Asian Film Archive (AFA) Blog A quick summary by AFA on the MARUAH event that happened earlier this month. The Q&A session started slowly (as usual for Singapore Q&As) but became very multi-dimensional (and enriching) as it went on. We ran out of time at 9pm. Thanks to all who attended.
"The common belief that the Western powers are putting pressure on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to change its stance on human rights is erroneous. Hence, proponents of human rights diplomacy in Southeast Asia should not count on these powers."
Laos MEPs welcome the recent ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the Laotian Government.
The resolution repeats the demand for the immediate release of the leaders of the "Student Movement of 26 October 1999" and of all those arrested during the attempted peaceful demonstrations on 2 November 2009.
Parliament also calls on the Thai authorities to release 158 Lao Hmong refugees currently in detention and allow them to resettle in Thailand or in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands or Australia, which have already agreed to take them in.
Vietnam MEPs condemn the reported violent expulsion of more than 150 monks and nuns from monasteries and call for an end to all persecution and harassment of Buddhists. They also demand the unconditional release of Thich Quang Do and a re-establishment of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and of its dignitaries.
The Vietnamese Government is urged to curb its violations of freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly. Moreover, the resolution requests a binding and unambiguous clause on human rights and democracy to be incorporated into the current negotiations on the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Vietnam.
I spotted this interesting announcement recently...
JTC Corporation (JTC) plans to carry out land reclamation works and construction of a current training wall at Marina South. Studies have been carried out to determine the impact of the works on the marine environment.
The environmental impact assessment is available for public viewing by appointment at, The JTC Summit, 8 Jurong Town Hall Road, for 4 weeks with effect from 15 December 2009. To view the report, please contact Ms Tan Su Chern at 6883-3835 or via email at suchern@jtc.gov.sg or Mr Darren Lum at 6883-3834 or via email at lumsyd@jtc.gov.sg.
Anyone who wishes to access the report after 15 December 2009 can contact the above officers to make arrangements for viewing.
sgwatchDOG has been neglecting environmental issues for a while, so it is great to see some due diligence being done by the government before major construction works. But it would be better if the EIA is simply placed in the public domain online...
BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent A hard-hitting piece on how human rights can easily slide backwards if neglected and suppressed. Even though the article is on China, one can see the similarities in many other countries.
Cambodia and Brunei are the 2 latest ASEAN countries to undergo review under the UPR process. The reports are still being finalised, but highlights are available. Click on the following links. (Cambodia)(Brunei)
Consumers International The theme for World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2010 is ‘Our money, our rights’ and will highlight consumer issues in relation to financial services.
channelnewsasia.com Sad to see a business that is so desperate that it tried to prey on anxious parents keen to give their children that "extra" edge. Great that this is now public.
The Nation Homayoun Alizadeh, the OHCHR rep in Southeast Asia, makes a quite convincing argument for regional systems to advance (instead of retard) human rights.
Young PAP - To The Devotees of Western Democracy and Human Rights. sgwatchdog saw this article highlighted in The Online Citizen. It is tiring to see yet another attempt to create a myth that human rights is a solely Western (or American) idea. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted by a group of people, including reps from China and Lebanon. Plenty of non-Western countries voted in favour of the UDHR during its adoption. Also, the US is one of the few prominent countries that has not ratified the key UN human rights conventions. So it is misleading to try to portray human rights advocates as pro-American or pro-West. The usage of the word "devotees" is also sad, as the author is trying to imply that human rights activists are trying to "convert" others to practice the "religion" of human rights. Rights and beliefs are not the same.
The New Paper Another great article from Larry Haverkamp (a.k.a. Doctor Money). Larry talks about one of his pet topics; hidden charges in financial products.
"The celebration will focus on the theme “Dignity, Development and Dialogue,” and will provide an important opportunity to bring together States parties, United Nations bodies and other intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions, international and national non-governmental organizations, children’s and youth groups, academics and all others interested in the CRC."
Sybase 365's Multiple Breaches of the Premium Rate Services Code (PDF) Sybase was punished by IDA for breaches for 3 of its services. One particular breach was for a considerably long period of 13 months. During this period, Sybase had continued to collect payment on an ongoing basis from 2,766 subscribers. The company has previously been sanctioned in 2008.
The ISO standard on Corporate Social Responsibility is reaching its final phase of development. It has been a long journey. I have been following the issue on-and-off via Consumers International (CI) coverage of the issue.
SPRING is organising an event to highlight this new international standard to Singapore businesses.
Date: 5 October 2009 (Monday) Time: 1.30pm - 4.30pm Venue: Theatrette, Level 1 TÜV SÜD PSB Pte Ltd 1 Science Park Drive Singapore 118221
Nationmultimedia.com Great to see the open selection process by Thailand finally kick off. I wonder if the Singapore government will be "enlightened" enough to follow suit.
The Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (MARUAH) would like to invite you to a Consultation Workshop: “Engaging the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) – The People’s Views”. Read more in our e-flyer.
Details below Saturday, 22 August 2009 8.30 am to 3.45 pm Novotel Hotel, Clarke Quay 177A River Valley Road Singapore, 179031
NYTimes.com Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer does make a good point to focus on the overall situation in Burma, and not just the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi alone.
MFA Spokesman's Statement on Reports of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Being Charged
Singapore is dismayed by this latest development. This is a setback for the national reconciliation process. We reiterate the call for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from detention. We are also concerned about recent reports on her poor health, and that the arrest may exacerbate her condition.
"In Tuesday's voting, four MPs chose to abstain, while Christopher De Souza voted against the amendment.
Those who abstained were Opposition MP Low Thia Khiang, Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim, MP for Jalan Besar GRC Denise Phua, and the Chairperson for the Group Parliamentary Committee for Health, Halimah Yacob."
US State Department Part of the annual report on the human rights situation in countries all over the world, sgwatchDOG wonders how much research was gathered directly by the State Department...
Ms Tan said she left her contact details in over 50 forums before rallying together 15 others who wanted to seek legal recourse — after her complaints to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and Small Claims Tribunal did not make much headway.
A pity that CASE or SCT could not resolve the disputes; now it's up to the CPFTA to live up to its promises...
"There is no contradiction between State security and the protection of the rights and liberties of individuals"
Good to see the ICRC taking a clear stance; hope other states change their minds regarding anti-terrorism laws that curtail the rights of individuals, after this change by the Obama administration.
Youth.SG :: Singapore - Sign a petition for better wildlife laws I was looking for activities at the Youth Park when I stumbled across the above page on the Youth.SG website. Granted the law mentioned may really be "severely outdated and riddled with loopholes", but I think it would be more appropriate to engage Singaporean youths on Singapore law, unless Youth.SG thinks all the laws in Singapore are updated and without loopholes...
PFM blog Singapore's annual budget comes early this year, this Thursday specifically. After getting a taste of CEDAW shadow reporting (and specifically gender budgeting), sgwatchDOG has been looking to expand onto the entire Budget. Still trying to pick up some key phrases along the way. One of these keywords is "Performance budgeting", something which the above IMF blog often mentions.
As part of the U60 celebrations of the recent 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), MARUAH (Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) held an event to emphasize the importance of Articles 23-25 of the UDHR, which deals with fair and just conditions for workers.
This event, Making A Commitment, was held on 13 December 2008 at Speakers’ Corner. Organized by MARUAH with support from partners such as Action for Aids, AWARE, Transient Workers Count Too, HOME and individuals, a number of speakers spoke up on the need for protection for vulnerable communities such as contract workers, the elderly, those with disabilities, migrant workers, persons living with HIV and people who are homosexuals or transgender.
Members of the public were invited to make a pledge – a commitment – to affirm their stand which many did by holding up placards with a chosen slogan promoting a workplace issue. These were captured on video by volunteers, Mr Patrick Chng and Ms Stephanie Chok, as a New Year resolution for 2009 to treat all workers with dignity.
