What’s
Going On in Asia?
AUSTRALIA
Vigilance
urged over new Security Laws
Vigilance urged
over new Security Laws
The ACSJC has voiced significant concerns over the
controversial ASIO Legislation Amendment (Terrorism)
Bill. They urged citizens and community leaders to
remain alert to its implementation given that the new
laws must be reviewed under a three-year sunset
clause and a Parliamentary review after 30 months.
Bishop Christopher Saunders, ACSJC Chairman, said,
"Under common law, no Australian can be detained
by police without charges being laid. If a person is
suspected of planning an offence such as an
assassination or a bombing, they will be arrested,
questioned, charged and convicted where found guilty.
In addition to the criminal justice system, ASIO
already has wide-ranging intelligence-gathering
powers that have been used extensively in the post-11
September environment.
"Under the new laws, people who are not even
suspected of having committed a crime but are simply
suspected of having information that may be helpful
to ASIO can be detained, held without charge for up
to seven days and interrogated for eight hours at a
time. Failure to answer ASIO questions could incur a
maximum of five years imprisonment" he said.
The ACSJC holds particular concerns for vulnerable
members of the community who may be subject to these
new laws. People as young as 16 years of age with
little knowledge of their legal rights could be
removed from their homes and questioned continuously
for eight hours at a time. The use of previous ASIO
powers in raids that have involved armed police
forcing their way into family homes, of course raises
concerns that the new powers to detain might be
unnecessarily targeted towards particular cultural
minorities within the broader community.
Bishops support Family Court declaration that the
detention of children is illegal
The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office
and the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
joined with other Church, civic and political leaders
in supporting the Family Court declaration that the
detention of children is illegal.
Bishop Joseph Grech, Chairman of the Bishops'
Committee for Migrants and Refugees, recalling the
Australian Catholic Bishops' Statement on Refugees
and Asylum Seekers (26 March 2002), said, "The
Church's pastoral care of asylum seekers convinces us
that detention, beyond the minimum time necessary for
carrying out security and health checks, identity
checks and the lodgement of applications for
Protection Visas, is deeply destructive of human
dignity. This is particularly true of children".
Chairman of the ACSJC, Bishop Christopher Saunders,
reiterated the longstanding concern of the Catholic
Church that children should always be part of a
caring and loving family within an environment which
nourishes and supports them. He said, "This
acknowledgement that the detention of children is
illegal provides hope that children who have already
experienced great trauma and violence may now have
the opportunity to remain with their families, but
outside of detention."
Both Bishops expressed the hope that the Federal
Government would start to act immediately on the
Family Court decision in favour of detained children,
by releasing unaccompanied minors into the care of
appropriate families and by ensuring that families
with children in detention are united and released
into the community.
INDIA
Initiatives
for Peace Building In Karnataka Region
Members of the
Karnataka Regional Commission for Justice and Peace,
including delegates from nine dioceses, plan to work
for a just and peaceful society. Various forms of
involvement were proposed by the group at a seminar
organised by the Justice, Peace and Development
Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
India under the guidance of Fr. Nithiya, the national
secretary and Fr. Becket, the Karnataka Regional
Director (KROSS) together with Fr. John Desrochers,
the CRI Representative for Karnataka.
Key issues for the region include:
· The poor are deprived socially and economically.
· Children are exploited. There is child labour,
child abuse and lack of education.
· There is gender discrimination. Dowry problem,
domestic violence etc.
· Caste system, unjust wages and exploitation in the
agriculture sector.
· There is groupism among the clergy and laity
within the church.
The causes include the lack of social awareness,
legal awareness, and the need for strong
organisations or networking among the workers and
among the poor.
It was suggested that the JPD Commission take up the
following:
· effective networking and use of the media to bring
out the facts.
· Conscientising and empowering the people to stand
against injustices: creating awareness among the
oppressed and the oppressors.
· Initiate proper strategy and advocacy through the
legal cell of the diocese. Enter into Lobbying with
the government and the NGOs, village panchayat etc.
· Initiate signature campaign to create awareness.
There must also be legal awareness camps in schools,
colleges and through non formal education.
The group felt that the following are to be
undertaken by the Diocesan JPD Commissions
immediately in the region:
· Payments of the workers in church related
institutions.
· Legal cell has to be formed in every diocese to
help the poor and the needy.
· Create a culture of peace in the church and in the
society.
Participation in the International High Commission
Meeting in Geneva
The Franciscans International (FI) an NGO with ECOSOC
Status in the United Nations invited the JPD
Secretary Fr. Nithiya to participate in the 52nd
General Meeting of the United Nations Human Rights
High Commission during March in Geneva. Besides his
participation, Fr. Nithiya made use of this chance to
meet with various NGOs that are involved in the
issues of justice, peace and human rights. He also
addressed two private sessions on the issues of the
minorities in the country. The Franciscans
International also work with the Dominicans for
Justice and Peace and Caritas Internationalis in
Geneva. The Director of FI Rev. Fr. John Quigley OFM
has assured the JPD Commission of his help in future
and greater collaboration with regard to issues of
justice and peace in India.
Interreligious Peace building in the Chhattishgarh
State
A peace building meeting on 19th July in Raipur.
After hearing the background to the meeting, and self-introductions
by the participants, the moderator invited the
members to describe the challenges to peace
experienced, felt or observed by them in their
respective areas.
Issues of immediate concern in the region included:
· Fear in the face of false propaganda
· Victimizing institutions of service
· Division of tribals using land ownership cases
· Non-use of media while facing the hate campaign
· Isolationism/lack of communication and
transparency leading to disunity among Christians.
The following suggestions for peace initiatives in
the region were made:
· Develop collaboration with other religious groups
or movements.
· Collaboration is not just for Inter-faith prayers
but there must be organizational and programmatic
collaboration at the grass-root level.
· Interaction with other reliable groups like Arya
Samaj, Rama Krishna Mission and similar Muslim and
Sikh groups.
· Linkage with the media is a must. Let the society
know about such initiatives.
· Include other religious groups to meetings,
seminars on common issues like environmental, women
concerns. etc.
· We must review our interaction with middle class
and upper middle class groups while we are also
concerned with the issues of the poor and the needy.
JAPAN
Bishops’ Message for Peace Period
The Episcopal Commission for Social Issues issued
the following statement on 25 July:
"In his 1981 visit to Hiroshima Pope John Paul
II called for world peace and proclaimed, "War
is the work of man!" In response to this the
Bishops of Japan set aside a ten-day period from
August 6 to the 15 as the so-called 'peace period'.
For the past 22 years, the Church of Japan has prayed
and worked for peace. The Cold War ended and, as we
entered the 21st Century, mankind's hope for peace
grew. But the September 11th terror attack brought
about a tremendous change. And in Japan movement away
from our peace constitution has accelerated. As
citizens and as members of the Church standing at the
crossroads of momentous change we ask, "Do we
want to continue to push on in this direction?"
Are we following the road of 'love and peace' which
Jesus Christ pointed out to us at the cost of his
life? As we approach this year's 'peace period' we
turn to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ and ask
again in our prayers: "Lord, show us the road to
true peace."
Now, right now, we have to discern 'the signs of our
time.'
The Japanese government is clearly making an abrupt
change of policy
Turing its back on peace the government would like to
change the Self-Defense Forces into a standing army
which can be dispatched abroad. This is a policy
directly opposed to what the postwar peace
constitution called for and to the policy that has
been followed until now. At this very moment we are
being pressed to decide whether we will maintain our
peace constitution or throw it away.
The Episcopal Commission for Social Issues, at the
time of the Pope's visit to Japan, published a
message: "Peace and the Present Catholic Church
of Japan" [hereafter the Message] declaring on
page 12 that "Article 9 of the constitution is a
sign of our times." We would like to be
reassured that Article 9 is still the core principle
of our peace constitution and that it remains a 'sign
of our times' despite the frequency of recent
legislation which deviates from that core; for
example, the Emergency Measures Law and Special Aid
for the Rehabilitation of Iraq.
A sign of our times: "the way of compensation
and reconciliation."
A most obvious sign of our times is 'the way of
compensation and reconciliation.'
Looking back at the series of wars during the fifteen-year
period between the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific
War one realizes that Japan is responsible for a
tremendous number of war victims in the Asia-Pacific
Region. It was just and right that Japan made
reparations after the war, but as compensation for
its victims it must continue its pledge never to wage
war again and to strive to bring about peace. The
Message puts it this way, "A careful reading of
the preamble of the Japanese constitution convinces
us that this constitution is a very precious treasure
of the war and the only way to offer compensation to
the countless victims deprived of lives abroad and at
home during the recent World War; it is the only
means whereby, by assuming responsibility for the
crime of war, we offer victims some compensation."
(page 11) The cenotaph for the Hiroshima atomic bomb
victims says, "Let all the souls here rest in
peace, for we shall not repeat the evil."
Although the U. S. is directly responsible for
dropping the atomic bomb which caused such horrible,
indiscriminate and extensive slaughter, does not the
declaration expressed by the phrase, "we shall
not repeat the evil" apply to us because we also
stand guilty of having promoted and waged war? The
realization that Jesus Christ by the sacrifice of the
cross brought mankind forgiveness and reconciliation
convinces us that Japan by renouncing war and by
continuing to work for peace in Asia and the world is
making compensation for its past and at the same time
opening a path to bring about sincere and mutual
reconciliation with those it has injured.
Another sign: 'the road that leads to true peace.'
The second sign of our times is the way or path that
leads to true peace.
The political scientist Douglas Lummis has stated
that, in the 20th Century, those killed in wars
fought under the banner of 'the right of
belligerency' number over 150 million, more than half
the victims being the belligerent states' own
citizens. Thus we cannot say that, just because a
state is armed and has the right to go to war, it
will always be safe. Nor did Japan abandon protection
of itself when it adopted Article 9 of the
constitution. By not having military power (an army)
and by the pledge it made to work for the solution of
international disputes without arms, Japan was
protecting itself. As the Message states (page 12),
"For a country, even a small country, to
renounce war, to give up arms, is a contribution to
peace in the world, to constructing world peace, and
this may be of incalculable value."
Now the major nations of the world hope to bring
about peace by military power. And without realizing
it Japan is being drawn into this current. But does
military strength really bring about peace among
nations? The countries of Asia are wary of Japan's
modern militarization; they harbor distrust. And this
distrust breeds strife. Jesus said, "Put away
your sword. Those who live by the sword will be
destroyed by the sword." (Mt. 26:52) We should
cherish these words. The path to peace which the
Gospel urgently urges us to follow is not the way of
the sword but rather a path which leads to a way
whereby an atmosphere of mutual trust evolves.
It has been reported that, when a private-sector
medical group of a foreign country went to Iraq, the
citizens of Iraq went out of their way to protect
them. But just before the U.S. attacked Iraq, Japan
endorsed the attack. And now Japan plans to carry out
its commitment to send arms-carrying uniformed Self-Defense
forces there as well. Here we see two different
approaches. The two groups both use the words, "peace--international
contribution." But each group's action
symbolizes a different 'way.' Should not Japan be
following the 'way' of that private-sector medical
group?
As we approach this year's peace period, let us turn
to our Lord and pray from the bottom of our hearts
once again that our Lord will point out the path we
are to follow and that we will be granted the
conviction and courage needed to carry out our
mission of peace.
NEW ZEALAND
Children’s Rights
This year New Zealand will report to the United
nations Committee on the Rights of the child about
progress made in implementing the Convention on the
Rights of the Child. Caritas Aotearoa- New Zealand
has taken up advocacy for children's rights in
several areas including:
· Taking up specific complaints about access to
social security for New Zealnd born children whose
parents do not have residency;
· Making a submission on the Families Commission
Bill, a new body being set up by parliament to
advocacte for the needs of families, emphasizing that
children's rights as well as parental rights need to
be acknowledged in the Bill;
· Responding to proposals by New Zealsnd's main
opposition party that New Zealsnd should implement
United States style welfare reforms (see www.caritas.org.nz);
· Responding to the government's review of the
minimum age of employment for children.
Social Justice Week (21- 27 September) will take up
the theme Born to us: Chilredn in New Zealand.
PAKISTAN
Religious Tolerance and the Media
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
initiated a project on Religious Tolerance Through
Media in March 2003. Meetings with editorial staff
and joint dialogues with reporting staff have been
held in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, and Lahore.
The main concerns of the Commission were: religious
biases; hate speech; and the lack of appreciation of
religious diversity.
In six of the meetings held, media people agreed with
the Commission's concerns while in two other meetings
there was partial agreement. In two meetings with
media people there was no agreement in relation to
these concerns.
In six out of the ten meetings, the delegation was
warmly recieved while there was some suspicion in the
reamining four meeings. Peter Jacob reports that
"There were no noticeable prejudices among six
of the ten media officials during our dialogue. Two
tended to think that we were seeking media coverage
for us. Station Director Radio Pakistan seemed to be
nurturing many biases (Gender, ethnicity, Religious).
He had NGO biases too. General Manager PTV was under
the impression as if we were there for some inquiry."
Suggestions for achieving objectives of the project
were requested from media executives. One suggested
that the Commission keep a pro-active relationship
with media. He was of the view that timely
intervention in the media with reference to a
particular event is very important. He also proposed
that the Commission 'invest in change'. Another
suggested that the Commission keep in contact with
the media for coverage and to send feedback
particularly with reference to religiously biased
telecasts.
A variety of responses were made to the request for
cooperation in achieving the objectives of the
project:
· Mr.Asif Khan, Chief Executive, Asia TV studio
offered to work together for promoting Religious
tolerance through Media. He also suggested to invest
in change.
· Mr.Zafar Malik, Assignment Desk in charge, GEO TV,
promised coverage for religious minorities.
· Mirza Riaz Baig Raj Resident Editor 'Daily Din'
also promised coverage.
· Mr.Zafar Niazi, Station Director, Radio Pakistan
promised to entertain complaints.
· Mr. Mustafa Mandokhel, General Manager, PTV World,
agreed for production recommended by NCJP.
· Mr.Zia-u-Din, Resident Editor, 'Daily Dawn',
agreed to continue existing cooperation.
· Mr.Mushtaq Minhas, Chief Reporter 'Daily Express'
agreed to continue existing cooperation.
· Agha Abdul Ghafoor, Chief Editor` 'Daily Pukar'
and 'Business Time' offered general cooperation.
· Mr.Khalid Akhtar, Editor Production and
Coordination, 'The News' promised coverage.
A seminar was held at Christian Study Center
Rawalpindi on 14 May. Reporters, TV correspondents
and writers were among the 20 participants. A brief
review of the dialogue with the media was presented
and the audience was requested to share their ideas
on the ways and means for promoting tolerance through
media. One reporter was of the view that the media
has not played its due role in promoting tolerance
and peace and said that the newspapers accommodate
religious fanaticism and publish misleading material.
A prominent writer was of the view that a
Nationalistic approach is the solution to existing
problems. Two television journalists said that while
they totally agreed with the objectives of the
seminar, it is very difficult to convince the state
to make any change in media policye.
After an enriching dialogue, participants agreed to
work pro-actively to promote tolerance and harmony
through the media.
PHILIPPINES
Cardinal
Jaime Sin Calls for Reform in Philippine Society and
Church Zenit (ZE03072909) reports that
following the failed coup d'etat, Cardinal Jaime Sin
of Manila said that "every sector of society,
including the Church, needs reform."
"We cannot and must not deny that so much is yet
to be accomplished and fulfilled," the cardinal
said in his homily on the Thanksgiving Mass for
Peace, held at the EDSA Shrine.
The cardinal had called on the faithful to gather at
the Shrine to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, "for
the swift and peaceful resolution to the mutiny last
Sunday."
The use of weapons by the military cannot solve the
problem of insurgency in the country, particularly in
Mindanao. "Peace is not achieved at gunpoint but
through human development," the cardinal said.
The use of violence merely destroys and never builds,
nor does it give birth to hope but breeds hatred and
division among the people.
"Genuine reform can only happen if it is built
on justice, goodness, and peace," he continued.
But ultimately, it is not just the government's
policies and programs that must change; what is
important is the change of hearts, for "peace
begins within hearts." Peace is not simply a
human endeavor but a sublime gift from God, Cardinal
Sin said, and reiterated that all should be "sentinels
of peace, intercessors for peace."
Ecological Devastation Caused by Mining in
Samar Island
The Following statement was issued by NASSA on 9 July:
The National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice
& Peace (NASSA), the social action arm of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP),
is alarmed by government's drive to intensify mining
operations in the country without adequate
considerations for their repercussions on
environmental and human health.
The World Bank
Country Assistance Strategy 2003- 2005 titled "Improving
the Lives of the Poor Through Growth and Empowerment"
urges Philippine government to further explore the
export potential of the mining sector. The World Bank
categorically requires government to resolve "obstacles
to 100% foreign ownership of mines." World Bank
adds that not fully liberalizing the mining sector
will render government's policy reform agenda
incomplete.
World Bank further
instructs that there be "clear environmental
standards, safeguards, and monitoring procedures [that]
could mobilize the investments required to fully tap
the economic potential of the mining sector." It
is clear that environmental safety and people's
welfare are minor factors in World Bank's hierarchy
of considerations. We fear that government is
subscribing to World Bank's recommendations.
Government's submission to World Bank's prescriptions
raises serious questions, among them: Will
liberalizing the mining sector lift the poor from
their sorry plight? Will an increasingly liberalized
mining sector lead to the end of the trickle down
development paradigm? Will the poor start to get an
equitable share of the wealth resulting from mining
or will the rich continue to amass the lion's share?
Is ecological balance worth sacrificing in the name
of economic windfall? Of what use is a healthy
economy when the environment and, by extension, the
people are sick?
In this light,
NASSA supports Samareņos in their demand to protect
Samar Island from further environmental devastation
brought about by mining and other extractive economic
activities.
In solidarity with Eastern Visayas Social Action,
NASSA urges Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
to heed Samareņos' clamor for her to declare as
protected areas the remaining forests of Samar Island.
In solidarity with
Eastern Visayas Social Action, NASSA urges Her
Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to heed
Samareņos' clamor for her to declare as protected
areas the remaining forests of Samar Island. NASSA
urges House Speaker Jose de Venecia, House Committee
on Ecology Chair Augusto H. Baculio, Senate President
Franklin Drilon, and Senate Committee on Environment
and Natural Resources Chair Sen. Robert Jaworski to
expedite the passage of House Bill 4764 (An Act
Establishing the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP)
Situated in the Provinces of Samar, Northern Samar
and Eastern Samar as a Protected Area and its
Peripheral Areas as Buffer Zone, filed by Hon.
Eduardo K. Veloso).
NASSA calls upon
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Secretary Elisea Gozun to reconsider all pending and
approved permits for mining operations in Samar
Island and other areas in the country.
Filipino people,
especially those affected by mining operations,
should continuously exercise their right to a healthy
environment. It is in these occasions that people
have to effectively influence policymaking and
government action.
SOUTH KOREA
Call for
Nominations for the Tji Hak-soon Justice & Peace
Award
The 7th Tji Hak-soon
Justice & Peace Award is an award that carries a
prize of $10,000 US.
It seeks to support individuals or organizations who
have contributed to the justice and peace of humanity.
It is awarded to people or organizations who have
generously given of themselves to the cause of
freedom and equality of people while not bowing in
the face of oppressive society structures.
The Award is a memorial to the life work and the will
of the late Bishop Tji Hak-soon who contributed to
social justice and democracy by seeking to humanize
the oppressors and free the oppressed. It seeks to
incarnate a Gospel over-flowing with peace and love;
to make justice flow like a river through the
promotion of genuine reconciliation of the tensions
and divisions arising from poverty and racism,
religion and ideology, nationalism and gender.
It is an International Human Rights Award in Korea
funded entirely by the Public.
Candidates for the Award must receive a nomination -
(in accordance with the official form)- from a person
designated by the adjudicating committee or some
other individual or group.
Candidates for the Award must respond conscientiously
to scrutiny by the adjudication committee in terms of
interview, request of additional documentation,
questions etc. If any falsehood or distortion of the
truth is discovered in the submissions then the prize
can be cancelled or withdrawn with no prior notice.
In the final decision the prize can be divided
between different candidates. The winner is expected
to attend the award ceremony and the accompanying
events unless there are extenuating circumstances.
The Award adjudicating Committee consists of Korean
scholars, church persons, lawyers, NGO
representatives under the chairmanship of the
Catholic Archbishop of Kwangju, Youn Kong-Hi.
Nominees may be:
· An organization or person who has worked for
democracy or reform in any country.
· An organization or person who has denounced and
sought to resolve torture, kidnapping, murder etc.
all of which destroy the basic rights of people in
oppressive social structures.
· An organization or person who has contributed to
peace and reconciliation of humanity by fighting or
struggling against the invasion, occupation or the
usurption of the right to self determination of a
country or people.
· An organization or person who has sacrificed
themselves for genuine reconciliation. People who
have publicized issues, researched or engaged in
national or international solidarity in the face of
the tensions and divisions arising from poverty and
racism, religion and ideology, nationalism and gender.
· Apart from the above any person or organization
who has contributed to social justice or
international peace.
Please send nominations by 31 August 2003. Nomination
forms can be requested from ACPP at hotline@acpp.org
THAILAND
Grassroots
Movements Sharpen their Skills The Assembly
of the Poor wants to improve grassroots movements'
ability in dealing with multinational companies and
complicated bureaucracy under the Shinawatra
government. About 200 community leaders were expected
to discuss this during the assembly's annual meeting
in Khon Kaen province from Aug 17-19, said
Prasithiporn Karn-Onsri, an adviser to the assembly,
Thailand's biggest grassroots network.
A change of tack was needed because the recent
bureaucratic reforms had disrupted the process of
resolving people's problems, most of which stemmed
from government policy, he said.
``We will also educate community leaders about the
role of multinational companies, and the adverse
impact of trade agreements and international
institutions, such as World Trade Organisation, on
the grassroots in Thailand.
``Many problems cannot be resolved at government
level because our country is bound by international
trade agreements.''
A representative of an international network
suggested that grassroots movements in the South
combine forces to increase their leverage against
multinational companies. ``The weakness of grassroots
movement in this region is the lack of
coordination,'' said Pablo Kala, a lecturer at the
University of Glasgow in Scotland. He also belongs to
the People's Global Action, which links grassroots
movements worldwide.
He urged grassroots groups to examine the role of
NGOs because it had been shown that some groups' work
was disrupted by NGOs which were funded by
governments in rich countries or even the United
Nations.
``NGOs are supposed to fight poverty, but it was
found that they were enriching themselves in many
developing countries,'' Mr Kala said.