Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch BlogPeacemakers Trust posts news, reports or announcements of interest to people studying or working in the field of dispute resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Inclusion of an item on the media watch blog does not imply endorsement or agreement of Peacemakers Trust with views expressed by authors of posted items.
The revived hearings over the Preah Vihear temple boundary dispute before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have concluded. Despite a formal decision from the court not expected for several months, several observations can now be made…
(...more)Thai authorities and Muslim rebels leaders have started peace talks aimed at ending almost a decade of unrest in the country’s far south, as fresh violence killed at least five people.
The talks on Thursday with representatives from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgent group, expected to last one day, will focus on reducing bloodshed, Thai National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut said, warning the overall peace process would take time.
“Today’s main focus is to reduce violence. Today we will focus on building mutual trust and good relations,” Paradorn told reporters in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, where the meeting was being held.
(...more)PATTANI – A new sign appeared throughout the insurgency-torn provinces of Thailand’s ethnic Malay-Muslim minority region in December. The three heads of the Provincial Islamic Committees from the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are pictured with the message: “We ask for the support [of insurgents] to come out and talk [with authorities] for peace.”
(...more)If everything goes well – and it is a big if – by the end of this month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia could broker a framework peace plan between the Thai government and southern Thai-Malay insurgents to begin a peace dialogue. But it is not a done deal. Rather, it is a work in progress showing for the first time that Thailand and Malaysia are working closely together to bring a long lasting solution to the restive deep South after years of unfulfilled promises.
(...more)U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Burma and the 21st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh dominated news coverage in the region during the past month — and rightly so. Obama’s Burma trip put a global spotlight on the reforms being implemented by the civilian government in that country, while the ASEAN Summit exposed the continuing failure of the regional grouping to address the maritime disputes between China and several ASEAN member countries over the South China Sea.
But aside from these issues, the month of November was also memorable because of the phenomenal protests that took place across Southeast Asia. For example: The anti-government Pitak Siam (Protect Thailand) network mobilized 20,000 people in Bangkok; more than 15,000 participants joined Malaysia’s “Green Walk”; a bus strike in Singapore, the first labor strike in the city in almost three decades, stunned the city-state; and a peaceful protest camp set up by monks and farmers to oppose a copper mine project was brutally dispersed by Burmese riot police.
(...more)A growing outcry over corrupt governments forced several leaders from office last year, but as the dust has cleared it has become apparent that the levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still very high in many countries. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 shows corruption continues to ravage societies around the world.
Two thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), showing that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials more accountable.
“Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making. Priorities include better rules on lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent and making public bodies more accountable to people,” said Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International.
“After a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 results demonstrate that societies continue to pay the high cost of corruption,” Labelle said.
(...more)HE WILL be on the ground for less than a day. Still, when Barack Obama arrives in Myanmar on November 19th, one leg of a three-country South-East Asian tour, it will be quite a moment: the first ever visit to the country by a sitting American president, which sets the seal on one of the fastest rehabilitations of a former American foe.
(...more)A veteran peace advocate is proposing a new platform for political dialogue and peace with key issues such as charter amendment and decentralisation being discussed in a bid to create an environment conducive to finding a way out of the long-running, polarised conflict.
Gothom Arya, lecturer in human rights and peace studies at Mahidol University, said he began his year-long “Platform for a Peaceful and Democratic Thailand” project in February and plans to put forward some ideas for national discussion on Oct 27 and 28.
The project, sponsored indirectly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses on four issues — participatory constitutional amendment, equality and dignity, education for civility, and decentralisation.
(...more)Friday, 16 November 2012 to Saturday, 17 November 2012
Asia-Pacific Mediation Conference 2012:
Mediation and its Impact on National Legal Systems
16 and 17 November 2012
Connie Fan Multi-media Conference Room, City University of Hong Kong
The Asia-Pacific Mediation Conference 2012 is organized and hosted by the City University of Hong Kong with the support of UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law). Built on the success of previous two conferences, which were held in Japan in 2010 and Korea in 2011, this year the conference will continue to promote the modernization and harmonization of the law and practice of mediation in the region and the expansion of the role of mediation and mediators both within Asia-Pacific and internationally.
The conference aims to present an informative and stimulating program offering networking and learning opportunities to new and experienced mediators, judges, arbitrators, dispute managers, lawyers, scholars, jurists and students. The objective of the conference is to provide a collegiate platform where different experiences and ideas can be shared and exchanged. We will bring together international legal scholars and experts from around the world including Australia, Cambodia, China (Mainland), Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macao SAR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States, United Kingdom, and Vietnam to promote a better understanding of the current social, political and legal realities and how mediation law and practice has been developing over time to meet the changing needs and aspirations in the Asia-Pacific region and internationally.
Language: The Conference will be held in English. English-Chinese simultaneous interpretation is available.
Speakers:
Find more information
Much has been written lately, either empathetically or as a challenge, of Myanmar’s “Rohingya problem”. Since early June, the Rohingya have borne the brunt of communal violence, human rights violations, and an urgent humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, and face an uncertain future. But when considered more closely, is that all? What really is the problem?
The events of this year, as well as the violent events of 1978, 1992, 2001, and 2009, are attributable to systemic discrimination against the Rohingya in Myanmar. That is, to a political, social, and economic system—manifested in law, policy, and practices—designed to discriminate against this ethnic and religious minority. This system makes such direct violence against the Rohingya far more possible and likely than it would otherwise be. Further, in the eyes of the Myanmar authorities at least—as evidenced by the lack of accountability for the civilians and officials alike—discrimination also makes the violence and violations somehow justifiable. That is the problem.
(...more)Abstract
This article argues that the insurgency in southern Thailand, currently into its ninth consecutive year, is a non-international armed conflict (NIAC). The title implies the contentiousness of the argument, which is responsive to the government of Thailand’s express claim that the situation in the South is rather one of banditry, organized crime, and/or ill-defined insurgency. The article begins with brief sections on the nature and applicability of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the factual background of Thailand’s conflict. The conflict began in January 2004 and has pitted variously armed and organized ethnic Malays—nearly all Muslims—against the predominantly Buddhist Thai state and its security forces. Over 5000 people have been killed and thousands more injured. Reference is made to a recent report by Amnesty International (for which the author works), which characterized insurgency attacks as war crimes under IHL. The article then applies the relevant IHL to these facts by addressing, through their various constituency sub-elements, the two main legal elements of Common Article 3 NIACs, organization and intensity. Each sub-element is at least partially satisfied, such that the requisite ‘minimum levels’ of both organization and intensity are plainly established, and the situation’s character as a NIAC becomes clear. The article draws upon both primary and secondary source material, and for the first time marshals the facts in southern Thailand relevant to Common Article 3 NIACs in a coherent and purposeful manner. Finally, the article dispenses with the specific claim that Thailand’s southern violence is primarily of a non-ideological, criminal nature and that such militates against its constituting a NIAC. … full article (pdf)
Prof. Dr. Chaiwat Satha-Anand, a political scientist at Thammasat University and a prominent peace scholar, spoke at a seminar on “Peace Dialogue in ASEAN Context” on 7 September 2012 at Prince of Songkhla University at Hat Yai. He delivered a peace massage to southern insurgents in English. Here is his full speech:
(...more)This year has seen the internal armed conflict in southern Thailand thrust back into the national and regional spotlight, with a string of coordinated and deadly attacks by Muslim insurgents and a raft of reactions by Thai authorities. Absent from the authorities’ responses and the wider public debate, however, has been any mention of the critical role that justice – its administration and perception – plays in both the problem and the solution.
(...more)MAE SOT, Thailand – In a country where talk of a ceasefire brings representatives from 11 different armed ethnic groups to the table, Myanmar’s chief peace negotiator, Railway Minister Aung Min, is experimenting with an unusual solution to decades of separatist struggles.
(...more)Mid-July saw ASEAN sink to unprecedented depths when leaders failed to issue a joint communiqué at its latest Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia because of disagreement over reference to the South China Sea dispute with China. Unsurprisingly, the Indonesian foreign minister called this latest roadblock to “ASEAN consensus” “utterly irresponsible”.
ASEAN consensus focuses on agreement among the governments of member states instead of consensus with the population. It routinely avoids and even suppresses public participation in key debates and initiatives relevant to the public interest. Nowhere is this more evident than the process of drafting an ASEAN human rights declaration.
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is tasked with drafting the declaration, but has done this largely behind tightly closed doors. Limited consultations with civil society organizations have been held in some member states, and at no point was a draft published, leaving the public and human rights groups in the dark. There has only been one formal consultation at the regional level, but participation has been heavily restricted and the draft declaration was not published.
(...more)Thursday, 25 October 2012 to Friday, 26 October 2012
ADR Institute of Canada’s Annual National Conference; October 25-26, 2012; Halifax
Date: October 25, 2012 to October 26, 2012
Keynote speaker: The Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas Albert Cromwell, Supreme Court of Canada; plus over 20 sessions in four specialty streams: Building an Effective ADR Business, ADR in the Workplace, Challenge and Innovation in ADR, and Family and Community ADR.
(...more)Like the previous Asean Charter which was finally enacted towards the end of 2008, the drafting process for the proposed Asean Declaration for Human Rights (ADHR) has been an arduous one.
The five-page draft was completed by the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in Burma last week after long negotiation sessions over controversial phrases and future implications of the region’s first declaration on human rights.
At this juncture it is an imperfect document yet due to be vetted by Asean foreign ministers next month. The Asean chair, Cambodia, wants a final draft to be approved at the 21st Asean Summit in November. Time is running out to consider input from various civil society organizations (CSOs).
(...more)GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday offered her encouragement to ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in drafting a regional human rights declaration, but called for a meaningful consultation on the draft with the widest spectrum of people in the region before it is presented to ASEAN’s foreign ministers in July.
(...more)PATTANI – When Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and their Puea Thai party scored a resounding election win last July, few figured her government would be able to kick-start a peace process in the country’s insurgency-prone, predominantly Malay Muslim far south region…
(...more)BANGKOK—A contentious $3.5 billion dam project on the Mekong River was put on hold again Thursday as nations called for further study of the environmental effects, a setback for Laos’s plan to reinvent itself as the hydropower battery of Southeast Asia.
The Mekong River Commission, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, said in a statement that member governments had agreed to study the implications on the Xayaburi dam project further before giving Laos the go-ahead to continue construction—the second delay to the project this year.
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