What’s
Going On in Asia?
Hong
Kong
Education
Bill Challenges Catholic Education
On 8 July, the Legislative Council passed
the "Education (Amendment) Bill 2002" which
transfers the responsibility and power of supervising
schools from the School Sponsoring Bodies (SSB) to
the Incorporated Management Committees (IMC) in each
aided school. Although it is claimed that this is a
good system of school-based management, it does not
apply to government and private schools.
Each government-aided school would be required to set
up an IMC with elected teachers and parents, approved
by the Education and Manpower Bureau and independent
from the SSB. Months before, the HK Catholic Diocese
has expressed much concern and have been lobbying
against the Bill. It is feared that it will radically
change the way that Catholic schools are managed.
Under the new system IMC will replace the supervisors
appointed by the Church. The role of SSB will be
bypassed with direct intervention of the government.
This will dilute the vision and mission of Catholic
Education and undermine the entire school system.
A declaration of
the HK Catholic Church on this issue can be found at:
http://www.catholic.org.hk/zen_edu/e040708.html
For more
information and background, please refer to:
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=1115 and
http://www.catholic.org.hk/zen_edu/zen_edu.html
Statement
on July 1 Democratic Movement
8 Christian organisations, including 3
Catholic Commissions, issued a statement entitled
"Praying for God's Kingdom in the Midst of
People, Sowing Democracy and Hope." 32 groups
and 319 individuals supported the statement and it
was read at a prayer gathering prior to the people's
demonstration on July 1st - the 7th anniversary of
HK's handover, as an opportunity to call for greater
democracy and autonomy.
The statement expressed that a healthy civil society
needs to protect freedom of the press and freedom of
speech to ensure that no individual in society will
be threatened or attacked because of divergent
opinion. This is also a universal value stated in the
human rights covenants of the United Nations.
Participants at the prayer gathering agreed with the
statement, to actively participate in and be
concerned with the affairs of society and promote
democracy and justice. The statement stressed the
need to return power to the people in order to
protect Hong Kong people's true interests; to select
leaders through direct elections based on one person,
one vote, so that citizens can participate in and
monitor policy making and to act in pursuit of an
ideal society that expresses concern for its marginal
social groups.
The statement demanded the government to be
accountable to its people and that the chief
executive and a legislature be produced by universal
suffrage in 2007 and 2008.
A copy of the full statement is available upon
request.
India
News from
the NCJPD
In the recent months, the National
Commission for Justice, Peace and Development (NCJPD)
in Delhi has been involved in the following
activities:
PLANNING FOR LONG
TERM PEACE AND JUSTICE:
The problem of the North East has been a great
concern of the Churches in the region. With the help
of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the North East
Social Forum, an inter-denominational peace-building
consultation, has launched various peace initiatives.
Leaders of the Presbyterian, Baptist and Catholic
Churches (major groups involved in the peace process)
met on the 27 May to review and discuss their various
processes towards peace. Fr Nithiya Sagayam of NCJPD
and Bishop Thomas Menamparampil of Gwahati
participated form the Catholic Church. The recent
change of Central government has given further hopes
in their approach to pursue the peace process further.
LEARNING VARIOUS
STRATEGIES:
NCJPD Secretary, Fr. Nithiya attended a special
seminar and training programme on Human Rights,
organised by the India Centre in Mumbai on 17-23 May.
Among the participants were experts from various
fields related to Human Rights Commission, lawyers,
social activists and NGOs.
Mr. Antony Arulraj from Hotline India - Delhi and Mr.
Enosh George from Madhya Pradesh Regional JPD
Commission, together with 3 others from the network
of the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples (ACPP),
participated in a capacity building programme on
civil society, organized by Caritas Asia on 10-13
June 2004 in Bangkok.
NETWORKING WITH
INTERNATIONAL GROUPS:
The Pax Christi International Council has officially
approved NCJPD's application for affiliation in May.
It is hoped that the affiliation will be useful for
its peace building initiatives as well as its
programs for social advocacy.
The NCJPD Chairman, Bishop Remigius, and Secretary,
Fr. Nithiya, participated in the 60th session of the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva
in March, through the Franciscan International (FI).
They met the Director of the FI, Fr. John Quigley, to
consult in social advocacy and to address some issues
at the international level. The FI has offered to
help the NCJPD in this process to address issues of
justice, peace and human rights. A team of Franciscan
delegates from India and NCJPD have planned to work
together on these issues.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE
NETWORK:
The CRS invited Fr. Nithiya to participate in a
training programme on peace builiding in Notre Dame
University, Indiana, USA on 20-29 June. He presented
various peace building activities from the Justice
and Peace Commisions in Gujarat, North Eastern India,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.
On his way back, Fr. Nithiya gave a seminar to a
group of religious and laity involved in Peace and
Justice on 11-12 July in Singapore. A special focus
was given to the dominant issue of migrants in the
country. (see Issues of Concern)
Teachers'
Workshop on Human Rights
As a direct outcome of a National Human Rights
Education Workshop held in Mumbai on 10-14 October
2003, the Mumbai Initiative for Human Rights
Education (MIHRE) has recently been formed. Its
objectives are to facilitate the introduction of
human rights education in schools and colleges in
Mumbai and to strengthen further the capacities of
teachers in schools and colleges that already teach
human rights. The initiative consists of advocates,
activists and academics who are committed to
facilitating and strengthening human rights education
in Mumbai and other places.
On 26-28 June, MIHRE organized a workshop on Human
Rights for Teachers at St Pius College, Goregaon.
Most of the participants were high school/college
teachers engaged in teaching Political Science and
Human Rights at the postgraduate and graduate level,
practising and retired lawyers and human rights
activists.
The main resource person was Mr Ravi Nair of South
Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, Delhi. Apart
from his involvment in various human rights and
international institutes in the region, he currently
serves on the NGO Core Committee of the National
Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC).
The workshop covered topics from understanding basic
human rights concepts to International Human Rights
Instruments, Child rights, Women's rights, Terrorism,
Right to Health, Food, Rights of Religious
Minorities, Complaints and Monitoring Mechanismns and
Campaigns. There was also a Commemoration of World
Day Against Torture on the evening of 26 June.
Several films related to these topics were screened
during the workshop. It was a participatory workshop
and an enriching experience for all 30 participants.
The teachers, in particular, took back their inputs
to their classroom for theory as well as practical
work.
Justice
Sunday and Special Message
Justice Sunday, celebrated on the Sunday after the
Independence day of India, falls on 22 August this
year. A special message, posters and a booklet have
been sent to all the 149 dioceses of the country to
make the day significant one.
As the United Nations has declared 2004 the
International Year of Rice, the NCJPD has chosen the
theme of Food security/right to food as the special
message to be read out in the parishes.
The message speaks of the food sovereignty and the
right to food, which is one of the principles
enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, and the Church's response or Christian
vocation to be sensitive to the needs of the starving
masses. It empasises that both the rich and poor are
called to freedom from multilation of their
circumsatnces.
A full text of the message is available upon request,
or go to:
http://jpc-drtcmumbai.org/churchdocuments.htm
Source: NCJPD
and Pontifical Council on World Hunger
Japan
Peace
Activities
For many countries in Asia, August is a
month to remember their "liberation" from
Japan. For Japan, however, it is a month to remember
the past and to renew Japan's firm commitment for
peace. The Catholic Church has dedicated a series for
peace activities in the first two weeks prior to 15
August.
For the first time after the Second World War,
Japan's Self Defense Force (SDF) has been dispatched
to a conflict situation. The Japan Catholic Council
for Justice and Peace (JCCJP), as part of Christian
Peace Network and Interfaith Peace Network, has
collected thousands signatures to ask the government
to withdraw the SDF from Iraq, which were submitted
to the Prime Minister's Office.
With the recent withdrawal of the Philippine troops
from Iraq, Japan and Korea remained the only
countries in Asia that kept their troops there. The
peace movements of both countries are contemplating
the possibility of a joint concerted action. In this
connection, Bishop Michael Matsuura, president of
JCCJP, will be giving talks at different parishes and
dioceses in Japan during the coming weeks.
Source: Japan
Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
Korea
Response to
North Korean Human Rights Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed
the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 on 21 July.
The civil society in South Korea has long been
concerned that the bill could negatively affect peace
in the Korean peninsula rather than contribute to the
improvement of the human rights situation in North
Korea. In a statement by the Korean Civil Society (comprised
of 10 local organizations), they urge the U.S.
Congress to consider their perspectives in further
deliberation of the Act.
They are concerned that the Act tend to force regime
change in North Korea in the name of human rights.
For example, it states that human rights must be the
basis in negotiations between the North Korea, USA
and other concerned parties in Northeast Asia. It is
feared that this will harm negotiations that have
already begun and can contribute to an environment
conducive to the improvement of North Korean human
rights. The Act also implies that U.S. grants to non-profit
organizations will be given priority if they support
programs that promote human rights, democracy, and
the development of a market economy in North Korea.
Chapter 2 is entitled "Assisting North Koreans
in Need," but local groups claim that it
stipulates strict control over all forms of aid and
would make aid for North Korea difficult. The civil
society agree that humanitarian aid must be
distributed through a transparent procedure. However,
this should not be an obstacle to the provision of
the humanitarian aid to North Koreans who desperately
need it.
In their Statement, the Korean Civil Society
expressed that the solution to the problem of North
Korean asylum seekers lies on humanitarian assistance
and economic cooperation to eliminate food shortages
and to strengthen the weak economic infrastructure -
the fundamental cause of the outflow. From this
perspective, they oppose the enactment of the North
Korean Human Rights Act of 2004.
Full statement of Korean Civil Society:
http://eng.peoplepower21.org/article/article_view.php?article_id=11917
Further
information and other responses:
Editorial of Hankyoreh newspaper: http://www.hani.co.kr/section-001100000/2004/07/001100000200407240120001.html
Philippines
Responses
to Recent Election
The Justice and Peace, Integrity of Creation
Commission (JPICC-AMRSP) has expressed the following
concern over the effects of the recent elections on
the society:
- democratic space has become constricted and right
to protest curtailed;
- the prophetic voice of the Church has been
silenced;
- rises in prices of basic commodities, oil and
transportation, and basic services amidst the callous
and wasteful lifestyle of the rich and powerful
Among other concerns, they have also noted that
during the campaign period, the government allegedly
used public funds for commercials, during the
election itself, there were missing voters lists, and
the election results were proclaimed even before the
canvassing was over.
This time of "chaos" is also a time for
change. With the belief that a just and loving God
journeys through all hardships and afflictions, JPICC-AMRSP
has demanded various election-related committees to
make a transparent report on the election proceedings
and the use of campaign funds; and requested the
newly proclaimed administration to prioritize
people's welfare in the control prices of
commodities, raise wages and allot public funds
properly. They also urged the Church to exercise its
prophetic voice and proclaim a "new politics"
based on justice, peace and the integrity of creation.
In their statement, they resolve to:
- continue to be vigilant in promoting a new kind of
politics
- continue to educate people to work for electoral
reforms and responsible governance; and
- continue to build small communities where the basic
needs of people are met and where participation and
empowerment becomes a way of life.
A full text of the statement is available upon
request.
Source: JPICC-AMRSP
Thailand
Celebration
of Indigenous People's Day
The Church in Thailand designates the second
Sunday of May to be "Indigenous People's Day."
This year is also special for indigenous people
because it marks the 10th year of the U.N. General
Assembly declaration of 1995-2004 as the
International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.
On 9 May, the Catholic Commission for Indigenous
People (CCIP) of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of
Thailand invited all Catholics to pray together for
all indigenous people throughout the world, but
especially for hill tribe people in Thailand. The
CCIP also invited all to participate in a campaign to
promote support for indigenous people who are facing
life challenges that come from the negative effects
of globalization in the world. The campaign seeks to
give a better understanding and more appreciation and
respect for the values and culture of indigenous
people, thus encouraging them to preserve their way
of life as well as to maintain their religious and
cultural values.
from Eucharistic celebration by Bishop Bunluen Munsap
Assumption Cathedral, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
A special prayer for indigenous peoples is available
upon request.
Source:
Catholic Commission for Ethnic Groups
Re-reading
Religious Texts
Participants at an Asian inter-religious
meeting, "Towards Gender Justice and Genuine
Partnership of Women and Men," agreed that re-reading
religious texts and re-interpreting them with gender
justice in mind can help empower and liberate women.
On 14-18 May, 25 participants from Cambodia, India,
Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the
Philippines and Thailand attended the meeting at
Nakhon Nayok, organized by the Christian Conference
of Asia (CCA), the Asia and Pacific Alliance of Young
Men's Christian Associations (APYMCA), other
Christian groups and Buddhist groups. The aim was to
highlight gender justice and genuine partnership as
important for peacebuilding in Asia.
During the meeting, educators, lawyers, Buddhist
monks and nuns, Catholic nuns and others, all active
on women's issues, examined religious materials to
identify gender discrimination in their traditions.
Four groups, presented issues and root causes of
gender injustice inscribed in their respective
religious texts, interpretations and traditions. A
common problem identified in each group was that
interpretation of religious texts from cultural,
patriarchal or male perspectives, discriminates
against women.
The Christian group said gender justice includes
equal opportunities for men and women to explore and
develop, to choose a profession and life partner, to
be respected and honored, and to participate in
decision making. They proposed re-reading and re-interpreting
Scriptures to make a local community more inclusive,
citing a passage from St Paul's Letter to the
Galatians that asserts the Gospel is not only for
Jews, but also for gentiles. They also suggested
using inclusive language such as "God"
instead of "he" or "him" for God,
and "humankind" instead of "mankind."
The Muslim group said male interpretation of Qur'anic
verses has led to gender injustice, eg. verses such
as "the man is the leader of women," or
"women shall receive half the portion of a man's
inheritance from parents." They encouraged
lawmakers implementing Shari'a (Islamic law) to be
sensitive to gender justice in framing policies such
as maternity leave and inheritance. They suggested
that the text saying that "a wife will go to
hell if her husband wants to have sexual relations
and she refuses," should be re-interpreted as:
the wife will go to hell if she refuses rudely, but
not if she refuses politely.
Buddhism teaches gender justice in terms of
protecting women and in enjoining wife and husband to
love, respect and be faithful to one another.
However, ignorance in three forms - greed, hatred and
delusion - is the root cause of suffering and is
supported by patriarchy.
The Hindu group, pointed to the Hindu practice of
"sati," in which a widow immolates herself
on her husband's funeral pyre, and other problems
including dowry. They said that liberating themes can
be found in the Vedas and other Hindu Scriptures that
provide spiritual teachings for everyday life which
are against these practices.
At the end of the seminar, the participants agreed to
document and publicize cases of abuse in their
respective countries, and to organize public support
on the issues. They said they would also reach out to
abused women and provide them services such as legal
assistance, economic support and shelter.
The meeting also aimed to equip participants to
critically examine patriarchal theologies, structures
and practices, cultures and traditions, and to
empower participants to lift up the liberating themes
of their religions while critiquing those that
disempower women, youth and children.
Source: UCAN,
Catholic Commission for Ethnic Groups