What’s
Going On in Asia?
Hong
Kong
Universal
suffrage, Church urges
Hong Kong society is baffled by the Standing
Committee of the National People’s
Congress’s (NPC) latest decision on the schedule
for universal suffrage in the city. The NPC has ruled
out “double” universal suffrage for the
2012 chief executive and Legislative Council
elections, deciding that the election of the chief
executive “may” be implemented by universal
suffrage in 2017 and all the members of the Legco
“may” be directly elected in 2020.
While both Qiao
Xiaoyag, the deputy secretary-general of the Standing
Committee of the NPC and Mr. Donald Tsang, Chief
Executive of Hong Kong, admitted that according to
opinion surveys, more than half of Hong Kong citizens
favoured “double” universal suffrage in
2012, the timetable set by the NPC differs radically
from this mainstream view. The wording in the
decision is also extremely vague.
The Sunday
Examiner, the local Catholic weekly newspaper,
carried a reminder that the Church teaches us that
“the democratic system, inasmuch as it ensures
the participation of citizens in making political
choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility
both of electing and holding accountable those who
govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful
means when appropriate. Thus (the Church) cannot
encourage the formation of narrow ruling groups which
usurp the power of the State for individual interests
or for ideological ends” (Centesimus Annus #46).
Sources: Sunday
Examiner
HKJP’s
Support for Victims of Extra-judicial Killings in the
Philippines
The Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong
Catholic Diocese (HKJP) has helped the United
Filipinos in Hong Kong in their fundraising and
gift-giving campaign for victims of human rights
violations in the Philippines, Pasko Para sa Kanila
(Christmas for them), by collecting clothes and
contributions from parishes in Hong Kong.
The
secretary-general of the United Filipinos in Hong
Kong thanked Jackie Hung, project officer of HKJP,
for collecting around 20 jumbo-sized boxes full of
clothes and a significant amount in cash. The
proceeds have been sent to Karapatan, Hustisya,
Desaparecidos and the Stop the Killings Campaign
International Secretarial in the Philippines.
“They (victims
of extrajudicial killings and enforced
disappearances) know now that they are not alone and
this action will certainly give them more hope to
pursue justice for their loved ones,” said
Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, director of Mission for Migrant
Workers Hong Kong Society (MFMW).
Sources: Sunday
Examiner
KKP’s
80th Anniversary
Kung Kao Pao (KKP), the only Chinese-language
newspaper published by the Hong Kong Catholic
Diocese, will be marking its 80th anniversary in
2008.
KKP reports news
and information about the Church, both locally and
globally. It disseminates information that the
secular media cannot readily access, or will not
publish. The newspaper also strives to provide faith
formation and promote the Gospel amongst its readers.
It also seeks to maintain a record of the activities
of the diocese, parishes, parish associations and
Church organizations.
On other hand, the
newspaper is dedicated to reporting newsworthy events
within the Church, casting a critical eye on
religious, social, cultural and political issues from
a Catholic perspective and conveying the
Church’s teachings to enhance the knowledge and
understanding of the faithful. Through feature
articles concerning faith, the KKP aims to contribute
to the formation of personal ethics and to promote
social justice in the hope of benefiting society as a
whole.
As KKP approaches
its 80th anniversary, it pledges to continue
implementing its mission to promote the Gospel at
every level. Whenever readers feel desolate in their
faith or lonely in their faith group, this simple
evangelization tool can keep them company and give
them quiet support.
Source: Sunday
Examiner
India
Recent
Activities of NCJPD
INDIA- PAKISTAN INTERACTIVE PEACE CONFERENCE:
Exactly 60 years
ago, on 30 January, Gandhi, Father of the Nation, was
martyred for Peace and Harmony. On this day, observed
as Martyr’s day, a group of university students
from India and Pakistan gathered at Vishwa Yuvak
Kendra, New Delhi, for a two-day workshop organised
by the CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development (JPD Commission) and Gandhi Study Centre
(GS Centre of Chennai) on 30-31 January 2008. These
students won an Essay Contest conducted in the last
quarter of 2007 on the topic: Proposals of youth for
peace and progress between India and Pakistan. There
were 40 university youth and 40 delegates from other
interested groups.
Parliamentarian,
the Hon. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Cenral Minster of Youth
affairs and Sports, the Hon. Nirmala Deshpande,
President of the India-Pakistan Forum of
Parliamentarians, Bishop Peter Celestine of Jammu and
Kashmir, Prof. Qureshi of Jawarlal Nehru University,
Ms. Ameeta Wattal, Pricipal of Sprindales, and Fr.
Nithiya conducted the sessions. This is the third
time that the Commission brought in a delegation from
Pakistan.
The two-day
Interactive Peace Seminar concluded with the
following proposals:
- Each
participant will give a briefing on the out
colme of the two-day experience to the
principal and to the College.
- Each
participant will be a peace maker in his/her
locality.
- He/she will
initiate a peace club in their college or
town, within two months. Through the peace
clubs, the students will involve themselves
in organizing peace rallies, signature
campaigns, etc., on specific issues.
- The students
will send anecdotes and peace
experiences—success stories and models
of peace building etc to the JPD Commission
for publishing on the website and through the
E-bulletin.
- College
students and local people, like the police
(chief) office, the collector or his
deputy/the city mayor or town chairman,
lawyer, doctor, media personnel (journalist,
TV reporters, press reporters etc),
industrialists, Rotary Club and Lions Club
leaders, religious leaders, human rights and
peace activists, promised their commitment
and will be part of the City Peace Club.
NATIONAL
CAMPAIGN ON RIGHT TO FOOD:
Even though India
boasts of her economic development, thousands of
farmers committed suicide over the past years due to
lack of food security and food distribution
mechanisms. One third of Indians live below the
poverty line. Hence the JPD Commission has taken up a
massive campaign on the Right to Food. This focus
became rooted in the Commission after the national
training on lobbying and campaigning in May 2007.
There were plans
for a national training programme in collaboration
with the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) and National
Campaigners on Right to Food, which expect to hold
the first training on 3-4 June in Bangalore. This
will be followed by preparation of literature in
English and all regional languages on the rights of
the people concerning their food security.
SOUTH ASIAN
UNIVERSITY YOUTH TRAINING ON PEACE BUILDING:
Following the RBA
programmes conducted by ACPP and its resource team,
Mr. James Tan, Ms. Kata Lee and Mr. Andre Frankovits,
echo programmes have been given by the JPD Commission
in various regions as well as to many religious
congregations.
As it was
identified that South Asian countries (Bangladesh,
Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India)
are prone to conflicts and violence and the youth
tend to become primary targets of exploitation in all
such violence, the JPD Commission is planning to
organize a three-day training programme for
university students on peace building and conflict
transformation to be held in Chennai, South India, on
4-7 September 2008. Students already involved in
college and city peace clubs will be the main
participants.
The JPD Commission
is also planning to launch a website,
www.globalpeaceclub.org, network and action plan in
the region has widened.
COMMITMENT TO
THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN:
In the past year
and a half, the JPD Commission was involved in
preparing the country to discuss the theme of the
General Body of the Indian Bishops: Empowerment of
Women in the Church and Society. This is the first
time an Episcopal conference has officially taken up
the theme of women. The following are some proposals
from the plenary assembly of the CBCI held on 20-21
February 2008 in Jamshedpur:
- incorporate a
gender perspective in all the Commissions of
the Church and foster networking to further
the goal of a gender-just Church and society;
- conduct
theological, biblical and canonical studies
that promote gender-justice and an
ecclesiology of partnership;
- provide
scholarships and part-time courses for women
for theological, biblical and canonical
studies;
- prepare
audio-visual materials as a tool for gender
sensitization;
- allocate 50%
representation to women as office-bearers and
members on parish and diocesan pastoral
councils, finance committees and in the
ecclesial bodies at the local and national
levels;
- radical
commitment to the cause for the uplifting of
the tribal, dalit and other disadvantaged
women, including their education and
opportunities for employment in Church
institutions;
- support women
in their process of political leadership for
panchayat, Legislative Assembly and
Parliament.
SIGNATURE
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ATROCITIES TO MINORITIES:
In response to the
systematic violence by fundamental elements against
Christian minorities in Orissa on Christmas Eve 2007,
a massive signature campaign against the systematic
violence perpetrated by the state was organized by
the JPD Commission. Thousands of signatures from
every diocese and educational institutions were
collected and sent to concerned departments in the
state and the central government.
Sources:
National Commission for Justice, Peace and
Development (NCJPD) India
HRE
programme for NGOs in Mumbai
The Human Rights Watch Cell of Mumbai-based
Documentation Research and Training Center (DRTC),
together with Mumbai Initiative for Human Rights
Education and International Human Rights Education
Consortium (IHREC), organized a programme on
“Dialogue on Human Rights Education” at St.
Pius Seminary Campus on 7 January 2008. It was open
to NGOs and teachers in Mumbai with the following
objectives:
- to impart
knowledge and understanding on the concept
and evolution of United Nations and Human
Rights Education (HRE);
- to understand
challenges and achievements of the World
Program for HRE;
- to highlight
the role and importance of civil society
organizations and academic institutions in
HRE and training;
- to discuss the
content of HRE for NGOs as a tool for
protection and promotion of human rights.
Speakers included
eminent and experienced persons working in the field
of human rights, such as Theodore S. Orlin, President
of IHREC, and professors of Utica College New York.
Sources:
DRTC/Justice and Peace Commission - Mumbai
Seminar on
SEZ
In the Maharashtra state, the Special Economic Zone
(SEZ) has been identified as an exploitative strategy
where fertile lands have been taken over under the
Land Acquisition Act for the creation of SEZs all
over the country, handed to developers accompanied by
economic concessions at less than market price,
leaving the people who have lost their land to
continue to resist the land-grab. This leads to
growth of businesses at the expense of further
impoverishment of the poor farmers. Although the
Chief Minister of Maharashtra responded in December
2006 that the setting up of private SEZs would be
stopped altogether, appointing a cabinet level
committee to assess the options of the affected
people, the system continues.
Thus, the Justice
and Peace Commission - Mumbai organized a seminar on
SEZ on 10 March 2008 to create awareness about the
exploitative nature of SEZ legislation, discuss the
nuances of the Act and its repercussions for the
affected victims.
The seminar was
graced by His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias,
Archbishop of Mumbai, who emphasized the importance
of the people’s involvement in decision-making
that concerns their lives, and that the Church is
with them in the struggle.
Mr. Simpreet Singh
of the National Alliance of People’s Movement
who has been working closely with the people on the
SEZ issue, gave a presentation on the SEZ Act and
explained its implications for the whole country. He
further gave a reminder that the 470 SEZs will be
independent entities not bound by Indian laws and not
accountable to the people of India.
Ms Anibel
Ferus-Comelo and Mr. Parvin Sabnis of Goa Bachao
Andolan (GBA) shared their experience in fighting off
the SEZ threat in Goa where 75 million square meters
of land was to be converted into a settlement in the
name of development. Land was forcibly acquired,
allegedly to build a food park with promise of
employment, but a golf course and 800 villas were
being planned with a UK-based real estate group
instead. The struggle was spearheaded by a collective
of people’s movements supported by GBA, Council
for Social Justice and Peace and Jagrut Goem. Stories
of broken promises and the deplorable situations in
SEZs around the country were exposed and shared
during the seminar.
The strategies
used, which have been effective in getting three SEZs
denotified, were:
- Direct contact
with village groups;
- Team work
instead of leadership;
- Effective use
of the Right to Information (RTI);
- Films to
create awareness among the people;
- Putting
pictures of what is happening on the
Internet;
- Remaining
apolitical, linking only with local
panchayat;
- PEZ alliance
(“People’s Economic Zone” or
“pez” which means rice broth, a
local staple).
The meeting
concluded with Ms. Ferus-Comelo sharing an
inspiration from the gospel story of Jesus raising
Lazarus to life, which paralleled the struggle
against SEZ at every stage: exposing SEZ, unite to
pull out of the hole, liberate from chains of
oppressors, and plege solidarity with the people of
Mumbai in their struggle.
Sources: JPC
Mumbai
Japan
Alleged
rape by U.S. military in Okinawa
Accusations of rape by U.S. military personnel
stationed in Okinawa have angered the Japanese
community. The U.S. military responded by putting all
troops and their relatives in Okinawa and Iwakuni
under curfew for nearly two weeks in February to calm
public anger. A case hearing is scheduled in April
and another three cases are scheduled for May.
Filipino groups in
Japan also strongly condemn the rape of a Filipina by
a U.S. Army serviceman in Okinawa, Japan. The alleged
rape, according to an earlier report, happened on 18
February 2008 in a hotel in Okinawa. The U.S.
military command in Okinawa, through Colonel Eric
Schnaible, said it “take(s) the allegation very
seriously”, but no formal investigation has been
made so far.
Rosanna Tapiru,
spokesperson of MIGRANTE-Japan, an alliance of
Filipino migrant organizations, recalled the case of
"Nicole", then a 22 year-old Filipina, who
was raped by four U.S. marines in November 2005 in
Subic, the Philippines. She lamented that “Rape
and other crimes do happen in and around U.S.
military bases and facilities around the world. But
this particular case, along with other most recent
cases of rape and assault on innocent civilians in
Japan, will surely hurt efforts by the Fukuda
government to convince the Japanese people to allow
the continued hosting of U.S. bases and other
installations by Japan.”
MIGRANTE-Japan has
vowed to hold protest actions in front of the U.S.
embassy in Tokyo to demand justice for the Filipina
rape victim in Okinawa, and to call for unity in
dismantling all U.S. military bases in Japan and
elsewhere as these are the“symbols of U.S.
hegemony in the region and an attack against the
sovereignty of host nations”.
Source: Herald
Sun Australia, Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
Global
Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War
Japanese peace activists are going global with their
Article 9 campaign. The Global Article 9 Campaign to
Abolish War is inspired by the 1999 Hague Appeal for
Peace call, saying that "every Parliament should
adopt a resolution prohibiting their government from
going to war, like the Japanese Article 9," and
the 2006 Vancouver World Peace Forum's declaration
that “we call for governments to
constitutionally renounce war.”
In order to break
the cycle of war and violence worldwide, the Global
Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War encourages peoples
and governments of the world to adopt peace laws
similar to Article 9 in every country, and work
towards demilitarization and a culture of peace. The
campaign articulates nine mechanisms for peace that
include reductions in military spending, promotion of
nuclear-weapon-free zones, ending violence against
women, supporting conflict prevention, and mitigating
the negative environmental impact of the military.
Akira Kawasaki, an
executive committee member of Peace Boat, a Japanese
peace organization, thinks that Japan's Article 9
cannot survive if it continues to be an isolated and
special clause in the world. It should instead be
promoted and shared by many peoples and governments.
To learn more about
the Global Article 9 Campaign, please visit: http://www.article-9.org/en/index.html
For more related
activities, please refer to Events in later sections.
Source: Foreign
Policy in Focus
Pakistan
Update on
Political Situation and Response
The lifting of state of emergency on 15 December
2007, and the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto,
former Prime Minister and opposition party leader on
27 December 2007, were followed by the postponement
of general elections from January to 18 February
2008. With much attention on the promise of the
President for a peaceful and fair election, and some
threats to boycott it, the elections were
successfully concluded, but with 25 reported
casualties in poll-related violence across the
country.
The overall
procedure of the general elections was considered
fair and transparent by local organizations, and
ambassadors of the United Kingdom, United States,
Japan, China, Canada, China, etc. who expressed their
satisfaction over the voting process and security
arrangements. Results were announced with majority
seats in the national assembly won by the Pakistan
People’s Party (87 seats), and the Pakistan
Muslim League-N (66) followed by the ruling Pakistan
Muslim League–Q (38). Ten of the 268 seats were
reserved for minorities which are at the discretion
of the heads of the ruling party coalition.
In a press release
by the National Commission for Justice and Peace
(NCJP) Pakistan, which expressed satisfaction about
the results towards change in the country’s
governance, the opportunity was taken to urge the
winning parties to adopt policies towards justice,
peace and prosperity, in order to fulfill the mandate
given to them by the people. As the electoral success
was the first step towards a democratic rule, the
political parties and the civil society need to face
the challenge of ensuring the people’s verdict
is respected and the transition to democracy takes
place smoothly.
During the days
leading up to the election date, Peter Jacob,
Executive Secretary of NCJP, urged the Christian
communities to utilize their power of the vote and
actively participate in the elections, which is
essential in strengthening the democratic system of
the country against the powers of extremism. Fr.
Bonnie Mendes, a Catholic priest and director of the
Human Development Centre, gave a reminder that the
electoral system has moved ahead of the past with the
restoration of the joint electorate a few years ago
(previously, there were separate lists for
minorities). There were 13 non-Muslim candidates in
the general elections, who ran for non-reserved
seats, and 39 who ran for the 10 reserved seats in
the national assembly.
Source: NCJP
Pakistan, AsiaNews
NCJP
Falsely Accused
In a notification issued by the provincial government
of Punjab on 25 January 2008, the National Justice
and Peace Commission (NCJP) was falsely named and
accused, for distributing a report which has been
officially banned. Although it is false information,
since NCJP claimed it was not involved in its
publication and distribution and did not even have a
copy of the report, such official notification posed
negative implications on the fieldwork and activities
of NCJP and it has threatened to fine and imprison
the NCJP staff, citing the relevant sections under
the Pakistan Penal Code.
The report
entitled, “Pakistan: The land of Religious
Apartheid and Jackboot Justice: A report to the UN
Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination,” is a shadow report prepared and
submitted by the Asian Centre for Human Rights
(India-based NGO with consultative status in the UN).
While NCJP has been mentioned in the endnotes, such
information was based on published documents openly
available to the public.
Upon learning about
the notification one month later, NCJP responded
promptly with an official letter to clarify the
mistake in the notification. They were invited for a
meeting by the Home Department on 10 March, but the
Additional Secretary on Internal Security was
unavailable, thus the meeting was cancelled. It is
feared that this could be another tactic to delay the
resolution of the issue, especially at the time of
changeover of administration following the recent
General Assembly elections.
Meanwhile,
NCJP’s network has been informed cautiously and
requested to standby with an appeal on the false
accusation, in case it becomes necessary, according
to local developments. The UN Human Rights Council
President, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and
the UN Special Representative on Human Rights
Defenders, have since been notified by Forum Asia to
take measures to push the Pakistan government to stop
harassment and threats against the NCJP; friends in
Europe have also been preparing to mobilize its
network; and the JPW network has also been alerted
about the issue and possible action. Separately, some
organizations are also working to lift the ban on the
report as it is a violation of freedom of expression
and, as a resolution to the root cause of the
threats, related to the ban.
As of 14 March,
there was still no official response from the
authorities.
Source: NCJP,
Forum Asia, ACPP sources
Philippines
Mining
Companies Creating Environmental and Social Problems
The social action director for the Tandag diocese,
Sister Lydia Lazcano, accused the Armed Forces of The
Philippines (AFP) of allowing itself to be used in
mining companies’ interest, in the name of
pursuing the Communist New People’s Army (NPA)
rebels.
She called for the
removal of all troops in Surigao del Sur province,
stating that mining companies are using the troops to
displace indigenous lumad (southern indigenous
peoples) communities and poor settlers in five
Surigao towns. It was estimated that the combined
area that companies are seeking permission to mine is
about 42 per cent of the total area of the
455,567-hectare province.
In the affected
towns, more than 2,500 people were displaced. Schools
were also closed down as military camps are set up in
the communities.
On the other hand
one mining company, Lafayette, has created financial,
environmental and social failures in Rapu-Rapu, in
the Albay province, according to Bishop Arturo M.
Bastes, SVD, DD, Chairman of the Rapu-Rapu
Fact-finding Commission. Although the mining project
has not proven to be socially, technically,
environmentally or financially feasible, the
administration still allowed it to proceed. Lafayette
allegedly threatened the administration that if their
mining permit was cancelled, they would walk away and
leave the administration with the mine tailings and
the pollution crisis. Now, since the company is
bankrupt, there is a real chance that the P16 million
(US$380,000) arrears in social development programs
promised to the people in Rapu-Rapu will not be paid.
The statement of
the Chairman of the Rapu-Rapu Fact-finding Commission
can be downloaded at: http://www.acpp.org/downloads/Rapu_Rapu_statement310308.pdf
Sources:
Justice, Peace & Integration of Creation
Committee - The Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the Philippines, Sunday Examiner
Philippine
Bishops Ask People to Reform the Nation Beginning
With Individuals
In a statement “Reform Yourselves and Believe in
the Gospel”, issued at the conclusion of their
January 24 to 27 gathering, the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of The Philippines has
called for faith and hope in the face of the
seemingly incurable corruption plaguing the nation.
“When we believe, we hope; and when we hope, we
live differently,” they said, quoting Pope
Benedict XVI’s encyclical, “In hope We are
Saved”.
They stated that
instead of blaming the politicians, people should
remember it was they, as voters, who voted the
politicians into office in the first place. They
called for a new recognition of the innate goodness
of all people, including those we criticize and
“it is our task to critically collaborate with
them as we critically oppose the not too good.”
They also called
for a moral conversion. “Do not conform
yourselves to the standards of the world, but let God
transform you inwardly by a complete change of your
mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God
– what is good and pleasing to him and is
perfect” (Romans 12:2).
The Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’
statement can be viewed in full at: http://www.rcam.org/cbcp/2008/reform_yourself_and_believe_in_the_gospel.htm
Sources: Sunday
Examiner
AMRSP Says
No to the Human Security Act 2007
The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the
Philippines (AMRSP) and its Mission Partners call for
the repeal of the Human Security Act of 2007 (HSA),
also known as the Anti-Terror Law, in a statement
issued on 8 August 2007.
The signatories to
the statement were deeply troubled that the law
violates constitutionally guaranteed rights, such as
the right to due process and the right to privacy.
They felt that the HSA would exacerbate the already
deteriorating state of human rights in the country
instead of protecting the people from terrorism, and
would worsen extra-judicial killings and urban
militarization.
In the words of the
Church leaders, “when human authority goes
beyond the limits willed by God, it makes itself a
deity and demands absolute submission; it becomes the
Beast of the Apocalypse, an image of the power of the
imperial persecutor.”
The statement can
be downloaded at: http://www.acpp.org/downloads/AMRSP_statement310308.pdf
Sources:
Justice, Peace & Integration of Creation
Committee - The Association of Major Religious
Superiors of the Philippines
Thailand
Overview of
activities/concerns of Catholic Commission for
Justice and Peace (CCJP) Thailand
IMPACTS OF MAINSTREAM DEVELOPMENT POLICIES ON
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT BASED ON THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
CCJP and Catholic
Commission for Human Development (CCHD) visited
different communities and made a report based on the
analysis of the information gathered. The study has
found that the mainstream development policies based
on liberal economic or capitalistic theories have
pushed the people to be badly indebted. This
indebtedness weakens the communities. At the same
time, it also reflects weaknesses in the work of
diocesan social action centres (DISACs). This
community study helped DISACs to discover that
development work should give a priority to awareness
raising in local communities.
THE SECOND
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMP FOR YOUTH
The CCJP organized
the second human rights camp for youth on 4-7 October
2007 at Khao Laemya-Samed National Park in Rayong
Province, with the aim of introducing the concept of
human rights to the young people of the country so
that they will become aware of the human value and
dignity of themselves and other people. A total of 39
students from secondary 3-6 levels participated in
the camp.
HUMAN RIGHTS
EDUCATION PROJECT
The CCJP organized
workshops on human rights education in Catholic
schools for teachers at all levels to provide
knowledge, promote understanding and raise awareness
on human rights, and respect for human dignity and
values in educational institutions, as well as
concretely integrating human rights in teaching
activities and plans. In October 2007, the CCJP has
organized such workshops in four Catholic schools for
more than 350 teachers.
Source:
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Thailand
Internal
Security Act in Thailand
The government is trying to introduce the Act on
Internal Security, or in full, “Act on
maintenance of Internal Security of the
Kingdom”. While the civil society organizations
demand the National Legislative Council (NLC) to stop
considering the bill and wait for the new government
to deal with it, they are currently losing the battle
as the bill passed the first reading of NLC on 8
November 2007 with 101 votes for and 20 against (127
members absent).
The internal
security law aims to expand the power of the National
Internal Security Operation Command (ISOC). Contents
of the Act that would affect the people include:
- This law
empowers ISOC to issue orders that restrict
rights of the people in many areas.
- It expands the
power of the army over politics, regardless
of whether it was a normal situation or not.
- This Act
provides that orders, announcements,
regulations or actions under this law do not
fall under the legality of the laws on
administrative procedures and are thus not
reviewable by civil courts.
- It provides
that any action of this internal security law
is exempted from legal criminal, civil and
disciplinary action, if such action is done
with honesty and due rationality, but without
discrimination.
- The definition
of ‘threat to internal security’
according to this law is very vague, which
creates uncertainties and loopholes for
abuse.
Source: CCJP
Thailand