What’s
Going On in Asia?
Hong
Kong
Series of
Activities to Commemorate the June Fourth Massacre
Eighteen years after the June Fourth
Massacre, the Justice and Peace Commission of Hong
Kong Catholic Diocese (HKJP) kept its enthusiasm to
alert people on the injustice that the Chinese
authorities have yet to rectify. HKJP has organized a
series of activities targeting different groups to
reflect on the incident.
At the prayer
gathering prior to the candle light vigil on 4 June
2007, Joseph Cardinal Zen, bishop of Hong Kong
Catholic Diocese, shared that while opinions prevail
in the society that it is better to leave history
behind, the faithful are reminded that every human
being is valuable for each one is a child of God.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed that the innocent deaths
of the victims are heroic for they have awakened the
conscience of men.
Apart from
protests, masses and the vigil gathering, the
Commission has organized a forum reflecting on the
economic and democratic development of China. Panel
speakers comprised of university professors and news
commentators presented dynamics relating to economic
development, political development and people's
response.
Two workshops were
held for youth above 15 years old to learn about the
1989 incident which they did not have the opportunity
to witness. The first workshop provided historical
and religious reflection. The second workshop focused
on "today": the Massacre's relevance to
today's society.
Source: HKJP
HKJP
Against Extra-judicial Killings in the Philippines
In solidarity with the victims of extra-judicial
killings and human rights groups in the Philippines,
Ms Jackie Hung of HKJP attended the hearing of
Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT) in the Netherlands
in March.
The tribunal, an
international opinion tribunal, independent from any
State authority, examines and judges complaints
regarding violations of human rights and rights of
peoples that are submitted by the victims themselves
or groups representing them. The tribunal has ruled
that the Arroyo government and the government of
George W. Bush are responsible for gross and
systematic violations of human rights.
HKJP will join with
other members of the HK Campaign for the Advancement
of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines in a
forum presenting PPT's verdict. The forum, to be held
on 15 June 2007 will discuss the verdict and its
implication for human rights development in the
Philippines.
Source: HKJP
India
Workshop on
Climate Change
To mark the 40th Anniversary of "Populorum
Progressio" the Indian Network on Ethics and
Climate Change (INECC), the Institute for Community
Organization Research (ICOR) and the Justice and
Peace Commission (JPC) ¡V Mumbai will organize
Training for Trainers Workshop on "Climate
Change in the Context of Development." It will
be held on 21-23 August at St. Pius College.
The Workshop aims
to develop perspectives to understand changes in the
climate system, look at the impact on marginalized
people, and discuss, share and explore dimensions of
climate change issues for climate sustainability.
Topics will include climate change and its impact,
ethical issues and Church's social teaching, policy
issues and lifestyle implications.
Interested parties
may contact the Justice and JPC - Mumbai at drtc@vsnl.com for more information or
participation.
Source: Justice
and Peace Commission - Mumbai
National Training on Lobbying and Campaigning
The National Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of
India organized a national training on Human Rights
and Social Advocacy at Bangalore from 10 to 15 May
2007. Lawyers and social activists, both religious
and the laity attended the program.
Input varied from
street theatre to faith-based reflection,
participants were exposed to a wide range of topics,
such as lobbying with the United Nations, children's
rights and campaign planning.
The training was a
fruitful one: participants agreed to exercise their
leaning by taking up a nationwide campaign on the
Right to Food. The immediate action plan is to focus
on the awareness about Public Distribution System and
Below Poverty Line Card. They proposed that, for
example, the campaign can target parishes, community
based organizations and schools on Justice Sunday (19
August) and in Global Week of Action (14-21 October).
Source:
National Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development
Japan
Diet Passed
Controversial Referendum Bill
On 14 May 2007, the government succeeded in passing a
bill that paves the way for a national referendum to
make constitutional changes. Thus, Japan will be able
to transform its "pacifist" nature and give
more active power to its current armed forces.
According to the terms approved, a referendum will be
held by 2010 where an absolute majority of votes will
be needed.
A survey conducted
by the Asahi Shimbun, a local newspaper, showed that
78% of the public said that the pacifist constitution
has helped to maintain peace in Japan. The survey
contacted eligible voters by phone on 14-15 April and
obtained responses from 1,807. Only 18% of the
respondents said the Self-Defense Forces should be
turned into a "self-defense military,"
showing a wide gap between public opinion and the
direction of the revisions being pushed by the ruling
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
This first step has
already put South Korea and China, the main victims
of Japan's aggressive colonialism in the 1900s, on
alert. They see the constitutional revision as a
serious threat to peace in East Asia. Xinhua, the
official news agency in China said people had begun
to doubt whether Japan would continue along the path
of peaceful development. The official Korean Central
News Agency lashed out in a commentary on 25 May
2007: "It is nothing but an imperialist law to
turn Japan into a state for war and aggression".
Sources: Asahi
Shimbun, Asia News, Radio & Television Hong Kong,
Xinhua News
Nepal
First
Bishop Ordained in Nepal
Jesuit Father, Anthony Francis Sharma, 69, was
ordained as Nepal's first bishop on 5 May 2007 at
Kathmandu's Assumption Church. The ceremony was
officiated by the apostolic nuncio to India and Nepal
and two coordinating bishops from India and attended
by 3,000 people, including Hindus and Buddhists. The
new bishop assured them of his commitment to building
a new Nepal and to working for peace, prosperity and
the collaboration of all the faithful.
According to one
source, Msgr. Sharma, in his 40 years as priest, has
committed himself to work to create a democratic and
prosperous society and to encourage inter-faith
cooperation. People testify that he is active in
helping people in backward rural areas.
Msgr. Sharma has
been named the first bishop since the status of the
Catholic community in Nepal was changed from an
apostolic prefecture to an apostolic vicariate on 10
February 2007 -- a step that precedes the creation of
a diocese. He was born in Kathmandu in 1937, to a
Hindu family, entered the Society of Jesus in 1956
and was ordained as the first ethnic Nepali Jesuit
priest in 1968. He spent much of his life working and
teaching in India and became the Ecclesiastical
Superior of the Nepal Catholic Mission when he
returned in 1984.
Hinduism was
Nepal's official religion and converts from the faith
were subject to criminal penalties, until an act of
parliament in May 2006 declared Nepal a secular
state. It was thus noted that the Church should now
be able to overcome the fear of being accused of
making use of schools and health centres for
conversion purposes, and will be able to play a more
important role in the struggle against illiteracy and
disease, especially in backward rural areas.
Nepal has a
population of 28 million. Msgr. Sharma heads a
community of about 6,972 Catholics. Its six parishes,
38 mission stations and 26 schools are served by 13
diocesan and 52 religious priests from 5
congregations. A total of 131 Catholic sisters,
representing 17 congregations, live in 36 convents
around the country and help run the Catholic
institutions. The Catholic Church also runs a variety
of day-care centres, schools and literary programs,
as well as centres for the poor and disadvantaged.
Caritas Nepal, the social arm of the local Church
runs programs in 60 districts, works mainly through
local NGOs and organizations, such as the Jesuit
Refugee Service, with poor children and women as
priority. Msgr. Sharma was the founding president of
Caritas Nepal in 1989.
Sources: UCA
News (www.ucanews.com), Catholic World News, Asia
News, Catholic News Service, Sunday Examiner
Pakistan
Threats to
Christian community at Charsadda
In early May 2007, Christians in Charsadda, a
district in North West Frontier Province, have been
threatened by an anonymous letter asking them to
convert to Islam or relocate. This was followed by
scores of barber and video CD shops being burnt down
in two bomb blasts. There are around 600 Christians
in the district who responded with fear and anger,
but some had a desire to negotiate and calm things
down. Despite the threats, none of them have left or
converted.
Representatives of
the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), as well
as leaders and representatives of Christian
organizations, have since visited and condemned the
threats and violence. A statement by Bishop Lawrence
Saldanha, president of the Catholic Bishops'
Conference and Peter Jacob, the executive secretary
of the National Commission for Justice and Peace
(NCJP), called on the government to protect the life,
safety, property and places of worship of its
citizens, including religious minorities, as
sanctioned in Pakistan's Constitution, and called for
urgent measures to prevent the situation from
degenerating into a massacre.
Bishop Lobo of the
Catholic Diocese of Rawalpindi/ Islamabad also issued
a pastoral letter urging all to pray to the Holy
Spirit in the midst of the threat and panic.
The local police
provided more patrols on the streets and guards for
churches, without finding the real culprit. They also
reportedly tried to downplay the threats, but there
is still fear of attacks among the Christians.
Local activists
hope that more bishops and other Church leaders will
come out with a strong ecumenical stand and make a
clear statement of Christian's rights in the society.
They should not be left to struggle in isolation and
suffer at the hands of extremists.
Sources: Local
sources, Asia News, Agenzia Fides, the Dawn, NCJP
Shadow Report on Convention on Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women
In February, the National Commission for Justice and
Peace (NCJP) published a shadow report on the
compliance of the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women in
Pakistan.
Endorsed by more
than 60 NGOs in Pakistan, the report urged the
Pakistani government to take more concrete steps with
regards to laws and policy making for the equality of
women in Pakistan. The civil society organizations
further urged the government to ratify the Optional
Protocol to CEDAW and to withdraw reservations made
on becoming a party to the CEDAW.
In May 2007, NCJP
lined up an advocacy programme in Washington, D.C.
and New York. Apart from formal tripartite dialogue
between the CEDAW Expert committee, NGOs and the
government of Pakistan, NCJP conducted side meetings
with local and international NGOs in the United
States.
Sources: Pax
Christi International, National Commission for
Justice and Peace (Pakistan)
Philippines
Statement
on Environment and Military Campaign
Another round in the war between government forces
and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in
Mindanao started since April 2007.
The conflict
started when a unit of MNLF under the command of
Habier Malik attacked a Marine base near Panamao,
Sulu in retaliation for a military raid of an MNLF
camp in Indanan in early April. The war has escalated
to other nearby towns and provinces, resulting in the
displacement of an estimated 70,000 people as of 19
April 2007.
In its statement
issued in May, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of
Creation Commission-Association of Major Religious
Superiors in the Philippines (JPICC-AMRSP) criticized
the government's total disregard and
non-implementation of the agreements reached by the
1996 peace talks, as well as its refusal to take
seriously and schedule another Tripartite Meeting.
Despite calls by the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) for a ceasefire, the government and
the military insisted on the military aggression.
JPICC-AMRSP
reiterates that the conflict in Mindanao is an
economic and political issue and cannot be solved by
military action. The declaration of the military
campaign against the MNLF by the government forces
would only lead to more violence in the area.
JPICC-AMRSP hence calls for an immediate cease to
military operations in the area, as well as sustained
and genuine implementation of the agreed provisions
in the peace talks between the parties concerned.
Source:
JPICC-AMRSP
Election Reflection Guide
In response to the elections held in May in the
Philippines, the JPICC-AMRSP produced a reflection
guide as a reference for discernment or reflection
among the religious congregation/groups in the
country.
This handy
reflection guide features:
- an illustrated national situation for social
analysis;
- a reflection on the state of the country;
- some guiding Christian principles in the exercise
of suffrage; and
- a list of cause-oriented groups involved in the May
elections.
While the Church
clearly outlines that clergy and religious people
cannot be directly involved in partisan politics, the
JPICC-AMRSP encourages people to participate in the
democratic process to help reclaim the positive
values of political life.
The guideline is
available in Filipino only. For copies, comments or
suggestions, please email to the JPICC Secretariat at
jpicc_amrsp@yahoo.com
Source: JPICC-AMRSP
South Korea
Struggle
Against US Military Base Continues
Pyongtaek Jikilmis (or "defenders"), a
group of activists who lived in Daechuri and Doduri
for up to two years, left their homes on 9 April 2007
when the destruction of the villages was already
underway. They started a Peace March from Daechuri to
Seoul.
Along the way, they
asserted the right of Daechuri and Doduri villagers
to return to their land, and to demand an end to the
planned base expansion in Pyongtaek. The activists
held vigils every night in cities along their way.
They talked to local people about the base expansion
and gave out pea plant seeds from Daechuri gardens.
When they attempted
to deliver a letter to President Roh at the Blue
House (the presidential mansion) on 14 April 2007,
they were stopped by riot police. As the insincere
negotiation from the government prevented the
activists from delivering the letter personally, they
decided to post the letter instead. Activists shared
their experience and played recorded voices of
Daechuri villagers to express their concern.
Source: Pan-S
Korea Commission against US base expansion in
Pyongtaek