Asia Catalyst was proud to sign onto this letter, organized by Burmese NGOs, calling on China to suspend its plans to build oil and gas pipelines in ethnic regions of Burma. Already, the pipeline has caused dislocation, abuses and instability in the region. The press release follows, and more information is available at www.shwe.org.
[COMMENTARY] ASEAN’s Human Rights Commission: Where are your teeth?
It was unsurprising that the launch of the new Human Rights Commission of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was so ill-attended. Not only did leaders of several member states not bother to show for the ceremony; civil society leaders also walked out in protest.
[COMMENTARY] President Obama: Meet with NGOs on China Trip
President Obama should meet with directors of independent
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on his November trip to China,
Asia Catalyst said in an open letter today. They are likely to be
followed, threatened, or placed under house arrest during his visit. A
meeting with him would give them some political shelter.English press release (pdf) Letter to President Obama (pdf)
[REPORT] South Korean NGOs Respond to the North Korean Refugee Crisis
By Hye Gi Shim
When a devastating famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s, hundreds of
thousands of North Koreans were forced to leave their homes and cross the
border into China.
This marked the beginning of a swelling North Korean refugee crisis. Today the Ministry of Unification estimates
that the total number of North Koreans in South Korea is reaching 17,000. As
the problem has grown, the response of South Korean civil society has also
evolved.
[REPORT] China Goes to Bali
[:en]The sun is setting over the palm trees, and we’re finishing up a wonderful, exhilirating and intense week in Bali for the International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP-9). For the first time, Asia Catalyst supported a delegation of 9 Chinese AIDS activists, provided translation throughout, and hosted events that brought Chinese and other Asian activists together at meetings, at workshops, and at a beach barbecue party under the stars (do you hate us yet?).
