By: I. A. Rehman
Whenever human rights activists get together to take stock of the situation of human rights in South Asia, they find little to cheer them, except for their own struggles. A two-day conference in the Indian capital last week did not prove to be an exception.
The devastation caused in Pakistan by floods weighed heavy on the minds of delegates coming from all SAARC states, except Bhutan. This offered a measure of mutual understanding and esprit de corps human rights campaigners in the region have succeeded in developing despite the efforts of slow-moving bureaucrats in nearly all parts of South Asia to reduce the space for civil society organizations as much as they can.
However, expression of sympathy and solidarity with the flood-affected masses was accompanied by serious concerns at the inability of the international community, especially its South Asian component, to extend adequate succour to Pakistanis faced with an unprecedented disaster. A particularly sore point was the failure of SAARC to operationalise, or even to recall, the protocol on regional disaster management. It was not possible to understand as to why no member-state could invoke the regional accord.
We the members of social movements, civil society organizations, labour unions, peasant movements, other working people’s organizations and women’s groups have gathered here in Delhi from 20th April to 23rd April, 2010 as part of the process of Peoples SAARC to forge a vision for a People’s Union of South Asia. This year’s Peoples’ SAARC is a culmination of a process of more than a decade. It reaffirms the South Asian Peoples commitment to creating a better South Asia free from all forms of discrimination, exclusion and domination. It also calls for the peoples of all SAARC countries to struggle against militarism and jingoism. It calls for equal respect among all countries irrespective of size, and power.
All our countries are suffering the economic travails of neo-liberal economic policies. Poverty and exclusion have increased and the already marginalized , particularly women and the girl child have suffered more. It is time that we develop new paradigms of peaceful equitable, and sustainable paths of development that truly reflect the economic potential of our countries and meet the need of our peoples. SAARC countries must ensure the rights of all workers, especially women and Dalit workers in accordance with international standards including ILO conventions, international covenants and national constitutions .Fisher peoples’ rights to fish in territorial waters be recognized and legally protected through proper mechanisms. Innocent fisherfolk incarcerated for wandering into neighbouring, sometimes disputed, territorial waters be immediately released and the presence of deep sea trawlers and foreign vessels should be banned as these are depleting fish stock and pursuing an unsustainable path apart from severely diminishing the catch of the ordinary fisherfolk.
22-23 April 2010
VENUE: Jawaharlal Nehru University
School of Social Sciences Auditorium
On 22-23 April 2010, more than 150 activists representing democratic organisations from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives and about 350 activists from India will converge in the Indian capital for a conference entitled “Assembly towards Union of South Asian Peoples”.
Also joining the conference are several serving parliamentarians of South Asia, including Binda Pandey from Nepal; Senator Malik from Pakistan and Mani Shankar Aiyer from India – together they would lead debates around the question of a strong “South Asian Identity” leading to people’s collaborative action and campaigns across borders for just peace and development in the region.
With a pledge to motivate the young activists, students & filmmakers to have a better understanding of the cross-cutting issues across South Asia – a 3 day long festival with 12 outstanding documentaries titled Travelling Film South Asia (TFSA) 2010 was held in Dhaka last February (11th -13th). These films were selected from 35 documentaries screened in the competitive section of Film South Asia ’09, the seventh edition of the festival of Southasian documentaries held in Kathmandu from 17-20 October 2009.
Documentaries screened in the session are ‘The Last Rites’ by Yasmine Kabir, ‘The Promised Land’ by Tanvir Mokammel, ‘Afghan Girls Can Kick’ by Bahareh Hosseini & ‘The Battle for Pakistan’ by Maheen Zia, ‘Come to My Country: Journeys with Kabir and Friends’ by Shabnam Virmani, ‘Children of God’ by Yi Seung-jun, ‘In Search of the Riyal’ by Kesang Tseten, ‘Mayomi by Carol Salter, ‘Out of Thin Air’ by Samreen Farooqui & Shabani Hassanwalia, ‘Saamam’ by Ramachandran K, ‘The Salt Stories’ by Lalit Vachani and ‘The Way of the Road’ by Ben Campbell & Cosmo Campbell.
2010.01.12
Mr. Dayanada Dissanayaka,
Commissioner of Elections,
Elections Secretariat,
P.O. Box 2,
Rajagiriya.
Dear Sir
SERIOUS INADEQUACY OF PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION VOTING
METHOD AND ELECTION PROCESS
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is the local chapter of Transparency International, a
non-governmental organization. We are engaged in work related to anti corruption and good
governance in Sri Lanka. TISL is also involved in election monitoring through its Program for
Protection of Public Resources (PPPR). While appreciating the effort put in by you and your
department, we would like to highlight the following concerns with respect to the voting
method and election process.
Our discussions with various stake holders that the general voter awareness of the Presidential
Election particularly in relation to the voting methodology and the election process involved in
selecting the winning candidate is very low; Particularly when counting the second preferential
volte in case if it’s applicable. We have been informed by other civil society groups that this lack
of awareness spreads across all levels of society including even educated professionals in urban
areas.
In view of the above, we believe that there is a greater need to engage in “Effective Voter
Awareness Enhancement Initiative” in the form of a media campaign in all three languages,
including specifically;
1. Has to cast the vote at the Presidential Election including the possible preferential votes.
2. The methodology to be applicable in declaring the elected candidate based on the
counting of the first preference and other preferences, where applicable.
3. Documents accepted as proof of Identity for Voting.
4. Special arrangements made for IDP’s in camps, re-settled in their former areas of
residence, in temporary residences with friends and relatives, to exercise their voting
rights.
5. Security measures available on the day of the election to assure a free and fair election.
6. Arrangements made by the Commissioner of Elections and the Police to assure that a
free and fair election will be conducted free of election related violence (pre/on polling
day/post election )and potential violations of the law and fundamental rights of voters
We assure our cooperation in this regard
Thanking You
For Transparency International Sri Lanka
J.C Weliamuna
Executive Director
The declaration below was adopted after the end of the Indo-Pak Peace Conference held in New Delhi from 10-12 January 2010 in which South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) was one of the co-organizers.
Declaration
India Pakistan Conference – A Road map towards Peace
India International Centre, New Delhi
10th – 12th January, 2010
The discussions in the India-Pakistan Conference: A Road map towards Peace over the last three days have shown how far the public sentiment in both India and Pakistan is inclined towards peace. The participating organizations from both sides of the border represent a vast constituency which is ready to work towards building enduring and sustainable peace between the two countries.
We believe there is a real window of opportunity today, which must not be wasted. These ideas are presented here in a sincere effort to develop friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
This conference is not a stand alone event. The participants resolve to work in groups on each of the areas that were identified in the sessions, to further the gains of the conference.
The Government of Bangladesh’s decision to conduct a land survey in the CHT region has raised concern amongst the indigenous people and human rights and minority rights groups in Bangladesh. This is because land holdings belonging to the ethnic communities have been taken over by settlers from the plains or appropriated illegally, and if the ownership is decided on grounds of present possession, it would legalise illegal holdings and deprive the ethnic community of their communal right to land. The land survey would not therefore resolve the disputes in ownership and would violate the terms of the CHT Peace Accord. Several Human rights organizations and activists have urged the Government to with justice to restor the lands belonging to the original owners.
In a recent study Dr. Abul Barak has highlighted that about 38 percent of Adivasi households in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were forced to relocate at least once in the period from 1977 to 2007. About 22 percent of households were forcefully evicted from their homesteads at least once during this period. The research also shows that in 82 percent of cases, the land grabbers were Bangali. On average, every household in CHT lost at least 115 decimals of land during this period.
Three resolute women and human rights activists Asma Jahangir, Salima Hashmi and Teesta Setalvad are unanimous on the exchange of arts and culture to bring India and Pakistan closer, the Hinustan Times reports.
Participating in a seminar ‘Building Blocks for Peace’ as part of the ongoing South Asian Foundation (SAF) – SAANJH Peace Festival in India on the 16th of October 2009 they said that besides culture, business ties can melt the border between the two countries that have borne the brunt of Partition
This is the key note speech delivered by Ms. Aruna Roy at the Presentation of the Meeto Award for Young South Asians held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on the 14th of October 2009.
The Fourteenth of October 09
The Stein Auditorium
Habitat Centre
Dearest Meeto,
I often talk to my loved ones in my mind. It is the pleasure of being able to engage on issues of common concern, allowing us the luxury of shaping a thought, a feeling, toning it down, sharpening it and above all seeing the contradictions and the anomalies! I am going to indulge myself today Meeto, with your permission to go over some of the issues that would have absorbed you today, and which possess me in my moments of privacy and silence, and in my public life.
Summary of Findings and Recommendations
A national meet was organised on the theme ‘What it Means to be a Muslim in India Today’ by Anhad in collaboration with Siasat and other organisations Delhi from 3 to 5 Oct 09. A large number of individuals as well as representatives of organisations participated and spoke about their experiences and problems late into the evenings. A detailed report is under preparation. However, this is a very brief summary of some of the major findings and recommendations that emerged from the hearings.
Overall
The predominant finding of the meet was that there is an intense, almost universal sentiment of fear and growing despair among Muslim citizens of the country. Many of those who testified in the meet went so far as to declare that they felt reduced to second class citizenship. They shared their mounting disillusionment with all institutions of governance, and more so with the police and judiciary, as well as with political parties and to some extent the media.