Showing 1 - 10 of 74
Towards an Asean declaration of human rights
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/01/2012
» A much awaited outcome of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations's commitment to human rights in 2012 will be the finalisation of an Asean instrument on human rights, particularly in the form of a Human Rights Declaration. It will underline the perception and position towards human rights in this region. The drafting process under the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), is now in full swing and is expected to gather momentum leading to a crescendo in the next few months.
Thailand's race laws face scrutiny
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 05/09/2012
» A positive development concerning Thailand's relationship with human rights is the country's increasing membership of United Nations treaties on the issue.
Giving content to the 'rule of law'
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 02/05/2013
» The term "rule of law" has been invoked increasingly in recent years as governments and civil society grapple with challenges facing their relationship.
Talks the only option in Syria's ferocious conflict
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 26/03/2014
» The conflict in Syria began in 2011. At the time, it was part and parcel of the “Arab Spring”, the awakening of Arab people in their quest for democracy and repudiation of authoritarian regimes. The conflict snowballed into a fully-fledged non-international armed conflict (civil war) at the beginning of 2012 and has since turned into an increasingly ferocious and fragmented war, with civilians bearing the brunt of the maelstrom.
Time for action over North Korea
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 22/04/2014
» Last week, for the first time, the UN Security Council held a special session on the situation of human rights in North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK). While the range of human rights abuses there are well-known to the international community, the Security Council took years before opting to discuss the issue. It was the voluminous findings of a UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights violations in North Korea, published recently, which propelled it to the top of the UN agenda.
Lessons of ‘Black May’ 1992 and the 2006 coup
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/05/2014
» The month of May is at times an ominous month for Thailand. In 1991, the military staged a coup against a civilian government, arguing it was corrupt.
Asean must boost protection work
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/07/2014
» A key achievement of the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2007 was to open the door to the establishment of a regional human rights body — an Asean human rights mechanism. Subsequently, the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was set up pursuant to the Terms of Reference (TOR), adopted by Asean in 2009.
How to tackle extremism across Asian communities
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/07/2014
» The tide of religious extremism in the Asian region invites immediate attention. While there has been much recent coverage of extremist groups in Syria and Iraq which aim for an Islamic caliphate in their arc of radicalisation, other forms of religious extremism, including Buddhist extremists, have also emerged in South and Southeast Asia. The latter have attacked, as their target, minorities in their midst, particularly Muslim populations, such as Rohingya and other ethnic or religious groups.
UN must be resolute on Syria
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 20/10/2014
» The war in Syria is deteriorating by the day and wreaks havoc on the daily lives of the population. In its destructive path, there is a vortex of bloody violations enmeshed with increasing extremism. The underlying challenge is this: What is the role of the UN Security Council in tackling this devastating mess?
Is Asean reeling in stormy economic waters?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/07/2015
» This is a catalytic year for Asean, the 10-country organisation born in 1967 to drive regional integration in Southeast Asia. It is the year when Asean will become entrenched in the form of three interconnected communities: The Asean Political Security Community (APSC), the Asean Economic Community and the Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). These are all underpinned by blueprints to be put into action by the end of the year.