You know him as the petitioner for the Singapore’s first mass petition to the Parliament since independence. He is also the first member of the S.E.Asia Legal Media Defense Network to go on a trial observation mission. He is probably the first Singaporean to be interrogated by the Vietnamese Internal Security for his work as a trial observer.

Come meet MARUAH’s founding member, George Hwang, as he talks about what trial observation is about.

Kindly RSVP via email to “maruahsg@gmail.com” with your name, occupation and contact details. Finger food and drinks will be served.

You may find the following links useful:

UK Human Rights Report 2009

US Trafficking in Persons Report 2009

Thanks!

Dear Daw Aung San Suu Kyi ,

Today you will mark yet another birthday under house arrest – cut off from your children and your family.  My thoughts, and thoughts of so many people in Britain and across the world, will be with you and with the people of Burma.  The injustice of your continuing detention mirrors the injustice that the regime has inflicted on your country and your people for so many years.  Throughout that time, you have stood firm, at enormous personal cost, for the principles of liberty and justice.  You have become a powerful symbol of the strength of the human spirit.  Like my predecessor, I personally have long found your example deeply inspiring.  I want to assure you that as Prime Minister, I will maintain a close interest in Burma.  The British Government I lead will do all it can, both internationally, working through the United Nations, and bilaterally, to bring a brighter future for Burma and your people, in which they enjoy full human rights and true democracy.  I have never forgotten your own request: that we should use our liberty to help the Burmese people to obtain theirs.  I promise we will do everything we can to achieve that.

David Cameron

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=22397347

Attached is MARUAH’s Accounts for events within years 2007-2009.

Link: MARUAH – Accounts 07-09

Thanks!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to inform you that the talk by Dr Loh Kah Seng has been cancelled. But we are pleased to inform you that we have another stimulating discussion for our inaugural launch of the Pillar Talks. We are grateful to Professor Michael Hor who will present a discussion on Constitutionalism & Subversion. Please see attached flyer. We hope you will support this event and be part of the discussion.

ASEAN rights body sets out priority areas
The ASEAN secretariat and newly-appointed members of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights are currently in the process of developing the rules of procedure for the new body and determining its strategic priorities.

An initial draft of the commission’s regulations will be ready for its first official meeting in Jakarta next month, while a five-year working plan will be completed by July.

Thailand’s nominee to AICHR, Commissioner Sriprapha Petcharamesree last week met with representatives of Thai civil society groups and advised them that the AICHR’s priorities for the coming year include:
* raising awareness of AICHR
* starting the process of drafting an ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights, and
* undertaking two studies, one on corporate social responsibility and one on migration.

Ms Sriprapha has told the Bangkok Post that public meetings – held in Bangkok and four other regions – would be organised to outline what the regional human rights body will do and to gather information for the AICHR as it further determines its strategic priorities.

The regional rights body was launched at an ASEAN regional summit in Hua Hin last October.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva opened the summit by defending the rights body against criticism that it was powerless to rein in members that breached its rules, such as army-ruled Burma and communist Vietnam and Laos.

Mr Abhisit said the creation of the commission was a significant milestone in the evolution of ASEAN.

However, the human rights body has been widely criticised for focusing on promotion, rather than protection, of human rights. The UN has urged leaders to make the commission credible.

ASEAN says it will review the body’s powers in five years.

Human rights issues step into the regional spotlight
* Published: 22/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

Five open seminars focusing on human rights issues will be held to gather information for the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).

Rules and procedures for the region’s new human rights body _ which critics say already focuses too much on promotion, rather than protection, of people’s rights _ are being drafted by the ASEAN Secretariat.

Commissioner Sriprapha Petcharamesree last week met representatives of civil society groups at the Foreign Ministry.

Ms Sriprapha said she was organising the five roadshows in Bangkok and four other regions to tell the public what the regional human rights body will do.

An initial draft of the regulations would be ready for the commission’s first official meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, next month. A five-year working plan would be completed by July.

The commission (known as AICHR) has several priorities for this year, she said. They include raising awareness of AICHR, starting the process of drafting an ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights, and undertaking two studies, on corporate social responsibility and migration.

The human rights body was launched at an ASEAN regional summit in Hua Hin last October.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva opened the summit by defending the rights body against criticism that it was powerless to rein in members that breached its rules, such as army-ruled Burma and communist Vietnam and Laos.

Mr Abhisit said the creation of the commission was a significant milestone in the evolution of ASEAN, launched while Thailand was ASEAN’s chair.

However, the human rights body has been widely criticised for focusing on promotion, rather than protection, of human rights. The UN has urged leaders to make the commission credible. ASEAN says it will review the body’s powers in five years.

About the author
Writer: Achara Ashayagachat
Position: Reporter

The Terms of Reference of the ACWC were released in November 2009. The TOR of the ACWC requires each ASEAN member state to appoint two representatives to the ACWC, one on women’s rights and the other on children’s rights.

MCYS asked the groups present at the briefing to consult with their stakeholders on, and/or to nominate, suitable candidates for nomination to these positions, based on certain criteria that were shared at the briefing. The deadline for submission of nominations to MCYS is 9 February 2010.

MARUAH would be happy to share further details on this process with any interested parties, and/or to provide any required assistance in submitting their nominations. Please send an email to maruahsg@gmail.com if you wish to learn more about this.

In the interests of transparency, MARUAH hereby discloses that it is currently also considering whether to nominate candidate(s) to the ACWC. MARUAH will work with any interested parties who contact it, to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to preserve confidentiality and to prevent any conflict of interests.

Human Rights, Singaporean Style
by Garry Rodan

Posted December 4, 2009

While there has been a lull in the debate over “Asian values” since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, the concept never disappeared. The development of a regional human-rights commission constitutes a fresh battleground where competing views are playing out. As in the past, the main interlocutors on the side of cultural relativism are Singaporean leaders and officials, but this time, opposing voices within Southeast Asia have grown louder and more self-confident.

Forming the Asian Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has taken more than a decade of wrangling. Launched by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in October, the commission is the result of a protracted and contentious process of compromise. Now the fledgling organization faces an uphill struggle to show it can make political and bureaucratic elites accountable on human rights.