Category: Pacific

The proposal was floated by Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, in his address to the annual gathering.  The DMZ separates South Korea, as the country is also known, and its neighbour to the north.    “The DMZ is a colossal green zone that stretches 250 km from east to west, and four km from north to south. Its borders define a tragedy spawned by… Read More

In a report detailing alleged violations in Myanmar over the last year, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, insists that many of the conditions that led to “killings, rapes and gang rapes, torture, forced displacement and other grave rights violations” by the country’s military, that prompted some 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017, are still present. Citing the… Read More

As Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW 2019) wrapped up on Friday in Bangkok, a key takeaway was that long-term holistic planning would enable countries there to tap into the huge potential of renewable energy, and new technology while maximizing socio-economic benefits. Other compelling reasons to rapidly shift to low-carbon and resilience were outlined by high-level speakers who warned that current levels… Read More

Over-cultivation, poor land management and industrialization – in addition to the effects of climate change – have led to the deterioration of soils which in turn has contributed to a loss of biodiversity. BSWM-UNDP Philippines-GEF5 SLM Project | Over-cultivation and the effects of climate change have led to the deterioration of soils in the Philippines’ Bukidnon Province. (file) But now,… Read More

“The practice of incommunicado detention must be immediately brought to an end. Detainees’ right to a fair trial, including access to a lawyer, must be upheld,” the UN Special Rapporteurs said on Monday. In custody since the outbreak of armed conflict in northern Rakhine and Chin last December, the experts stressed the need for “a credible independent investigation into the… Read More

“There is a serious deficit of trust among ethno-religious communities in Sri Lanka following the deadly Easter Sunday bomb blasts and subsequent mob violence this year, and these tensions must not be ignored,” Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said while presenting a report following his 12-day mission to the country.   Noting that the Government has taken… Read More

“Extreme physical violence, the openness in which it is conducted … reflects a widespread culture of tolerance towards humiliation and the deliberate infliction of severe physical and mental pain or suffering on civilians,” the report said. The Mission painted a picture of the brutal tactic being employed in Kachin and Shan states. It underscored that during the 2017 “clearance operations”,… Read More

India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir as its sovereign territory. Since the Indian Government’s 5 August announcement revoking Kashmir’s special status, tighter central Government control has resulted with access to information and peaceful protests quashed. Reports have described a near total communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir since the evening of 4 August, with internet access, mobile phone networks, and… Read More

Issued on Thursday by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2019 revealed that the annual economic losses due to disasters cost the region nearly $675 billion, about 2.4 per cent its gross domestic product. In addition to the impact of disasters on human lives, the economic losses also threaten to… Read More

Lieutenant-General Silva commanded Sri Lanka’s 58th Division during the final stages of the military campaign against the LTTE rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, and UN investigations have implicated the division in alleged serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that… Read More