Asia-Pacific Network Weekly Report (Jul 4) 1/1

Weekly human rights monitoring

1. Near neighbours
a) Fiji
 (June 30) The Fijian government has promulgated the Media Industry Development Decree (gazetted on
June 25 and entered into force on June 30) which replaces the emergency regulations placed on media
organizations after the constitution was suspended in 2009. The main concerns include mandated jail
terms for journalists whose work is deemed against the “public interest or order” and restrictions on
foreign ownership of media to not more than 10%. http://www.freemedia.at/singleview/5019/
b) Indonesia
 (July 4) Religious tension between Christians and Muslims in Bekasi has increased in the past weeks.
Days after rumours spread that Christians were conducting mass baptism, hard-liner Islamic leaders
called for the creation of a youth guard to act as moral police to put a stop to “forced conversions,” and
training began on Jul 3 which includes arming the “moral police”. To-date, Mobs have forced shut two
churches and a Catholic-run school was attacked.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDONESIA_WAR_ON_CHRISTIANS?
SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
c) Timor Leste
 (June 29) Amnesty International has urged Timor-Leste government to close a legal loophole in its
Penal Code that allows perpetrators of crimes against humanity to go unpunished through use of
presidential pardons or commutation of sentences. According to the UN Serious Crimes Unit, 391
people were indicted for crimes against humanity in 2003. However, most of them have been given
sanctuary in Indonesia. Without extradition agreements, Timor-Leste will be unable to prosecute the
criminals. http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/23284/
d) PNG
 (Jul 1) Thousands of people in Papua New Guinea's Madang Province have defied a warning from the
Attorney General and protested over a controversial Environment law, which stops affected
landowners and third parties from suing developers and the government over environmental damages.
The law in effect removes customary rights of indigenous landowners without compensation.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201007/s2942463.htm
 (June 28) The delay in the PNG census for another could have damaging ramifications to the legitimacy
of electoral rolls and voting in the next election. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?
op=read&id=54438#

2. Asia
a) General
 (June 28) According to the UNAIDS, 1.6 million women are living with HIV in the Asia Pacific region. 35%
of all HIV infections in Asia are women, compared to 18% 20 years ago. UN is urging Asia Pacific
governments to increase efforts to address gender inequalities in HIV response.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?Reportid=89649
b) Burma
 (June 24) The Asian Legal Resource Centre reported to the Human Rights Council that Burma “lacks a
normative framework to protect human rights” ie. Burma has a police force that is militarised, a corrupt
judiciary. In addition, human rights abuses in Burma have become institutionalised through the criminal
justice institution. http://www.ahrchk.net/pr/mainfile.php/2010mr/753/
c) Pakistan
 (June 30) Pakistani journalist Faiz Mohammad Khan Sasoli, a correspondent for Aaj Kal newspaper and
Independent News of Pakistan agency was murdered on June 27. He had previously received death
threats and survived two attacks in the past year. UNESCO Director-General called on authorities to
bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists,
authorities have not taken action in the deaths of other journalists: Haji Wasi Ahmed, Ejazul Haz (2009)
and Chisthi Mujahid (2008). http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?
NewsID=35191&Cr=journalist&Cr1=