Asia-Pacific Network Weekly Report (May 20) 1/1

Task 1: Weekly human rights monitoring

1. Near neighbours
a) Fiji
Civil and Political Rights (Reported by Fiji Times)
x Public Emergency Regulations (PER) have been extended for another 30 days, effective from May
28. President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has extended the PER through a gazette published on May 17
in exercise of the powers vested in him by the Office of the President and Executive Authority
Decree 2009. PER 2009 has been in effect since April 10 2009, after the former President Ratu
Josefa Iloilo abrogated the 1997 Constitution.
+ Fiji Cabinet has endorsed the ratification of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.
b) Indonesia
Gender issues/Right to health:
x Women’s health choices are being subjected to their husbands or fathers. Increased still-births and
infant mortality rates despite governments efforts to increased home births/deliveries and family
planning. (Reported by World Bank)
+ Anti-malaria campaign in remote eastern Indonesia has been successful to improve maternal and
children health (Reported by UNICEF)

c) Timor Leste
Poverty/ Right to an adequate standard of living in Oecusse (Reported by IRIN)
x Oecusse is located between Indonesian West Timor and the Savu Sea. Since Indonesia has sealed
the border with West Timor, trade has decreased causing negative impacts on the populations’
income, in particular finding markets for cattle and agriculture produce.
x Only 5 out of 19 villages have electricity and at most for a few hours a day.

d) PNG
(No urgent items)

2. Southeast Asia
a) Thailand (May20) – Red Shirts demonstrations:
 Conduct independent commission to conduct impartial investigations into abuses by all sides
during the recent Red Shirts demonstrations and hold accountable all those found responsible.
 Ensure rights of all detained demonstrators
b) Vietnam (May 20) – Detention of labour/worker activists
 Doan Huy Chuong arrested Feb 11, Hoang Quoc Hung, arrested Feb 24 and Do Thi Minh Hanh
arrest Feb 23 have been held almost completely incommunicado since their arrests.
 Chuong is the founder of United Workers-Farmer Orazniation, and was previously imprisoned
in 2006 for 18 months under the charge of “abusing democratic freedoms”.

United Nations Events:

 Next Human Rights Council session: 14th session (31 May -16 June). UN Working Group to report on the situation
in Fiji.
 Human Rights Watch encourages all governments to ensure universal ratification of the Optional
Protocols on Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning the prohibition of the use of child
soldiers, and the sale of children and child prostitution and pornography on May 25 2010, the 10 th
anniversary of both Optional Protocols.