Malaysian opposition’s Anwar charged over Bersih protest | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Malaysian opposition’s Anwar charged over Bersih protest | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News, May 22, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Prosecutors charged Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and two of his allies Tuesday with breaking various laws during a massive street rally to demand electoral fairness.

The charges could distract Anwar from preparing for national elections that many speculate will be held by September.

The three men were charged in a Kuala Lumpur court with defying a court ban against assembling at a public square in Kuala Lumpur last month and inciting other demonstrators to breach a police barricade.

They pleaded innocent and face a maximum jail sentence of six months and fines totaling 12,000 ringgit ($3,800) if convicted. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing on July 2 to determine further trial dates.

“It is clearly a politically motivated charge. Elections are around the corner,” Anwar told reporters.

The prime minister’s office rejected Anwar’s claims of a political plot, saying in a statement that the charges were based on police investigations. It noted that two policemen and other people were charged previously in connection with violence during the rally.

The charges are the first against Anwar after he was acquitted in January of sodomizing a male former aide. The government has denied Anwar’s claims that the sodomy trial was engineered to undercut an opposition alliance that made unprecedented inroads in 2008 elections.

Two others charged were Azmin Ali, the deputy president of Anwar’s opposition People’s Justice Party, and party youth official Baharul Hisham Shaharin.

They were among tens of thousands of Malaysians who joined a April 28 rally calling for an overhaul in electoral policies. Police used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators after some of them breached a barrier at a public square that had been declared off-limits.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the charges against the opposition leaders “don’t inspire confidence that the Malaysian government is committed to protecting basic free expression rights.”

Prime Minister Najib Razak and other officials have accused the opposition of trying to create chaos at the rally, which was organized by opposition-backed civic groups. Some people claimed Anwar and Azmin goaded peaceful demonstrators into charging at police.

If Anwar and Azmin are fined the maximum amount, they also risk losing their Parliament seats.

National polls are not due until 2013 but speculation has been rife that Najib will dissolve Parliament soon. Najib’s coalition, which has led Malaysia since 1957, has slightly less than a two-thirds parliamentary majority after it suffered its worst electoral performance ever in 2008.

The rally’s organizers had demanded the resignation of Election Commission officials, claiming they are biased. Demonstrators also wanted a clean-up of voter registration lists allegedly tainted with fraudulent names and fairer rules to ensure all parties get access to mainstream media.

Government officials insist the activists’ concerns are overblown. The Election Commission last week said it hopes to help ease the criticism by potentially securing voting rights for 1 million Malaysians living overseas and inviting international observers for the elections.

Thai court begins Japanese cameraman inquest | Bangkok Post

Thai court begins Japanese cameraman inquest | Bangkok Post
Achara Ashayagachat, May 21, 2012

An inquest into the death of a Japanese cameraman killed during the clash between the military and anti-government protesters on the night of April 10, 2010 began on Monday morning.

Yusuke Muramoto, 43, the only brother of Reuters' cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto, testified in the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court where the inquest into two other deaths from same incident also began.

The court was first advised that Mr Muramoto had a team of lawyers appointed to represent him.

Yusuke Muramoto, the brother of Hiroyuki Muramoto (Photo Achara Ashayagachat)

Mr Muramoto, together with three members of the Japanese Embassy, then broke off for a private discussion outside the courtroom with the prosecutor and the defence lawyers and Wichit Suksriplang, a manager of the 111 Foundation.

The public prosecutor, acting as a petitioner for the inquest, told him they had no problem with the appointment of a team of lawyers to assist.

The four lawyers - Manit Jitjunglub, Jumroon Kaewjumnong, Peera Limjarean and Jessada Chundee - were already at the court for the relatives of the other two cases.

Mr Wichit explained to Mr Muramoto that the lawyers had volunteered to represent him in court so that he did not have to be present in the room all the time. Mr Wichit noted the inquest still could not bring the culprit to justice. Another step was needed, but this was a pre-requisite, he said to the Japanese delegation.

The public prosecutor returned to the court again and asked it to merge all of the files of the three deaths into one inquest. The two-member judging panel adjourned for half an hour before returning and denying the request on the grounds that the death of the foreign journalist should be treated separately.

The inquest into the death of Hiroyuki Muramoto, 44, began with his younger brother providing general information to the court.

He said he learned about his brother's death via the internet around midnight of April 11, 2010 while he was in Japan.

Right after hearing the news, Muramoto's parents and his widow flew to Bangkok to identify the corpse and bring the body back home for religious rites.

The public prosecutor asked why the younger Muramoto, not the parents or wife, had come to testify in the court. Mr Muramoto said his parents were old and his sister-in-law had to take care of two children.

"We would also like to know about the facts. What happened then, and who killed Hiro," Mr Muramoto told the court through a translator.

During his lawyers' cross-examination, Mr Muramoto said he learned his brother was killed during the clash, but a judge had recorded that the cameraman was killed during the government crackdown.

He said he did not what weapon killed his brother. He only knew that his brother was shot while carrying his camera and doing his job as a Reuters' cameraman.

He said his brother worked for Reuters for about 15 years and had covered many other assignments other than in Bangkok. He conceded that governments in many countries in general did not provide protection and care for the media.

The lawyers asked if he had tried to get information from Reuters about the incident. He said he did but Reuters told him they could not yet identify who killed his brother. He also sought information from other sources but no one so far has been able to clearly explain it.
Throughout their quest for details, the Muramoto family has been assisted by the Japanese Embassy in Bangkok, he told the court.

The court set the next hearings for July 2 with 56 other witnesses. Mr Muramoto is to fly back to Japan on Tuesday.

There was a lot of Japanese media present for the inquest, but none from Reuters. Tida Tavornseth, Dr Weng Tojirakarn and other red-shirt supporters were also present.

Red shirts call for justice in Thailand | The nation - Thailand

Red shirts call for justice in Thailand | The nation - Thailand
Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation, May 20, 2012

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai fugitive ex-premier, last night phoned in to the red-shirt rally in Bangkok's Ratchaprasong area and suggested that the country should head towards the path of reconciliation.

Via a video link from overseas, Thaksin, who reportedly is in China, told the anniversary gathering of red-shirt supporters that finding out the truth and remedies for those damaged by the conflict are the key components of reconciliation.

More than 20,000 red shirts flooded the Ratchaprasong intersection yesterday to mark the second anniversary of the deadly crackdown on red-shirt protesters by the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration in 2010, which ended in 93 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries on all sides, most of them red shirts.

They called for justice for those who were killed in April and May two years ago, and for the release of dozens of red shirts still in jail, mostly for defying the emergency decree or on charges of setting fire to buildings in Bangkok and beyond in the aftermath of the crackdown. Some also called for the release of lese majeste detainees and the reform or abolition of the law.

Discontent with government

The mood was different from a similar event held one year ago, as the Pheu Thai Party is now in power - thanks to the red shirts' support. Some of the group's leaders are now MPs and one is a minister.

"Last year there was still a climate of fear. Today, we can freely express ourselves," said Veera Siriprasert, a red-shirt medical doctor and radiologist and a member of the Red Chorus, a group of red-shirt singers.

Veera added, however, that the reds had also gathered in high numbers because of the perception that the Yingluck Shinawatra administration isn't doing anything to democratise the country, and was concentrating instead on economic issues.

"How can we reconcile when there're still distortions [about what happened two years ago]?" asked Veera, adding that the government's stance to not touch the lese majeste law is also a source of disappointment among red shirts.

Thousands swamped the paved area outside CentralWorld, which was partly burned down two years ago. The crowds forced the mall to shut down at 3pm along with the highbrow Gaysorn Plaza on the other side of the intersection.

"People are here today because they feel justice has yet to prevail," said Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boon-ngam-anong. Sombat said dozens of red shirts are still in jail, while today protesters of other political colours are out on bail and people like Abhisit and his deputy for security, Suthep Thaugsuban, are free and talking on television.

China on high alert over Philippine 'patriotic' trip | Philippine Daily Inquirer

China on high alert over Philippine 'patriotic' trip | Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 20, 2012

The planned “patriotic voyage” by former Philippine Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon to the disputed Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc) has prompted China to go on “high alert” in the area.

“(We) will remain on high alert over the island to prevent any provocative behavior,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a news item posted Friday on the Chinese government’s web portal.

Hong also said the “Philippine side” should stop such “irresponsible remarks and inciting radical behaviours.”
Faeldon earlier planned to hold a “patriotic voyage” to the disputed shoal but was dissuaded from doing so by President Aquino at the last minute on Friday.

Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President asked Faeldon to reconsider his plan because “it might be construed in a negative way”.

The Philippine government has a policy of deescalation in the wake of the standoff with China over the shoal.
Hong reiterated that Huangyan Island—the name by which China refers to the disputed shoal—is “part of China’s territory”.

He also urged the Philippines to “come back to the right track of a diplomatic solution” to the ongoing dispute and “send clear and consistent messages” on the issue.

Sought for comment, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said: “As we had said, we are endeavoring to utilize diplomatic consultations in the hope that we can diffuse the current circumstance in Bajo de Masinloc.”

“We believe that a more durable solution, however, would need to be a validation of our respective claims as provided for by the dispute settlement mechanisms under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Del Rosario said in a text message to the Inquirer.

On the other hand, Faeldon’s spokesperson, Kit Guerrero, said that China appeared to be “overreacting”.
“The voyage never took place because the President asked Nick not to push through with it,” Guerrero said, adding that Faeldon’s intention “was never to provoke or agitate, but to support the country’s position in a peaceful and unarmed way”.

“Even if it pushed through, there was no plan to raise our flag, but only to show our civilian presence there which is our right as citizens within our Philippine territory,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Filipino community in Hawaii held a community forum at the Philippine Consulate last week to discuss current Philippine maritime issues and concerns, more specifically those related to the dispute over Bajo de Masinloc and the waters within its vicinity.

“The consulate made it clear that the purpose of the forum was not to incite or ignite anti-China sentiments but rather to provide a more academic perspective of the current issues between the Philippines and China,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The consulate also stressed that the forum was a private initiative of the community and not of the Philippine government, adding that many of those who attended expressed much appreciation for the initiative.

Invited speakers included Consul General Julius Torres, Dr. Serafin Colmenares Jr. of the Language Access Program of the Office of the Governor, Dr. Fred Magdalena of the University of Hawaii, and Dr. Belinda Aquino, retired professor also of the University of Hawaii.

The participants included members of the Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, Fil-Am Youth Forum, the academe and the media.

Thaksin: Put unity before justice | Bangkok Post

Thaksin: Put unity before justice | Bangkok Post
Vorranai Vanijaka & Achara Ashayagachat, May 20, 2012

Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday urged a crowd of 45,000 red shirts to set aside their anger and frustration about social and legal injustices in the name of national reconciliation.

"The time for arguments is over," he told the crowd at Ratchaprasong intersection who had gathered to mark the bloody 2010 military crackdown that left 92 dead. "It's time to come together for peace."

His call for reconciliation came after red shirt leaders spoke throughout the day about the need to amend the constitution, seek justice for victims of the 2010 crackdown and address ongoing institutional injustices.

Thaksin, speaking via a video link, urged the red shirts to suppress their anger in the name of reconciliation, a precondition if he is ever to return to the country following his four-year self-imposed exile.

"Brothers and sisters, I understand there are pains. But we must save personal issues for later. We must think first of the whole," he said, adding that Thais must unify to support the crown, religion and democracy.

"In Thailand today, people do not respect each other and the law. People should learn to respect each other and the law.

"If [the opposition Democrat Party and elites] don't want to reconcile, that's OK. I will stay abroad. But if there is reconciliation, then there's a chance for me to come back and do good things for my brothers and sisters."

Thaksin said reconciliation would depend on three points: finding the truth about the 2010 clashes, compensation for the victims and a new attitude of "thinking new, doing new" by Thais.

"We need a new constitution that is truly democratic," he said to rapturous applause. "I have a doctorate. I have studied the justice system. I have never known such injustice."
Thaksin pointed to last week's decision by the Constitution Court to disqualify red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan as a party list MP for the ruling Pheu Thai Party as one example.

Mr Jatuporn was disqualified in a 7-1 ruling for failing to vote in last year's general election. During the election, he was in detention by the military on terrorism charges related to the 2010 protests.

Thaksin's speech contrasted with more combative speeches given by leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) earlier in the day.

"Murderers must be brought to justice," said UDD spokesman Worawut Wichaidit. "I saw with my own eyes soldiers killing the people. If they don't believe me, they can call me a liar."

Mr Worawut slammed the opposition Democrats for their efforts to discredit Thaksin's sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and urged the red shirts to continue to fight for change.

Waipoj Apornrat, another UDD leader, said constitutional change was needed to hamstring the ammart, or ruling elite. "Now we have red villages. Next, we will have red districts and red provinces. More and more and more," he said.

UDD leader Suporn Attawong said those responsible for the 2010 crackdown must be brought to justice.

"We have to drag the murderers into jail. We have to execute them," Mr Suporn said. "Real power is not in the hands of the government. It's still in the hands of the ammart. The Yingluck government's power is with the red shirts."

UDD chair Tida Tawornseth said reconciliation could only come after justice. "It's not that we don't want reconciliation. But reconciliation must come with truth. There must be truth and justice before reconciliation," she said.

Robert Amsterdam, a Canadian lawyer advising the UDD, said justice remained fleeting in Thailand. "We will expose the face of the ammart to the world. We will tell the world about the [injustice] to Jatuporn," he told the crowd.

Red shirt supporters streamed into Ratchaprasong intersection from the early hours of the morning, coming by the bus load from provinces such as Mukdahan, Songkhla and Chiang Mai.

Leaders called for a minute of candle-lit silence in the evening in memory of those who lost their lives during the crackdown, which followed a nine-week protest against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government that sharply split Thailand across ideological, class and political grounds.

At 2pm, 19 monks chanted Buddhist prayers in memory of those killed or injured during the 2010 clashes.

The rally passed peacefully. Hawkers could be found throughout the crowd pitching red shirts, banners and flags featuring pictures of Thaksin and Ms Yingluck.

Bualong Saeng-Arthit, a 49-year-old housewife from Udon Thani, attended last year's rally at Ratchaprasong as well.

"It's like a reunion, meeting up with friends we met since we joined the movement two years ago. Now we have our own government, but we still have to show our presence," she said.

Mrs Bualong urged the Pheu Thai government to increase its focus on the rural and urban poor.

"There needs to be more project funding, not only for rural areas but for the urban poor as well," she said.

Wassana Mabut, the mother of Pattama Moolmil, the only female political prisoner held at Lak Si temporary prison, said families of political prisoners from Ubon Ratchathani were at the rally to show their support for the red shirt fight for democracy and justice.

"Pattama still has a strong will and she asks those outside to fight on," she said. Four residents from Ubon Ratchathani have been sentenced to 33 years in prison for arson against provincial halls on May 19, 2010.

Other activists called for judicial reforms, including the right to bail for political prisoners and those held on lese majeste charges. Relatives of red shirts injured during the conflict also called for faster compensation payments.

Palace hopeful about peace pact with MILF early 2013

Palace hopeful about peace pact with MILF early 2013
Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao, May 20th, 2012 

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Malacañang remains hopeful that a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could be signed before next year’s mid-term elections, according to government chief negotiator Marvic Leonen.

Speaking at the multi-stakeholders’ forum organized by the Mindanao People’s Caucus here on Friday, Leonen cited the possibility of a final peace agreement being inked before the yearend.

“The government is hopeful to sign the (peace) agreement within the year or at the first half of next year,” he said.

But Leonen admitted that the government has been keeping its “guarded optimism” over the peace process because the next stage of the talks would be “more difficult.”

“Lahat ng mga mahihirap, pinag uusapan ngayon (The difficult issues are being tackled now,” he said, adding that these included “political settlement which is not very easy to talk about.”
“Both parties respect each other but there will be times in the next two rounds that might be as dark as before,” Leonen said.

Leonen said the Aquino administration would like to sign a peace accord that could be implemented within its period of governance.

He said the Aquino administration knew the importance of beating this time frame because the country’s political landscape could change in 2013, at the earliest, or 2016.

“We all know the political realities,” Leonen said, without elaborating.

In 2008, pressures from politicians and other sectors also forced the Arroyo government to backtrack on a peace settlement it had forged with the MILF.

Earlier, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Quintos urged stakeholders in the peace process between the government and the MILF to study the issues well so they could contribute positively.

“Read and study. You will see how broad and deep the GPH (Government of the Philippines)-MILF peace process is,” Deles said, apparently trying to stifle criticisms over the result of the last round of talks, during which, negotiators agreed to expand the coverage of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Deles said that by reading and studying the issues, stakeholders “will be able to understand how much there is that needs to be discussed on the peace table.”

She urged the public “to ask if there are things that need to be further explained and help in crafting an agreement that is acceptable to the majority.”

Deles cited the importance of citizen participation in the peace process, saying, “ordinary citizens should take part in supporting and guarding the peace talks.”

She said she was also hoping that the agreement, which both sides considered a milestone in the talks, would push aside negative feedback that nothing has been happening at the peace table.

Dr. Akihiko Tanaka, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said last Wednesday that the agreement would certainly usher in a “new political reality.”
“As a political scientist, I know that a peace process is very hard but with strong commitment and determination, all obstacles will be overcome,” Tanaka said. With reports from Charlie Señase and Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

Burma’s president drags his feet on ending Kachin War | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Burma’s president drags his feet on ending Kachin War | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Zin Linn, May 20, 2012

Concerning the inhumane war in Kachin state, many people do not believe that the Burmese government has been going along a right reform path. As the government’s soldiers are violating various human rights on the Kachin frontline, many people start slamming the inconsistent peace policy of the Thein Sein regime.

During Ban Ki Moon’s recent visit to Rangoon and Nay Pyi Taw, the Secretary General asked all parties involved in the Kachin conflict to cease offensives and to find a peaceful resolution. However, the Burmese government did not care about the UN top envoy’s words. Ban’s three-day trip to Burma, which began April 29, coincided with the Burmese army escalating its offensive against KIO’s locations in Kachin state, especially around the rebels’ Laiza headquarters.

According to the Human Rights Watch 83-page report “‘Untold Miseries’: Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Burma’s Kachin State,” the Burmese army has cruelly attacked Kachin villages, razed homes, pillaged properties, and forced the displacement of tens of thousands of people. Soldiers have threatened and tortured civilians during interrogations and raped women. The army has also used antipersonnel mines and conscripted forced laborers, including children as young as 14, on the front lines.

HRW also said in the report, which was released on 20 March, that the Burmese government has committed serious abuses and blocked humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of displaced civilians since June 2011, in fighting in Burma’s northern Kachin State. Some 75,000 ethnic Kachin displaced persons and refugees are in desperate need of food, medicine, and shelter, HRW said.

At a press conference in Washington on Thursday following her meeting with Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, US secretary of State Hilary Clinton said the Obama administration is “concerned about violence in Kachin State in recent weeks”, KNG reported. She added “I was very pleased to hear about new mechanisms, both official and non-governmental, to encourage meaningful dialogue. And as I said, the government must do all it can do.”

On the contrary, heavy battles continued raging across Kachin land between the Kachin Independent Army and the Burmese government’s armed forces. KIA’s 10th Battalion under 1st Brigade has fought against the Burmese Army’s 382nd LIR between Hpare village and Wa Chyawn village on May 14. KIA sources say 10 Burmese soldiers were killed in action during this encounter, according to Kachinland News.

Heavy battles have been going on adjoining of Laja-yang and Nalung villages situated near Kachin administrative capital Laiza, Kachinland News (KLN) frontline sources reported. KIA’s HQ security forces and Burma Army’s soldiers from 388^th LIR under MOC (3) and Momauk-based 320^th LIR under MOC (21) had been fighting for the whole day on May 17.

It was said that the combined armed forces of KIA and All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF- Northern) overrun strategic Burma Army post in Laja-yang on April 27. As their base has fallen under control of the KIA, Burmese soldiers moved to a nearby higher mountain. A series of fierce battles took place when more reinforcements came to give support to those soldiers left on the mountain.  Moreover Burmese soldiers attempted to recapture former post in Laja-yang area.

Burmese armed forces stationed at Hkangkai hill base reportedly fired several rounds of 105 mm shells to Na Lung and Laja Yang villages started 6 am on 17 May. Eyewitnesses in Laiza said that echoes of Burmese Army’s artillery fire could clearly hear from their places. Most artillery shells fell along the forest environs between Laja-yang and Laiza. Quoting the KIA sources, KLN reported that soldiers from ABSDF (North) joined them in this battle fought against Burmese armed forces.

Since fighting in areas close to Laiza began, the road between Laiza and Bahmo has temporarily been closed. Even though the sound of artillery firing was heard almost the whole day on 17 May, Laiza residents go on with their usual daily lives, a resident of Laiz told KLN.

If Thein Sein government has a genuine scheme of political reform all over the country, the first thing it must to do is to stop the war in Kachin state at any cost. Human Rights Watch called on the Burmese government to ask the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish an office in Burma with a standard protection, promotion, and technical assistance mandate.

Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, reminds towards the international community that the situation in Burma’s Kachin state is not at a point of satisfactory. People of Burma have to go for a long way, particularly those in conflict areas, to meet the benefit from recent reform promises of the current quasi-civilian government.

In fact, the government’s armed forces are behind war crimes and crimes against humanity. The human rights violations of Burmese soldiers in Kachin State are grave breaches of international laws. It is also the duty of the current government to provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of war refugees and internally displaced populations in various ethnic states.

How much time does Burma need to bring about national reconciliation, a transition to democracy and full respect for human rights? The cost of further postponement will be paid in thousands of innocent lives, lost opportunities and prolonged civil war. President Thein Sein should not drag his feet to end war in Kachin state and also should not hesitate honoring ethnic people’s self-determination.