Arakanland News & Article

ARAKANLAND

The Causses and the Cévennes

28 June 2011 – The United Nations has added cultural sites in Ukraine, Mongolia, France and Nicaragua to the World Heritage List, closing out this year’s selection with a total of 25 sites, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported today.

UNESCO named the newly protected sites as the residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Ukraine, the petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai, the Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral landscape in France and León Cathedral in Nicaragua.

A total of 35 nominated sites were reviewed by the World Heritage Committee, which has been holding its 35th session at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris since last week.

During this session the committee chose 25 sites which it deemed to have the necessary “outstanding universal value” to be included on the World Heritage List. Of the 25 sites selected, 21 were cultural, three were natural and one mixed.

Two sites – rainforests in Honduras and Indonesia – were put on the separate List of World Heritage in Danger, and one site – India’s Manas Wildlife Sanctuary – was removed from that list.

Of today’s additions, UNESCO said the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Ukraine represented an outstanding example of 19th-century historicist architecture. The site includes a seminary and monastery and is dominated by a domed church with a garden and park.

The petroglyphs, or rock carvings, found in three sites in Mongolia illustrate the development of culture over a period of 12,000 years, tracing changes from an era when people hunted for large game to an era when herding became the dominant way of life.

“The carvings contribute valuably to our understanding of prehistoric communities in Northern Asia,” UNESCO said in a press statement.

The Causses and the Cévennes are a mountain landscape in south-central France interspersed by deep valleys. UNESCO said the area is representative of the relationship between agro-pastoral systems and their biophysical environment, and noted that it is one of the last places in the world where transhumance – the seasonal movement of people with their livestock – is still practiced.

León Cathedral, built between 1747 and the early 19th century to the design of architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel, expresses the transition from Baroque to Neoclassical architecture. The cathedral, which houses many important works of art, is characterized by an abundance of natural light and sober interior decoration.

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

26 June 2011 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today exhorted States to take effective legislative, administrative and judicial measures to prevent torture, calling the practice a brutal attempt to destroy a victim's sense of dignity and sense of human worth that can never be justified.

“There are no exceptional circumstances whatsoever – whether a state of war, or a threat of war, internal political instability, or any other public emergency or national security situation,” the Secretary-General said in a message to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, being observed today.

“States' obligations also include the duty to provide effective and prompt redress, compensation and rehabilitation for all torture victims,” he said. “On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we honour the men and women who have suffered, enduring their ordeal with courage and inner strength. We mourn, too, those who did not survive.”

He pointed out that the recent entry into force of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances was a welcome addition to international human rights law, describing enforced disappearance as another manifestation of torture.

Mr. Ban urged all United Nations Member States to allow full and unhindered access by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to all places where people are deprived of liberty, and called on those countries that have not done so to ratify the Convention against Torture.

“At a time when the legitimate aspirations of people in many regions of the world for greater freedom, dignity and a better life are too often met with violence and repression, I urge States to respect the fundamental rights of all people.

“Torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment and punishment, wherever they occur and whatever the circumstances, can never be justified.”

In a separate statement to mark the Day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned that those who perpetrate torture will be brought to justice no matter how long it takes.

She gave the example of Argentina's former prison director, Abel Dupuy, who ordered the systematic torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of possibly hundreds of political prisoners during the country's military dictatorship in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mr. Dupuy was last year convicted of his crimes and sentenced to life in prison, 30 years after he started ordering the torture of those arrested.

“Torture is illegal, and if carried out on a systematic basis can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity. No circumstances, however exceptional, justify the use of torture against anyone for any reason. Neither a state of emergency nor conflict, neither the fight against terrorism nor the fight against crime excuses the use of torture,” said Ms. Pillay.

She lamented that despite the blanket ban on torture under international law, despotic governments and dysfunctional criminal justice systems perpetrated the crime every day.

“As we have seen very graphically in North Africa and the Middle East over the past few months, men, women and even children are tortured in detention simply for expressing their political views, in order to force confessions, or just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Ms. Pillay.

She said that those perpetrating torture and those who gave the orders did so with an expectation of impunity, but thanks to the courage and determination of victims and survivors, and the tireless efforts of human rights defenders, accountability is increasingly taking place and the perpetrators should no longer expect to get away with such heinous crimes.

“Prosecutions of the sort we are witnessing now, decades after the commission of the criminal act of torture, send a powerful message. The strengthening of international justice mechanisms, including the rapidly maturing International Criminal Court (ICC), means that the chances of torturers being snared one day, either on the national or international level, has greatly increased.”

The UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, meanwhile, said a funding shortfall has forced it to reduce support to many organizations providing psychological, medical and social assistance to thousands torture survivors throughout the world. Support to legal aid programmes, crucial to fight impunity and bringing perpetrators to justice, has also been affected.

“After 30 years of achievements in rebuilding lives of victims of torture, the future of many projects is now at risk because of a reduction in voluntary contributions by donors,” said Mercedes Doretti, the current chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

In his message, the Secretary-General urged the international community to support the fund and thanked all governments and other contributors which have provided assistance. He also commended individuals and organizations that provide medical, psychological, legal and social assistance to torture survivors and their families.

Ms. Doretti said further support was needed to continue funding projects, including those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) assisting victims of sexual violence, programmes for genocide survivors in Rwanda, and a project in southern Iraq providing reconstructive surgery to dozens of victims of punitive ear amputation, a brutal method of torture systematically used under Saddam Hussein's regime.

Contributions to the fund rose to $11.6 million in 2008, but donations by UN Member States have been dwindling over the past two years to just over $9 million last year, according to Ms. Doretti.

The funding shortfall has forced the board to cut the number of grants it awards by 10 to 20 per cent, she added.

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

Staffan de Mistura, Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan

25 June 2011 – The top United Nations official in Afghanistan has voiced outrage at a bomb attack earlier today at a public hospital in the country's east that has killed dozens of people.

Media reports indicate that many people were killed or injured following the apparent suicide bombing at the hospital in Azra district of Logar province, southeast of the national capital, Kabul. Much of the hospital was reduced to rubble in the attack.

In a statement issued in Kabul, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stressed that attacks against hospitals and medical workers are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.

“This is a despicable attack against civilians who were seeking medical care, as well as visiting family members and healthy workers,” said Staffan de Mistura, the head of UNAMA and the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan.

“Much of the damage was in the maternity ward of the hospital, and many of those killed and injured were women and children,” he added.

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

Child soldiers (file photo)

22 June 2011 – The top United Nations official concerned with children in armed conflict said Chad would need assistance in re-integrating into society the child soldiers that are being demobilized under an agreement signed with the UN last week.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, reporting on her visit to that country to witness the action plan signed by both parties in N’Djamena, said she was “very happy to have gotten the commitment” from the Chadian Government, but “the children will need help to integrate back into their communities.”

She said all the demobilized children will be registered and the UN intends to follow them to their villages to make sure they arrive, and are not re-conscripted. The UN also plans educational programmes, concentrating on vocational schools to help in the children’s reintegration.

The complete withdrawal and reintegration of children into their communities will trigger the removal of the Chadian Government from the Secretary-General’s ‘list of shame,’ of governments using child soldiers. The list includes Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan.

Since 2007, more than 1,000 children have been separated from armed groups and forces in Chad.

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ARAKANLAND

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

17 June 2011 – The Security Council announced today that it is recommending to the General Assembly that Ban Ki-moon be appointed to a second consecutive term as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

In a closed-door meeting this morning at UN Headquarters in New York, the Council’s 15 members adopted by acclamation a resolution on extending Mr. Ban’s time in office.

The Council recommended that Mr. Ban serve a second term starting on 1 January 2012 and ending on 31 December 2016, Ambassador Nelson Messone of Gabon, which holds the Council’s rotating presidency this month, told journalists.

Under Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Security Council makes a recommendation and then the General Assembly makes a decision on the appointment. The consistent practice is that the Council recommends one candidate.

Speaking to reporters in Brazil, where he is on the final day of an official visit, Mr. Ban said he was “deeply honoured” by the Council’s vote.

“It is an immense privilege to serve this great Organization as Secretary-General, and I am grateful for the confidence and support,” he said.

“During the past four and a half years, we have worked closely with all the Member States, including the Security Council, to achieve progress on critical global issues of peace and security, development and human rights.

“I am proud of all we have done together, even as I am aware of formidable challenges ahead. In the 21st century, the United Nations matters in a different and deeper way.”

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

13 June 2011 – The Nobel Peace Prize laureate and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi today called on the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) to expand its activities in Myanmar and help promote social justice in the Asian nation.

Ms. Suu Kyi, in a video message to the International Labour Conference of the ILO, taking place in Geneva, said the agency’s previous work in Myanmar has highlighted how social, political and economic challenges cannot be separated.

“In its attempt to eliminate forced labour and the recruitment of child soldiers, the ILO has inevitably been drawn into work related to rule of law, prisoners of conscience and freedom of association,” she said.

Ms. Suu Kyi noted that the ILO’s guiding philosophy, the so-called “decent work agenda,” is based around international labour standards, employment, social protection and social dialogue.

She added that the National League for Democracy (NLD), of which she is a leading member, wants the ILO to expand its activities in Myanmar “to help usher in an era of broad-based social justice in our country. We are particularly concerned that our workers should be enabled to form trade unions, concerned with the highest international standards as soon as possible. Labour rights are integral to the triumphant development of a nation.”

Source: UN News Service 

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ARAKANLAND

 Vijay Nambiar, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Myanmar

8 June 2011 – Citing the array of challenges facing the newly installed Government in Myanmar, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to remain engaged with the South-East Asian nation on its path to peace and democracy.

“It is clear that Myanmar today continues to face the same challenges it has faced for too long: the country’s human rights, political, social, economic and humanitarian problems are serious, deep-seated and long-standing,” read a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

“Equally clear, however, is the desire of the United Nations to see Myanmar succeed in addressing those challenges,” added the statement, which was issued following the meeting convened at UN Headquarters of the Secretary-General’s Group of Friends on Myanmar.

The meeting, the first to be held since the establishment of the new Government in Naypyitaw, heard from Mr. Ban’s Special Adviser, Vijay Nambiar, on his recent visit to the country.

Mr. Nambiar told the Security Council upon his return that while the country has taken small steps in the right direction by releasing some political prisoners and reducing the sentences of others, the measures have been short of expectation and insufficient.

In addition, the Government made an explicit commitment to keep the “peace door” open to political forces that had not accepted the recently adopted constitution or political roadmap.

“Whether the new Government has the political will, capacity and support to live up to its commitments and promises is yet to be seen,” today’s statement said. “In order for Myanmar to move forward, all citizens should be allowed to participate in building their country’s future.”

It noted that releasing all political prisoners and reaching out as broadly as possible through dialogue to all those who have a contribution to make – including pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and political forces inside and outside Parliament – will be key to ensuring that any reforms enjoy broad support.

“Collectively too, the international community has a shared responsibility towards the people of Myanmar. Enabling the current process to result in a successful transition requires us to follow events closely but also to recognize efforts and maximize opportunities for meaningful change,” said the statement.

“That is why, with the cooperation of the new Government and the continued support of Member States, the Secretary-General is personally committed to the United Nations’ long-term engagement with Myanmar in the political, humanitarian and development areas, all of which are important to advance durable peace and democracy.”

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

World Arakanese Organization has already received the various information and photos regarding the Law Ka Mizzu pagoda is being rebuilt in Mrauk U by Dr. Than Tun who is a wealthy person from Mandalay and as well famous layman of Mrauk U Sara Taw also known as Ratana Man Aung Sara Taw.

On May 30, during the reconstruction of ancient pagoda, donator fortunately found the priceless Buddha statues were enshrined and made by gold, copper, stone and porphyry different period of Arakan.

There are keeping up Thirty Eight Buddha Images including a gold Buddha weight 4 Viss and 64 Kyat (16lb and 7 ounce) in Ratana Man Aung Monastery in Mrauk U accordance with people's will of Mrauk U.

Burmese authority had planned to convey the some statue would test of value to Nay Pray Taw, newly capital of Burma. However, nearly 4'000 people of Mrauk U did not support Government plan strongly on June 4, 2011.

Law Ka Mizzu pagoda was built by unknown donator Eight century A.D.

All Arakanese people who live in native and aboard would like to prevent and preserve their ancient heritages.

Mrauk U is one of the best archaeological site as attraction and an ancient capital is situated in Arakan. The ancient capital founded by Arakanese King Mumsawmon in 1430 AD.and its period flourished between 15th century and 18th century.

Source: WAO

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ARAKANLAND

Praying in the mountains of Tibet (file photo)

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances said in a press statement issued in Geneva: “We call on the authorities to provide full information on the fate and the whereabouts of the persons who have disappeared. We encourage the authorities to undertake full investigations into the ongoing practice of enforced disappearances and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and receive sentences appropriate to the gravity of the crime.”

The statement specified that the working group referred to, among others, the 300 monks of the Ngaba Kirti monastery, in Ngaba county, Sichuan province, who were allegedly arrested and taken to unknown destinations in 10 military trucks. The arrests were reportedly carried out by agents from the People’s Armed Police, the Public Security Bureau and the People’s Liberation Army.

“Enforced disappearance is a terrible practice that must not be permitted to occur anywhere and no exceptional circumstances whatsoever may be invoked to justify an enforced disappearance,” the working group said.

“Family members should be promptly informed on the fate and whereabouts of people reportedly disappeared. Those who have suffered the fate of being subject to an enforced disappearance should be provided with integral reparations.”

The group also called on China to fulfil its promise to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance and accept the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive and consider communications from or on behalf of individuals, as stated in the Convention, the press statement from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said.

The working group’s Chair-Rapporteur is Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa) and the other members are Ariel Dulitzky (Argentina), Jasminka Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Osman El-Hajjé (Lebanon) and Olivier de Frouville (France).

Created in 1980, the working group’s members are independent and they report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Source; UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces his intention to run for a second term as UN chief

Mr. Ban told a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York that he has sent a letter to the Member States of the General Assembly and Security Council in which he has offered himself for consideration to continue to lead the UN.

“It has been an enormous privilege to lead this great Organization. If supported by the Member States, I would be deeply honoured to serve once more,” he said.

“Throughout my time in office, I have sought to be a bridge-builder – among the Member States, within the United Nations system and among a rich diversity of global partners. Finding common ground is central to delivering results.”

Mr. Ban, who took office as UN chief in January 2007, said the four-and-a-half years since he became Secretary-General “have marked a period of extraordinary challenge – for the United Nations and the international community.”

He said the UN can be proud of its accomplishments during this time, citing: the elevation of climate change to the top of the global agenda; the response to humanitarian emergencies, such as Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, last year’s floods in Pakistan and the earthquake that levelled much of Haiti in January 2010; and the continued focus on the needs of the world’s most vulnerable, particularly during the global economic crisis.

He also referred to the efforts made to promote peace in Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as to the so-called Arab Spring protest movement this year, which he called a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance freedom and democracy” in the region.

“Throughout all these remarkable developments, amid all these crises, the United Nations has been at the forefront. At a time of unprecedented global change, the world increasingly looks to us, the United Nations, to lead on the great collective issues of the day. That is our challenge as we look ahead.”

Mr. Ban called for “critical momentum” to be maintained on progress towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and he said a redoubling of efforts was needed to attain the social and economic targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He also said the successes of the world body have “largely been thanks to the extraordinary talents and dedication of our UN staff, who strive each and every day to make the world a better place.”

Mr. Ban, a national of the Republic of Korea and a former diplomat for that country, will serve through the end of 2016 if he wins a second term as Secretary-General. His current term runs out on 31 December.

He is the eighth man to serve as UN Secretary-General and is so far the only official candidate for the contest to lead the Organization between 2012.

Source; UN News Service 

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ARAKANLAND

 Surya Prasad Subedi, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia

Significant challenges remain in the process towards full democratic governance in Cambodia, a United Nations independent human rights expert has said, while also recognizing the steps the country has taken towards democracy.

“Some of the current internal rules of procedure of the National Assembly are not conducive to enabling all members to enjoy freedom of speech in holding the executive to account and in defending the rights of the people they represent,” Surya Subedi, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, told reporters in Phnom Penh on Friday at the end of a fact-finding mission to the country.

“What is needed is the political will to accelerate the process of democratization. The institutions that are needed to implement the democratisation process are already in place, but the process of building these institutions as effective, independent and impartial State institutions has been frustratingly slow,” he said.

Mr. Subedi cited the recent cases in Parliament when members’ freedom to participate in debate was curtailed by the lifting of their parliamentary immunity on issues of national importance. Members were also denied the opportunity to make representations in their defence.

“A properly functioning democracy requires effective checks on the executive and the majority,” said Mr. Subedi. “The ability of Parliament in Cambodia to restrain the executive has been limited.”

He noted that while the general human rights situation in Cambodia had improved, the fear of legal action for alleged defamation, disinformation and incitement appeared to make journalists, human rights defenders and political activists resort to self-censorship.

“I am concerned by the use of such charges against land activists and individuals making claims on disputed land,” he said. “I am dismayed to hear about disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials during peaceful protests by individuals involved in land disputes.”

He said he was encouraged by consultations on the draft laws on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and trade unions, expressing his hope that the final drafts would incorporate the suggestions made by the stakeholders.

Source: UN News Service

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ARAKANLAND

Human Rights Council, Geneva

1 June 2011 –

The three-member International Commission of Inquiry, dispatched by the UN Human Rights Council, submitted its findings to the 47-member body in Geneva today. The report comes as concern grows about the worsening humanitarian situation in the North African country, including dwindling food stocks, and as diplomatic efforts to help resolve the crisis continue.

The commission “has reached the conclusion that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed by the Government forces of Libya,” according to a news release issued in Geneva.

“The commission received fewer reports of facts which would amount to the commission of international crimes by opposition forces; however, it did find some acts which would constitute war crimes.”

The acts falling under crimes against humanity include murder, imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance and sexual abuse, which the report stated were committed by Government forces “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population.”

Serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by Government forces amounting to war crimes include intentionally directing attacks against protected persons and targets such as civilian structures, medical units and transport.

The commission said it had received, but was unable to verify, individual accounts of rape. “It notes, however, that sufficient information was received to justify further investigation to ascertain the extent of sexual violence, including whether cases were linked to incitement by the command of either side.”

Further investigation is also warranted, it stated, with regard to the use and recruitment of child soldiers, the use of excessive force by Government forces against demonstrators, arrests and detentions that were carried out in a “blanket” fashion, and a “pattern of enforced disappearances.”

The commission also found that torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment were committed by both the Government and opposition forces in violation of obligations under international human rights law and humanitarian law.

The team, led by Professor Cherif Bassiouni, an Egyptian jurist and war crimes expert, calls on the Government to immediately cease acts of violence against civilians in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, and to conduct “exhaustive, impartial and transparent” investigations into all alleged violations.

It also calls on the National Transitional Council, the umbrella group representing the opposition, to conduct similar investigations into alleged violations, and to ensure the immediate implementation of applicable international humanitarian and human rights law.

Also serving on the commission is Asma Khader, a Jordanian-Palestinian lawyer who serves on the executive committee of the International Commission of Jurists, and Canada’s Philippe Kirsch, who was the first president of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Council is scheduled to consider the report on 6 June, as part of its current session.

Source: UN News Service

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