War on terrorism may boost rights abuses in SE Asia: HRW<\/p>\n
Luke Hunt, Agence France-Presse, Phnom Penh<\/p>\n
Security talks at this week's meetings of Southeast Asian leaders
\ncould encourage further human rights abuses in the name of
\nfighting terrorism, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The international rights watchdog urged the 10-member
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to invite the
\nUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other
\nindependent experts to monitor the human rights impact of
\nsecurity laws and policies in the region.<\/p>\n
\"The regional security forum has pledged support to the
\ninternational campaign against terrorism, but has been
\nconspicuously silent on human rights issues,\" said Brad Adams,
\nexecutive director of HRW's Asia Division.<\/p>\n
A letter highlighting abuses by eight countries and members of
\nthe European Union (EU) was sent to delegates at ministerial
\nmeetings for ASEAN.<\/p>\n
Terrorism is expected to take the spotlight at Wednesday's
\nASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) with U.S. Secretary of State Colin
\nPowell attending along with counterparts from Australia, China,
\nIndia, Russia and the European Union.<\/p>\n
The annual ARF also coincides with the recent arrests of
\nsuspected Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) militants in Cambodia and
\nThailand. JI members are on trial in Indonesia, accused of last
\nyear's bombing on the resort island of Bali that left 202 people
\ndead.<\/p>\n
HRW said many ARF countries were abusing human rights on the
\npretext of fighting terrorism. ARF includes key ASEAN dialog
\npartners such as Australia, China, India, Russia, the U.S. and
\nthe EU.<\/p>\n
Those countries, along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
\nwere singled out by the New York-based HRW for using counter-
\nterrorism rhetoric, laws, and policies that violate individual
\nrights.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN is right to focus on the threat of terrorism, but
\nshould commit to building in protections for due process and
\nhuman rights,\" Adams said.<\/p>\n
He said other comparable regional organizations, such as the
\nOrganization of American States, the Organization of Security
\nCooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe, had built human
\nrights safeguards into their counter-terrorist initiatives.<\/p>\n
\"The campaign against terror must not be a green light for
\nindefinite detention without trial or torture,\" Adams said.<\/p>\n
\"The best way to prevent terrorism is to bolster human rights
\nprotections and to build civil society institutions,\" he added.
\n\"Indeed, repression breeds terrorism by channeling political
\ngrievances into extremist violence.\"<\/p>\n
The letter won tacit approval from East Timor's Foreign
\nMinister Ramos Horta who enjoyed a decade of support from human
\nrights groups while attempting to win independence for his
\ncountry which occurred in 1998.<\/p>\n
However, Horta said countries like the U.S. and Australia were
\nin a dilemma.<\/p>\n
\"It is true that one side effect of the war on terror is some
\nnon-democratic regimes will use war on terrorism as a convenient
\ntool to replace democratic oppositions and non-governmental
\norganizations that are involved in non-violent pro-democracy
\nissues.<\/p>\n
\"But the U.S. and its allies need to forge a broad alliance
\nagainst a common enemy and they are caught in this dilemma. They
\ncan't be too choosy about their allies but at the end of the day
\nif we don't discriminate about allies then it could backfire,\" he
\ntold AFP.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/war-on-terrorism-may-boost-rights-abuses-in-se-asia-hrw-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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