Once again, be blown away by how much stuff we did with 2.25 staff people.
[REPORT] China’s Environmental NGOs
By Adam Froiran
China’s environmental issues
increasingly command domestic and international attention – what’s the role of
civil society in promoting environmental protection?
[REPORT] Remembering an Innovative Rights Advocate
IKON protest, Wahyu is far left with raised arm. The banner reads “prison is not a
solution for drug addicts.” Photo courtesy IKON.
By Anton Muhajir
After three weeks of hospitalization, Bali
and Indonesia’s best-known drug user rights advocate I Gusti Ngurah Wahyunda
passed away in early March. Wahyu, 31 years old, was the founder of the
Indonesian Drug User Solidarity Association (IDUSA) and coordinator of Ikatan
Korban Napza (IKON), a network of drug victims in Bali.
I honor him as a
friend, activist, and an innovative fighter who built a movement to defend the
human rights of drug users.
[UPDATE] Vlog: Asia Catalyst in Yunnan and Beijing, March 2010
Part two of our vlog on Gisa and Meg’s trip to Yunnan and Beijing. You can also see the video here.
In Memoriam: Ngr Wahyunda
April 1, 1978 – March 6, 2010
After being treated for three weeks, I Gusti Ngurah Wahyunda (or Wahyu) died on March
6 at Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali. Wahyu
was the founder and coordinator of IKON Bali, a group of victims of narcotics,
psychotropic and other addictive substances that fights for the human rights of
that community, and the program manager of Yakeba, a Balinese harm reduction
organization.
Wahyu was himself a former injecting drug user who had undergone rehabilitation at
Yakeba. His experiences as a former IDU and his connections with fellow
survivors at national and international meetings led him to organize IDUs in
Bali to found IKON. Working with Wahyu, IKON has done ground-breaking research,
advocacy, outreach and media work on the
problem of police abuse against IDU in Bali.
In August 2009, Asia Catalyst spent a
week assisting Wahyu and colleagues at IKON with strategic planning. We also
joined together to host a candlelit barbecue party on the beach in Bali for 100
Asian AIDS advocates and their supporters. Wahyu was an inspiring leader, and a
warm and humorous friend and colleague; it was a privilege to work alongside
him, even for a short time. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family in Indonesia.
For more about IKON, please visit www.ikonbali.org.
