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Victims demand more from Asean as human rights body gets to work
Jakarta Globe - March 29, 2010
Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Victims of human rights abuses on Sunday called for thorough investigations into serious cases as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' new rights body opened its inaugural meetings in Jakarta.
The start of the previously unannounced five-day session, which comes five months after the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was created in Thailand, wasn't open to the public and focused only on housekeeping matters, including internal regulations and the scope of the body's work for the next five years. The commissioners, some of whom will not arrive in Jakarta until today, are scheduled to meet through Thursday.
The rights body, which has one member from each of Asean's 10 member nations, said in its political declaration that the commission was a milestone in the development of the Asean community.
Human rights victims from across Southeast Asia gathered in Jakarta on Sunday to demand a session with commission members. Critics have said the body is toothless because it lacks the authority to impose punishment.
"The AICHR has to protect us, the peoples of Asean," Khin Ohmar, a representative from Burma, told a news conference. "For instance, crimes against humanity and war crimes such as extrajudicial killings and military rapes against ethnic minorities in Burma occur on a daily basis with impunity."
From Indonesia, a group of female survivors from the 1965-66 purges of suspected Communists expressed frustration with the Indonesian government's lack of acknowledgement of mass killings.
"We want the AICHR to push the Indonesian government to answer our calls to redress justice and reparations," said Sumini, an 81-year-old victim.
Noemi E Parcon, the widow of a Filipino journalist killed in last November's election-related massacre of 57 people in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, said: "I appeal to the commission to help our families to seek justice. The killing of 32 journalists is the worst-ever [incident] in the world for journalists, and the Philippine government is not responsive to our petition."
Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia's representative to the rights body, said they would consider the victims' request for a meeting.
"Although we have yet to decide whether the AICHR will have authority to investigate human rights violations, it would be better if the AICHR received them first in a meeting," Rafendi said.
Haris Azhar, from Indonesia's Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) asked why the inaugural session wasn't announced in advance. "Maybe they're hiding something," Haris said.
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