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UPDATE (Philippines/Thailand): Expressions of outrage heard through petitions on killings and government inaction in Southeast Asia

July 18, 2006

UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Update on Urgent Appeal

19 July 2006

[RE: UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred... UP-77-2005: THAILAND: Department of Special Investigation fails to bring justice to Charoen Wat-aksorn case... UA-112-2005: THAILAND: Murder of Thai monk following an environmental and land dispute with local influential business figures... UP-135-2006: THAILAND: Petition to be presented to Ministry of Justice before July 19; UP-138-2006: Petition on DSI attracts international support; please sign!; UG-009-2006: PHILIPPINES: Please sign petition to end extrajudicial killings in the Philippines]
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UP-143-2006: PHILIPPINES/THAILAND: Expressions of outrage heard through petitions on killings and government inaction in Southeast Asia

PHILIPPINES/THAILAND: Extrajudicial killings; attacks on human rights defenders; negligence; impunity; unaccountability
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PETITION - PETITION - PETITION - PETITION
REFORM THE DSI FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THAILAND
http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition

PETITION - PETITION - PETITION - PETITION
STOP EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES
http://www.pinoyhr.net

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Dear friends,

People from around the world are expressing their outrage at the extrajudicial killings of human rights defenders in Thailand and the Philippines and the lack of government action in response. Please sign both of these petitions to Reform the DSI for Human Rights in Thailand and STOP extrajudicial killings in the Philippines if you have not already done so, and ask your friends and colleagues to join these calls also. Please add your comments and freely tell the Philippines and Thai governments about your opinions and emotions.

So far nearly 1500 people have enthusiastically added their voices to calls for the Philippines government to get serious about the unrelenting killings of social activists, priests, journalists and human rights defenders. Meanwhile, over 500 people have joined the calls for the removal of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief in Thailand because of the DSI's failure to act on killings of human rights defenders and environmentalists there.

The lack of security in both the Philippines and Thailand and lack of concern of government agencies is the same problem: so also the reflections found in the comments to these petitions have the same qualities. They make these petitions extremely valuable lessons on human rights, human dignity and democracy, and are a strong encouragement for friends in Thailand and the Philippines alike.

Here are some more of the people's voices that are now featured on the websites hosting the petitions:

"The current situation of killing is a shame to the Filipino people who have been proud of the tradition of the people's power."
-- Gyonggu Shin, Chonnam National University, Korea

"The DSI's incompetence creates an environment of impunity for human rights violators and abuse of power by the State - the rot will only deepen if things do not change. Does Thailand want to be this kind of State?"
-- Eleanor Taylor-Nicholson, Bangkok, Thailand

"My husband, Raymundo Buenaventura-Badilla, was brutally murdered by a group of 15 (more or less) POLICEMEN... last October 23, 2004 outside our house. This happened when I was still working in Hong Kong."
-- Jennifer Tepolo-Badilla. Palawan, Philippines

"My uncle, Constancio Calubid, is one of the victims of Palparan's rule of horror in Samar. He was tortured and abducted in front of his family and neighbors. He was tortured still for the next 12 days, until his body was dumped beside the road, full of cigarette burns, needle pricks, bruises, stab wounds, and other marks of electrocution. He was just a simple farmer in the barrio, who just happened to be quite wise and just, despite lack of formal education, so he was quite influential in the community and was respected as a barrio leader."
-- Kezia Lounel C. Badulid, Samar, Philippines  

"Stop killing your own people."
-- Shehzad Arshad, Youth Vision, Pakistan

"No Justice in Thailand. Money always stands above the law. We need to be alert to the huge problem like this otherwise we won't have good people who help our society anymore. Come on everybody fight for justice!!!!!!!!!!!"
-- Wasamon, Thammasat University, Thailand

"Deplorable acts of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances must prompt the international community to call for an international tribunal on the Philippines."
-- Niza Concepcion, FORUM-ASIA, Thailand  

"Should we have an international organization to get involve in the process? This is not a matter of being Thai or not Thai, it is a matter of humanity. I believe that nobody wants to be treated like this."
-- Siripong Thitamadee, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan  

"While it is the duty of the Filipino people to defend their rights, the international community has the obligation to expose and oppose these State-sponsored killings. Let our voices reverberate: STOP the extra Judicial Killings in the Philippines NOW!"
--Manuel SIngson III, MIGRANTE Party List, Netherlands

"It's a shame and a pain to hear about this slaughtering going on in a country that is known for its friendly smiles!"
-- Sebastian Zoepp, Carpus e.V., Germany  

"To be included in the ranks of civilized countries, the Philippines must take immediate steps to preserve and protect civil rights. I urge you to do so."
-- Mark Buhler, Florida, USA  

"Killing won't stop us from creating a just world! We will keep on the struggle!"
-- Lau Cheuk Hin, Social Movement Resource Center, Hong Kong  

"The democracy in the Philippines is described in the most vibrant in all of Asia. The recent killings seem to debunk such honor. Extra-judicial killings are not appropriate in the 21st century. Barbarism is not part of a decent civilization...unless respect for human dignity is not part of the current administration."
-- Jowana Bueser, Laguna, Philippines  

"It is such a disgrace that people who are trying to fight for their rights are being eliminated in this world. Let Human Rights exist and let the perpetrators be punished and stop the killing."
-- Rosario Fagarang, UNISON, U.K.

"I have friends in the Philippines and have visited the Philippines. I am deeply upset and concerned at the killings of human rights activists and at the lack of action by the government. To do nothing to find and bring the criminals to justice makes you an accomplice to the crimes. This is simply intolerable and cannot be condoned in a country that supposedly espouses democratic values. Without a government willing to investigate these killings and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Republic of the Philippines is destined for a bleak and uncertain future. The good people of the Philippines deserve much better than they are getting. As tourism is a large part of your economy, reading stories such as this about your country makes me very doubtful that I will vacation there again."
-- Samuel DiMartino, Chicago Teacher's Union, Illinois, USA

"I'd thought that the Philippines is a relatively safe place. But this news makes me reconsider. Stop the killings. Stop state terror."
-- Shafiie Syahmi, Singapore  

"I had the opportunity to visit the Philippines this past May and was both shocked and dismayed to learn about the killings, and the unwillingness of the Philippine Government to seriously address the executions as well as the serious inequities that exist."
-- Rev. Timothy Johnson, Cherokee Park United Church, Minnesota, USA

"I am very disappointed that the Philippines government, which does little to protect human rights while also attacking human rights defenders (churches, journalists, etc.), continues to benefit from the tacit support of other governments."
-- James Hodgson, Toronto, Canada  

"Reading the comments to this petition has been an education for me. I am waiting to see the government's response."
-- Ranjit Perera, Wattala, Sri Lanka  

"I'm part of the youth here in the Philippines. How can we have a bright future if even if we stand for truth, we'll die?"
-- Roxanne Ballo, Quezon City, Philippines


Thank you to everyone who has so far signed and given comments. We are aware that they are having an effect.

If you have not signed, please do so:
http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition/signature.php
http://www.pinoyhr.net/signature.php

And you can read the petitions in other languages:
Thai: http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition
Japanese: http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition/jpnindex.htm

Korean: http://www.gwangjuic.or.kr/gic/?K_Mode=app/k2_board.php&k2_code=main_05&page=1&k2_no=225
Spanish: http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition/espindex.htm
Dutch: http://thailand.ahrchk.net/dsi_petition/dutcindex.htm
Chinese: http://www.pinoyhr.net/index_chn.php

Please also organise your own actions on these issues: write or protest to the Thai and Philippine embassies in your countries. Hold vigils and religious gatherings and widely publicise these so that many other people will be informed. Your action counts.


Thank you. 

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Update
Document ID :
UP-143-2006
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.