<p>On 27 Oct, Prawase Praphanukul, lawyer for Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, filed an appeal at the Criminal Court, which in late August had sentenced her to 18 years in jail for lèse majesté.</p>
By Shwe Gas Movement |
<p>115 civil society organizations and political parties from 20 countries today submitted an open letter to China’s President Hu Jintao calling for the suspension of oil and gas pipelines through Burma in order to prevent rights abuses and regional instability, avoiding financial and image risks to China. Petitions were submitted by the Shwe Gas Movement and its solidarity networks at Chinese Embassies in Thailand, India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.</p>
By Kachin Development Networking Group |
<p>Open defiance against Chinese dams in military-ruled Burma surfaced this month as dam construction and a forced relocation process began in the country’s northern Kachin State. Affected people directly confronted leading military personnel and held mass prayers, while a community network has written to the Chinese dam builders. </p>
By Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TF-AHR) |
<p>(Cha-Am, Thailand, 25th October 2009) On the occasion of the inauguration of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TF-AHR), a coalition of more than 70 non-government organisations, reiterates its expectation that the Commission will be accountable, independent and effective in protecting and promoting human rights throughout the region.</p>
By People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy |
<p>Mr. Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression visited South Korea for attending international symposium on 'Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Cyber Space' and workshop on 'Situation of Freedom of Expression in South Korea and the Use of UN Special Procedures' between October 12 and October 15.</p>
<p>At 1130pm, Thurs, Thai foreign Ministry officials informed organizers of APF that 5 out of 10 civil society representatives were rejected from the interface meeting with ASEAN heads of government. The remaining representatives were told to be ready for pick up at 7.A.M., nearly 5 hours before the scheduled meeting. (see below for list of delegates).</p>
By Human Rights and Development Foundation |
<p>On 20 October 2009, Nang Noom Mae Seng, a disabled migrant work accident victim, and two other Shan migrants petitioned the Supreme Court of Thailand to overturn a Social Security Office’s (SSO) circular (RS 0711/W751, issued on 25th October 2001) they claim discriminates against over 2 million migrant workers in Thailand. </p>
By Reporters Without Borders |
<p>Political power grabs dealt press freedom a great disservice again this year. In Thailand, the endless clashes between “yellow shirts” and “red shirts” had a very negative impact on the press’s ability to work. As a result, the kingdom is now 130th.</p>
By Salween Watch |
<p>Fifty one civil society organizations from Burma today submitted a petition to the Thai government at the ASEAN People’s Forum demanding an immediate halt to dam plans on the Salween River to avoid being drawn into Burma’s escalating civil war.</p>
<p>A delegation of Burma civil society actors organized by the Task Force on ASEAN and Burma (TFAB) are attending the ASEAN People’s Forum/ASEAN Civil Society Conference in Cha-am, Thailand, on October 18-20, days before the ASEAN Summit. The APF/ACSC has been reformatted to create greater opportunities for interaction between civil society and ASEAN senior officials. Burma’s civil society groups are calling on ASEAN to address the SPDC’s violations of the regional body’s Charter. </p>
By Bennett Haynes, Alternative Agriculture Network – Esan |
<p>Yasothon, Thailand, 18 October 2009 (AAN) – There is currently 41 tons of Furadan (Carbofuran) sitting in the Kudchum district agriculture office storage silo. Local government officials claim that farmers are demanding the free distribution of Furadan and have enlisted village headmen to sign up local rice and cassava farmers to immediately receive Furadan and other chemicals, in order to address what they are calling a “natural disaster” created by plant disease in both crops.</p>
<p>The Criminal Court has agreed to a request by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to detain Nat Sattayapornpisut, 27, who has been charged under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act after he was found to have sent offensive clips to a blog called ‘StopLeseMajeste’. </p>