disaster has followed. Few nations have had the eyes to see or the public wisdom to assess the losses they have suffered, however.

Seoul, South Korea — Yang Ji-un, a popular radio performer in South Korea, was deeply frustrated when his eldest son was sentenced to three years in jail for refusing to participate in mandatory military service, citing his pacifistic religious convictions. The son is one of

Hong Kong, China — At the United Nations Human Rights Council several European Union countries attempted to assist Sri Lanka out of its present serious crisis by suggesting human rights monitoring by the United Nations to buttress local law enforcement, which has suffered a

Hong Kong, China — When a group of Buddhist monks in Pakkoku, upper Burma, a fortnight ago joined public protests against drastic increases in nationwide fuel prices, they were met with shocking violence. At least three suffered injuries; one is rumored to have died.

Manila, Philippines — Three weeks ago, one of the Philippines' major dailies reported that eight Muslim children were subjected to extreme psychological torture in the course of a military campaign to decimate the Abu Sayyaf group in Mindanao. A report in the Philippine Dail

Hong Kong, China — In August there was a flurry of statements from the Cambodian government and other state institutions to affirm and defend former King Sihanouk's immunity from any court order to appear in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal as a defendant or a witness. This tribu

Hong Kong, China — The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a landmark declaration last week outlining the rights of the world's estimated 370 million indigenous people and outlawing discrimination against them. The U.N.

Sylhet, Bangladesh — One more senior teacher at Dhaka University has been detained on charges of breaking the county's emergency rules. Professor Sadrul Amin, president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, was locked up in the Dhaka Central Jail on Sunday.

Hong Kong, China — A peace activist has said that collapse and normalcy coexist in Sri Lanka and this provides us with an occasion to reflect on what is considered normal by people who have suffered catastrophes and live under conditions, which might amount to societal coll

Auckland, New Zealand — It is almost impossible to change any element in the Kurdish political culture and makeup without altering many others. The crisis is similar to several countries where institutions, especially federal governing structures tend to be mechanistic, inflexib

Hong Kong, China — Many people have expressed genuine concern about the expanded role of the judiciary under Thailand's new army-backed constitution, which was pushed through a referendum and passed into law this August.Three top judges are now obliged to sit on panels th

Hong Kong, China — In recent times, disposed corpses and mutilated body parts in urban areas of Manila have noticeably increased. Committing murders and dumping dead bodies in public places is shocking but treating them as ordinary occurrences is alarming.