Hong Kong, China — At the root of many social, economic and political problems in the Philippines, lies a lack of genuine land reform. Although the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was enacted into law in 1988 under President Corazon Aquino, farmers are still waiting to receive 1.9 million hectares of land.

Hong Kong, China — When news spread that in the early hours of Oct. 13 a passenger vehicle had exploded in suburban Rangoon killing seven, the first response of some people was that it must have been another in the latest series of bombings to rock the former Burmese capital.

Hong Kong, China — Extreme poverty destined an 11-year-old girl to work as a maidservant in a home in Dhaka; the child had the additional misfortune of attracting unwanted attention from her employer. But when her family brought a rape case against her employer, the judge released the man after accepting a bribe.

Hong Kong, China — Police uncovered some 20 homemade bombs at the residence of a politician in India’s Kerala state Sunday. The bombs were found wrapped in plastic bags, placed in a bucket and buried in a hole on the property of Vipin Das, a leader of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organization.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A friend was complaining that a woman, less qualified than he was, got the promotion he had been eyeing for years. He sees affirmative action as legally sanctioned or reverse discrimination. But he has chosen to forget the years of discriminatory policies faced by women and minorities.

Hong Kong, China — The Negombo High Court of Sri Lanka last week acquitted a sub-inspector of police accused of torturing a prisoner, a crime punishable by seven years’ imprisonment. The High Court judge who tried this case blatantly ignored the evidence and misconstrued the facts of the case.

Hong Kong, China — A week ago the U.N. news agency ran an interview with a survivor of Cyclone Nargis, the storm that devastated Burma in May. The 62-year-old farmer said that monks had given her paddy seed, but the crop had failed due to salt water in the fields. Now the WFP is cutting aid to Burma at the junta’s insistence.

Hong Kong, China — Writing a new Constitution is one of the top priorities of the new government of Nepal. However, the government’s enthusiasm is based on the assumption that a good Constitution will solve the country's problems. Examples in Asia show that it does not always work that way.

Chicago, IL, United States — Several attempts at genocide since the middle of the last century have grabbed the world’s attention, but one such case has been ignored. When Bangladesh became independent in 1971, one in five of its citizens was Hindu; today, they are less than one in ten. Some 20 million Bangladeshi Hindus have disappeared.

Hong Kong, China — The judiciary in Bangladesh is being seriously undermined by the military, to the point that it can no longer carry out its functions. Judges and courts are subject to illegal, unconstitutional and even criminal practices.

Hong Kong, China — Corruption scandals surrounding some senior judges in India have seriously clouded the impartial image of the judiciary. But little has been said about the web of corruption that is deeply rooted within the system, where a client must pay bribes even to get his case heard in court.

Hong Kong, China — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Wednesday found former President Chandrika Kumaratunga liable for a corrupt deal, in a significant blow against the system of executive presidency. The charges relate to her abuse of power in the transfer of state property to a company.

Hong Kong, China — There is a fine line between human rights and political advocacy, and many have deliberately crossed it, possibly believing that the removal of governments or persons is what human rights work is all about. The movement in Thailand has not clearly distinguished itself from the ideas of the establishment.

Hong Kong, China — The military-controlled government of Bangladesh wants to keep the state of emergency in effect even during the upcoming general election, and has invited foreign observers to watch. Many Bangladeshis are confused as to the role of these observers, since malpractice continues despite their watchful eyes.

Hong Kong, China — Two Indian legislators visited the eastern state of Orissa last week to investigate anti-Christian violence that has killed more than 35 people since August. They found that state police had failed to act promptly and intelligently, even failing to accept complaints. This is nothing unusual.

Beijing, China — Business and individual subscribers in China that use Skype, the popular voice over Internet protocol software, have had their text messages monitored and a welter of sensitive information made vulnerable according to a new report by Canadian human rights advocates and computer security researchers.

Hong Kong, China — A statement by Sri Lankan army commander Lt. Gen. Fonseka has stirred controversy among his countrymen at home and abroad. “I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese, but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people,” the commander wrote.

Hong Kong, China — A criminal court in Bangkok sentenced four men to lengthy jail terms for their alleged roles in a plot to kill the former president of Thailand’s Supreme Court. The court’s verdict is wrong because it took over 90 judges more than 15 years to reach this point.

Hong Kong, China — The office of the prime minister of Cambodia in April issued a letter awarding 72 hectares of land belonging to a fishing village to four individuals. This is a common practice for settling disputes by bypassing legal procedures and court judgments, breeding corruption and centralization of power.

Hong Kong, China — Shafikul Islam, a poor, unemployed young man in Bangladesh, managed to get a job in South Korea under its Employment Permit System. He was all set to go when the Immigration Police took his passport at the Dhaka airport under a false pretext, spoiling his chance for a better future, for no reason.

Hong Kong, China — Haider Hussain, editor of a leading daily in India, could not accompany the Indian prime minister on his visit to the United States, as his visa application was not processed in time. The reason given was that U.S. authorities take more time to process the visa applications of Muslims.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea's human rights activists, lawyers and scholars have staged a massive campaign to highlight the humanitarian plight facing North Koreans, joining a government-led drive to put pressure on the nuclear-armed communist neighbor.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Thai political parties are run by those who don’t have an interest in the nation but see an opportunity to make themselves wealthy. They exercise special type of administration that uses raw power to silence dissent, thwart democratic institutions and physically eliminate those who protest too much.

Hong Kong, China — Killing a person in Sri Lanka has become easy, as the state trivializes human life and romanticizes the war. The tragic case of Nishanta Fernando needs to be considered by everyone who believes that respect for the individual is the only foundation upon which the legitimacy of an organized society can rest.

Hong Kong, China — This week marks two anniversaries on Burma’s calendar of historic events. One is the first anniversary of the 2007 protests led by monks; second, it is 20 years since a 1988 uprising was crushed by the ruthless junta. A third anniversary, largely overlooked, is the 50th year of military dictatorship.

Manila, Philippines — Human rights watchdogs in the Philippines attacked the Manila government's suggestion to postpone implementation of the U.N. Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. They dismissed the government’s proposal as mere lip service to stop torture, one of the worst human rights violations.

Hong Kong, China — Mario Marigon, a porter who became a union leader at a local firm in southern Philippines, had been working for 15 years in the company until he received a letter terminating him from work. His termination was a result of exposing the company's unfair labor practices.

Hong Kong, China — “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” the most cliché of maxims, is in this case grimly appropriate. The recent withdrawal of statements from two key witnesses in Indonesia’s most high-profile human rights case seems to reflect the nation’s old vices under former President Suharto.

Hong Kong, China — Last Sunday, the head of the military-controlled government of Bangladesh, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, declared in a national televised address that the stalled general election would be held on December 18. The announcement has given a new ray of hope to people looking forward to a democratically elected government.

Bangkok, Thailand — This week is the one-year anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, the monk-led uprising in Burma. Hundreds of thousands of brave monks, nuns, human rights activists, students, youths and ordinary citizens took to the streets calling for social, economic and political change.

Hong Kong, China — Hindu fundamentalist political parties in India are using the frustration of upper caste Hindus for political gains. A divided society is the best possible environment a fundamentalist political force can expect to exploit. The Nazis did the same under the pretext of unifying Germany, which Hindu fundamentalists in India are merely repeating.

Hong Kong, China — The Sri Lankan government has accepted responsibility for ensuring the safety of internally displaced persons living in the Kilinochchi area, as fighting against the LTTE intensifies. As NGO's and U.N. agencies move away from the area, the job of providing security and basic necessities to locals, now lies with the government.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Hundreds of employees from nightclubs, discos and dance bars – the majority of them women – took to the streets of Kathmandu to protest the Nepali government’s crackdown on “nude” dancing. In reality, this disco backlash is a symptom of a Nepali society that is decaying and backsliding.

Hong Kong, China — The protest made by Professor Yash Ghai in his written statement to the 9th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council speaks of the rude insults meted out to him by the Cambodian government and their failure to cooperate with his mandate. His protests are courageous, frank and rare in present-day international diplomacy.

Hong Kong, China — In the case against activist Win Maw, the two witnesses to his house search are, it seems, rent-a-witnesses whose names appear in cases against other people that the same officer has been responsible for investigating: different cases, different suburbs, different dates, but always the same two witnesses.

Hong Kong, China — The military-controlled interim caretaker government of Bangladesh began its propaganda of reforming the country's political practices. However, attempts have resulted in failure of democratic reforms, which have caused futher damage to civil and law institutions in the country.

Hong Kong, China — The Indian judiciary is an untouchable "sacred cow,” where there is no open process for the selection, promotion and dismissal of High Court or Supreme Court judges in the country. The entire process is carried out according to the whims of the Supreme Court. All attempts so far to enforce accountability in the judiciary have been vetoed by the judiciary itself.

Hong Kong, China — J.S. Tissainayagam, a well-known journalist is being prosecuted for publishing a magazine. His case raises a fundamental question about the different kinds of criminal trials offered to the accused under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Regulations as against the accused in regular criminal trials.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — The recently concluded Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota presents a troubling picture of press freedoms in America. The country, which promotes and supports press freedoms across the world has some big issues to deal at home before preaching to others.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Sondhi Limthongkul, a Thai media mogul and leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, operates two TV stations that broadcast alternative viewpoints not available through state media organs. He is currently facing arrest for what Thai police are citing as treason. The PAD can make a difference only if Thais begin to think differently.

Hong Kong, China — Among the responses to the judicial sacking of the prime minister of Thailand, Samak Sundaravej, a blog summed it up as, “Hosting a TV cooking show = Guilty! Staging a coup and tearing up a constitution = No problem!” However, arguments about the technicalities of whether or not Samak was employed to be a television chef during his time in office, thus violating the 2007 constitution, miss the point.

Hong Kong, China — The Cambodian government has not been happy with the U.N. human rights mandate, which has led to conflicts with the U.N. high commissioner's field office. The mandate to be reviewed by the Human Rights Council this week is causing anxiety in Cambodia's civil society since they fear that if it ends, then the government would cease to honor its human rights obligations.

Hong Kong, China — Bangladesh Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil was arrested and implicated in a graft case lodged by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The government, however, released him on parole without any formal intervention from the court, on humanitarian grounds. Since the state of emergency began, the Bangladeshi government has been "kind" to elite prisoners.

Hong Kong, China — In the Indian state of Bihar devastated by recent floods, a girl who had sought asylum in a flood relief camp was molested by a police officer. While indecent behavior and sexual harassment by the police is common in India, an equally serious issue is that they enjoy complete impunity in the absence of an independent monitoring agency for law enforcement officers.

Hong Kong, China — Sri Lanka has violated the rights of a former district judge by denying his right to a fair hearing, the U.N. Human Rights Committee has judged. The country’s justice system requires scrutiny; the victim in this case was a former judge and those who violated his rights were senior judges.

Hong Kong, China — Two years to the month since the army in Thailand launched its latest takeover of government, the proof of its success is in the mayhem and madness on the streets of Bangkok and the utter farce to which politics there has again descended.

Hong Kong, China — When the writ of “amparo,” or protection, took effect in the Philippines last year, there was hope that this new legal mechanism would offer a legal remedy for victims of killings and disappearances, their family members and witnesses to human rights violations. But now it is being undermined.

Hong Kong, China — The High Court finally compelled the government of Bangladesh to release an imprisoned businessman after authorities initially ignored the court’s order. It took this rich businessman a year and a half to secure his release; for an ordinary person arbitrarily arrested, release may be impossible.

Hong Kong, China — Five women from a tribal area in Pakistan – three of them teenagers – were buried alive last month in a remote village in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. This brutal treatment occurred because tribal leaders opposed the proposed marriages of the three younger women, who were 16-18 years old.

Hong Kong, China — In colloquial slang a school in the Indian state of Kerala is referred to as a “pallikoodam,” meaning “prayer house.” While Christian missionaries originally set up schools as places of learning and prayer, they have now become big business – and opposition to this trend is not tolerated.