Land rights

SOUTH KOREA: Call for an enactment of the legislation on the provision of temporary housing for the displaced

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Headquarters for the enactment of the legislation on the provision of temporary housing for the displaced in Seoungdong-gu. The statement was translated into English and edited by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE […]

BANGLADESH: Around 30 lower caste families in the Hindu community face eviction in Chittagong

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the eviction risk faced by around 300 people of a lower caste Hindu community in Chittagong, without adequate compensation or rehabilitation being arranged. The land will be seized for the government-led Patiya Bypass project, yet the community is very poor and residents have not […]

PHILIPPINES: Three people die, including a 7-year-old boy, when policemen illegally demolish shanties of informal settlers

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that three persons have been killed, including a 7-year-old boy, when a group of policemen opened fire at the informal settlers who resisted an illegal demolition in Pasay City. When the demolition was carried out the demolition team had no valid court […]

INDIA: 6000 slum dwellers evicted and denied resettlement in West Bengal

Sir, In a brutal eviction drive, to uproot nearly 6000 slum dwellers in the vicinity of Eastern Bypass, Kolkata and demolishment of their 1200 shanties for a suggested ‘beautification’ and ‘development’ programme took place by the personnel of Bidhan Nagar Police Station and Rapid Action Force (RAF) on 04/10/2009 from 6 to 10 a.m., the […]

PHILIPPINES: An urban poor leader and her son killed for defending their dwelling

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you of the death by shooting of an urban poor leader and her son in Quezon City, Metro Manila on October 9, 2009. The victims were shot at close range by security guards when they tried to prevent them from fencing off their […]

PAKISTAN: The special assistant to a chief minister and policemen attack villagers to grab land killing three persons

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the special assistant to the chief minister of Sindh, Mr. Ismail Dahri, in the company of several policemen attacked villagers in Nawab Shah district on the nights of September 26 and 27, to forcibly evict them from their land. Mr. Dahri, a close […]

SOUTH KOREA: Solidarity needed in support of a people’s tribunal on the Yongsan deaths

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that human rights activists in South Korea will hold a people’s tribunal on October 18, 2009 regarding the deaths of five men. The five protested against a forced eviction and burned to death during an agressive dispersal operation by the police. No officers have so […]

INDIA: A lower-caste family faces social boycott to pressure them to leave

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Navsarjan, a human rights organisation based in Gujarat that the only Valmiki (lowest Dalit sub-caste) family living in Shampara (also known as Khodiyar) village is in danger of being forced out from their home. This action is due to a boycott imposed on […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): Dey Kraham community in Phnom Penh fears imminent forcible eviction

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has previously reported that over several years violence, blockades and lawsuits have been used in successive attempts to evict hundreds of families in Dey Kraham zone of Phnom Penh in favour of 7NG company (see AHRC-UAU-006-2008, AHRC-UAU-002-2008, UA-271-2007). These attempts have so far failed as those rightful residents have put […]

INDIA: Dalits face a social boycott for asserting their right to vote; most are forced to leave home

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that 125 Dalit families have been forced to leave their village after they voted in the lower house parliament election. Earlier in the year upper-caste members had assaulted the village council head, a Dalit, when he refused to vote for their favoured candidate.  He registered […]

PAKISTAN: A man who donated land for a hospital is attacked after the land is grabbed by ruling party members

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to inform you that members of a ruling party have grabbed land that was donated for a hospital project in Punjab province. When the donor made an official complaint, hired thugs attacked his property and a witness to the event, and threatened the donor and […]

GENERAL (Philippines): Soldiers burn houses, blocks food supply for over 34,000 displaced families in Maguindanao

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to draw your attention to the continuing food blockade the military has imposed in Maguindanao thereby depriving over 34,000 families of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of their food rations. The military are deliberately preventing food and relief goods that relief organizations are trying to deliver […]

PAKISTAN: Military henchmen kill three farmers and injure 27 others

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to them. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.] Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information […]

BURMA: Man jailed over footage of army-confiscated farmlands

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained details of the charging, sentencing and imprisoning of a man in Burma for helping farmers to lodge complaints about confiscation of land in the central part of the country. Ko Zaw Htay was found guilty of giving out official secrets and sentenced to ten years’ […]

GENERAL (Philippines): Landless farm labourers in Davao suffer from hunger and extreme poverty

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you about the situation of the villagers in Davao Del Sur, who suffer from hunger and extreme poverty. Many of the villagers are landless farm labourer, tenants and irregular farm labourers who find it difficult to obtain adequate food. Despite this, the villagers have […]

PHILIPPINES: Sixty two farming families face loss of land

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern over the plight of sixty two farming families who face the threat of losing their land in the province of Bukidnon after they were excluded as beneficiaries for land distribution despite the fact that they have been farming the land for at least […]

UPDATE (India): Post mortem confirms girl dies from acute malnutrition

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a post mortem report on a two-year-old girl, whom we reported to have died on November 7, confirms that her death was due to acute malnutrition and illnesses closely associated to this. After the victim’s death, however, the local police authorities have […]

INDIA: Two and a half year-old girl died from starvation after her house was destroyed by the village head

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organisations, the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Savitri Bhai Phule Womens’ Forum, that a poor, other backward class (OBC) family had their hut destroyed by the village head and a lower authority accomplice. This left them homeless […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): Nine residents of the Dey Kraham community in Phnom Penh summoned to court; arrest and final eviction feared

Dear Friends, As we are closely monitoring the case of the forced eviction of residents of the Dey Kraham community, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained information that nine residents have been summoned to appear in the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh following the lawsuits filed by 7NG company and others. These lawsuits […]

CAMBODIA: Armed officials and soldiers beat villagers and torched their homes in Kampot province

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a mixed civilian and military force beat villagers and torched their homes in a forced eviction at Anlong Krom in Chey Sena village, Ta Ken commune, Chhouk district Kampot province, on 17 and 18 November 2008. Seven villagers were injured, three of whom needed […]