UN rights expert calls on Myanmar authorities to protect Rohingya population (UN News, 27 February 2017)
UN rights expert calls on Myanmar authorities to protect Rohingya population (UN News, 27 February 2017) Following the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) flash report in February, in which it documented mass gang-rape, killings, including of babies and young children, brutal beatings, disappearances and other serious human rights violations by…
Read MoreUN rights expert to assess potential abuses in northern Myanmar (UN News, 6 January 2017)
UN rights expert to assess potential abuses in northern Myanmar (UN News, 6 January 2017) Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, will assess the human rights situation starting 9 January, following increasing concerns about civilians in Kachin State and the escalating violence in Rakhine State. The 12-day…
Read MorePersecuted Minority in Myanmar Is Escalating Its Armed Insurgency (NYT, 23 January 2017)
Persecuted Minority in Myanmar Is Escalating Its Armed Insurgency (NYT, 23 January 2017) The beginning of an armed resistance is just one of several developments that are reshaping the conflict over Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority with potentially far-reaching consequences. The group that attacked the border posts, Harakah al-Yaqin, is believed to have several hundred recruits,…
Read MoreMalaysia: Myanmar pursues ethnic cleansing of Rohingya (Al Jazeera, 4 December 2016)
Malaysia: Myanmar pursues ethnic cleansing of Rohingya (Al Jazeera, 4 December 2016) Malaysia has accused Myanmar of engaging in “ethnic cleansing” of its Rohingya Muslim minority, as former UN chief Kofi Annan visits a burned-out village in violence-hit Rakhine state. Tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingya have fled their homes since a bloody crackdown by…
Read MoreUN calls for protecting civilians as fighting, though reduced, continues in north-west Myanmar (UN News, 19 October 2016)
UN calls for protecting civilians as fighting, though reduced, continues in north-west Myanmar (UN News, 19 October 2016) According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), border posts in northwest Myanmar were attacked on 9 October resulting in the displacement of several hundred people. Some 1,200 people are confirmed to have taken…
Read MoreHuman rights law targets N. Korean leader (Korea Times, 4 September 2016)
Human rights law targets N. Korean leader (Korea Times, 4 September 2016) South Korea’s new law aimed at documenting human rights abuses in North Korea went into effect in early September — the latest in a series of efforts to put pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime. Analysts say North Korea may react furiously because…
Read MoreGlobal community must not mar human rights in Myanmar by rushing to forge economic ties – UN (UN News, 4 July 2016)
Global community must not mar human rights in Myanmar by rushing to forge economic ties – UN (UN News, 4 July 2016) “International actors must continue to prioritize human rights, particularly in business and investment relations,” said Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, at the end of a visit…
Read MoreUN experts urge Sri Lanka to adopt measures to fight torture and strengthen justice system (UN News, 10 May 2016)
UN experts urge Sri Lanka to adopt measures to fight torture and strengthen justice system (UN News, 10 May 2016) Two United Nations experts have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to replace the legal framework that allowed human rights violations to occur and to establish democratic institutions in line with international human rights standards.…
Read MoreWest Papua: UN must supervise vote on independence, says coalition (The Guardian, 3 May 2016)
West Papua: UN must supervise vote on independence, says coalition (The Guardian, 3 May 2016) In a meeting in London on 3 May, the West Papuan independence leader, Benny Wenda, joined parliamentarians, lawyers and humanitarians from the UK and the Pacific region to demand the United Nations pass a resolution for an independence referendum, in…
Read MoreASEAN Commission to release report on women’s rights, gender equality (Jakarta Post, 29 April 2016)
ASEAN Commission to release report on women’s rights, gender equality (Jakarta Post, 29 April 2016) The ASEAN Commission on Women and Children ( ACWC ) plans to release a report on women’s rights and gender equality this June, examining the progress and disparities experienced by Southeast Asian women in politics, education, health and the community.…
Read MoreThailand: UN human rights chief concerned over growing military role in Government (UN News, 22 April 2016)
Thailand: UN human rights chief concerned over growing military role in Government (UN News, 22 April 2016) The United Nations human rights chief has expressed growing concern about the military’s deepening role in Thailand’s civilian administration, as well as tight curbs on dissent, as the country prepares to vote on a final draft Constitution. “An…
Read MoreSouth-east Asia’s children face ‘double burden’ of obesity and undernutrition – UN report (UN News, 28 March 2016)
South-east Asia’s children face ‘double burden’ of obesity and undernutrition – UN report (UN News, 28 March 2016) A joint report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has shed new light on the nutrition situation of children across the region.…
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