What’s
Going On in Asia?
Hong
Kong
Large Gap
between the Rich and the Poor Confirmed by the
Government
During a meeting of the Justice and Peace
Commission of Hong Kong Catholic Diocese (HKJP) on 17
June 2007, Cardinal Joseph Zen underlined that after
the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the plight
of the poor and disadvantaged had worsened. The
bishop invited Catholics to help the poor, as Jesus
teaches us.
Two days later, his
observation was confirmed by the Hong Kong’s
Census and Statistics Department. According to the
department’s report, the number of people
earning HK$4,000 (US$513), or less, per month has
increased by 80,000. Given the increase in the
numbers of the rich, the Gini coefficient, which
measures the imbalance between rich and poor, now
stands at 0.583, defined as being
“worrying.”
Source: Asia
News
Cardinal
Zen Encourages the Faithful to Appeal for Universal
Suffrage
As Hong Kong marked the 10th anniversary of
reunification with its motherland - China, Cardinal
Joseph Zen encouraged the faithful to appeal for
universal suffrage by joining a big demonstration on
1 July 2007.
During a meeting
hosted by the Justice and Peace Commission on 17 June
2007, Cardinal Zen said that 10 years after Hong
Kong's reunification, the situation of the
underprivileged and the poor has been deteriorating.
The Cardinal encouraged the faithful to go out into
the streets this July 1 and express their desire for
universal suffrage.
The march for
democracy has become a tradition since the 1 July
2003 turnout, when more than half a million people
took to the streets in protest against a proposed
anti-subversion law and to criticize the failings of
the first chief executive in the territory, Mr. Tung
Chee-hwa, who was appointed and chosen picked by the
Chinese government.
Source: Asia
News
10th
Anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China - 50
Cases of Human Rights Violations
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of Hong
Kong Catholic Diocese (HKJP) has launched a polling
campaign to highlight the 10 most disrupting
incidents that have infringe upon human rights in
Hong Kong since its reunification with China.
While the society
of Hong Kong has a good record in human rights
compared to its Asian counterparts, the HKJP observed
that the city still falls short in various areas of
the stipulations of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The commission has
noted that Hong Kong people were deprived of the
right to a fair election of its government head, the
right to free speech and assembly and the right to
information. Personal privacy was put under threat
and the Racial Discrimination Ordinance contained
some contradictory ambiguities.
On the economic,
social and cultural fronts, the commission enlisted
six to seven cases where labour rights and
family/children’s rights were infringed. It was
followed by what was considered a lack of social
protection, which showed four violations. Other
offences are recorded in housing rights, academic
freedom, cultural preservation and reluctance in
setting up rights protection mechanisms.
The pubic are
invited to submit their opinions by mid October.
On-line polling is available at www.hkjp.org.
Source: HKJP
India
Justice
Sunday and Right to Food
The National Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development (NCJPD) of the Catholic Bishops'
Conferences of India (CBCI) has chosen "Freedom
from Hunger" as the theme of Justice Sunday this
year, which was observed on 19 August.
According to the
message by the chairperson of NCJPD, India hosts more
than a third of the world's 146 million
under-nourished children. The problem of hunger has
persisted, despite the fact that there has been a
stockpile of surplus food grain in the country, thus
the problem is not of scarcity of resources, but a
lack of commitment of the government to its
obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human
rights of its citizens. The Commission proposes that
the Rights-Based Approach be adopted to address the
problem of hunger, not only holding the government
accountable, but also educating and empowering the
people to reclaim their rights.
To mark this
occasion, NCJPD has published a brochure on
"Freedom from Hunger" and a poster on
"Ten Commandments for an Effective Public
Distribution System" for distribution to all
parishes in the country for reflection. With the
intent to promote the values of justice and peace
among the people of India, the book, "Justice
and Peace—an Ever Present Challenge" has
also been reprinted with permission from the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
In the Archdiocese
of Mumbai, the Justice and Peace Commission has
featured "Right to Food" in its Newsletter,
Chetana, emphasising that "the Right to Food is
the right to feed oneself in dignity, rather than the
right to be fed." Articles include a
fact-finding report to Wardha investigating farmers
suicides in the Vidharba region, statistics and
details of the Public Distribution System and
relevant schemes and a Church response to it as well
as the liturgy for Justice Sunday.
Source:
National Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development (NCJPD) India; JPC Mumbai
Japan
Bishop
Michael Goro Matsuura’s message on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
During the Pax Christi New Mexico's annual action at
Los Alamos, Bishop Michael Goro Matsuura, president
of Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, encouraged
the faithful to support action to dismantle nuclear
warheads.
He acknowledged the
importance of standing together in making a concrete
action for peace and non-violence. He reiterated the
call to continue articulating the commitment to
non-violence to the government of the then-prime
minister, Abe, and the current administration, which
still seeks to revise Article 9 of the Constitution
of Japan in order to permit Japan to maintain de jure
military forces for dispatch to anywhere in the
world. Such a move is strongly supported by the
United States (US) government: A statement from the
US-Japan Security Consultative Committee issued in
May 2007 confirmed that "as both countries
develop and deploy capabilities, every effort must be
made to ensure tactical, operational, and strategic
coordination in response to ballistic missile threats
against alliance interests."
The bishop
recognizes the world is facing a dangerous time when
a culture of war and violence is steadily built up.
He urged people to express their commitment to
another world, which is possible, that works together
in solidarity to create a global network of peace,
non-violence and compassion, and which cries out: No
more Hiroshima, No nuclear weapons!
Sources: Pax
Christi International
Philippines
Philippine
Bishops oppose Anti-Terror Law
In late July, the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (ESF) of
Mindanao joined the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of The Philippines in opposing an anti-terrorism
measure in a southern region of the Asian nation.
According to
Section 3 of the act, “terrorist
activities” are all those actions “causing
widespread and extraordinary fear and panic” and
they may be punished by “up to 40 years in
prison”. Further, Section 19 allows the
“arbitrary detention of a suspect for more than
three days, house arrest even if not upheld by a
judge and a ban on all kinds of movement.”
Human-rights groups
have also condemned the legislation saying it could
invade privacy, noting it allows for court-authorized
wiretapping of suspects Hundreds of left-wing
activists urged repeal of the law at a protest,
vowing to question its legality in the Supreme Court.
The Catholic
bishops’ conference, at a press conference on
July 9, called on the Philippine government to revise
a new anti-terrorism law which took effect on July
15, saying the unlimited powers it confers upon the
army “could become a cause of gross
injustice.”