Author: cswpress

La pandemia COVID-19 podría ser una oportunidad para salvar vidas norcoreanas, si Moon Jae-in toma medidas

Posted on by cswpress in Asia ES, español, North Korea ES

Por Benedict Rogers

Corea del Norte está gobernada por el régimen más represivo y brutal del mundo, el cual no permite ninguna libertad, y viola cada uno de los artículos de la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos todos los días. También es la nación más cerrada del mundo, extremadamente difícil de entrar o salir. Aquellos que lo hacen, como yo lo he hecho una vez, son estrechamente vigilados y controlados, mientras que los que tratan de salir del país sin permiso se enfrentan a prisión, tortura e incluso ejecución si son capturados.

La pandemia COVID-19 ha servido para endurecer aún más las restricciones al acceso. Al igual que muchos países que se preocupan por el coronavirus, Corea del Norte ha cerrado sus fronteras. La embajada de Gran Bretaña en la Ciudad de Pyongyang está cerrada desde el 27 de mayo, el Embajador Colin Crooks expreso en su cuenta de Twitter: “Trabajando desde Londres a la espera de mi regreso a Pyongyang”. Y la semana pasada, el régimen norcoreano advirtió a sus ciudadanos que se deben quedarse en el interior de sus casas por temor a que un “polvo amarillo” que soplara desde China pudiera traer coronavirus con él. El llamado “Reino hermético” se ha convertido en la nación “herméticamente cerrada”.

Y sin embargo, esto ofrece una rara oportunidad para salvar vidas, porque debido a las restricciones debido al COVID-19, Corea del Norte ha dicho a China que no recibirá la repatriación de los fugitivos norcoreanos. En tiempos normales, China tiene una política de retorno a la fuerza de los norcoreanos que escapan a través de su frontera, enviándolos de vuelta a la prisión de ciertas torturas, detenciones y, en algunos casos, ejecución, en flagrante violación del principio internacional de “no devolución”. Ahora, el régimen de Kim Jong-Un dice, que no los recibirá.

Continue reading “La pandemia COVID-19 podría ser una oportunidad para salvar vidas norcoreanas, si Moon Jae-in toma medidas” →

The Story of the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, Part 1: “Their whole world collapsed around them”

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, Vietnam

In January 2019 Vietnamese authorities carried out a massive operation in the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, which saw the forcible eviction of thousands of residents and the destruction of over 500 homes. Today, nearly two years later the residents of Loc Hung continue to await justice.

Over the next few weeks, CSW will be telling the story of the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden through a series of interviews with those who lived there. For our first instalment, we spoke to Cao Ha Truc, one of those leading efforts for the residents to receive some form of compensation.

How long have you lived in the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden and how did you come to live there?

My family have lived here for four generations, ever since my grandparents and parents heeded the call from President Ngo Dinh Diem to migrate from the north to the south after the Geneva Accords of 1954. I was born here and so were my children. I farmed on the land here from the day I got married until the day it was taken from my family.

Initially my family made a living from farming vegetables in the garden, but as we grew in size we needed to expand our living space so we built more houses on the land – some to live in and a few more to rent out to subsidise the income from the vegetable garden.

Continue reading “The Story of the Loc Hung Vegetable Garden, Part 1: “Their whole world collapsed around them”” →

Burma elections: This Sunday, the country needs a miracle

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, Burma

By Benedict Rogers

Five years ago, the overwhelming election victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma heralded the dawn of a new democratic era after over fifty years of brutal military dictatorship and civil war.

After a total of 15 years under house arrest and more than a quarter of a century of courageous struggle for democracy, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate known to everyone as “The Lady” was poised to head her country’s government. And although the military had deliberately drafted a constitution that excluded her from becoming President, her advisers ingeniously created a new role that circumvented that restriction – the position of State Counsellor, de facto prime minister. With the exception of the three key ministerial roles given to the military under the constitution – home affairs, defence and border affairs – she has absolute oversight of the civilian government.

Yet five years on, it’s a very different picture. Burma approached the crossroads of democratization, peace-building and national reconciliation – and went into reverse.

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Padre Stan Swamy: El objetivo de las autoridades indias apuntan a uno de los defensores de derechos humanos más antiguos del país

Posted on by cswpress in Asia ES, español, India ES

El 8 de octubre, miembros de la Agencia Nacional de Investigación de la India arrestaron al Padre Stan Swamy, un sacerdote Jesuita y antiguo activista de los derechos tribales en el país. Si bien el objetivo de quienes defienden los derechos humanos en la India no es nada nuevo, el caso del Padre Swamy ha llamado especialmente la atención internacional porque, a sus 83 años de edad, es uno de los defensores de derechos humanos más antiguos del país.

“La persona más vieja acusada de terrorismo en la India”

El Padre Swamy ha estado trabajando con “Adivasis”(grupos étnicos registrados) de la India durante más de tres décadas. Incluso en su vejez, y a pesar de sufrir de numerosos problemas de salud, ha seguido abogando por este grupo hasta la actualidad. En un video publicado pocos días antes de su arresto, el Padre Swamy dijo que había presentado un caso en el Tribunal Superior de Jharkhand en nombre de 3.000 jóvenes “Adivasis” que habían sido encarcelados.

Fue arrestado en el centro social Bagaicha, propiedad de los Jesuitas, en Ranchi, la capital del Estado de Jharkhand, y posteriormente fue informado de que sería encarcelado en Taloja, cerca de Mumbai, hasta el 23 de octubre.

Lee mÁs

The COVID-19 pandemic could be an opportunity to save North Korean lives, if Moon Jae-In takes action

Posted on by cswpress in Asia, North Korea

By Benedict Rogers

North Korea is ruled by the world’s most repressive, most brutal regime – one which does not allow any freedom whatsoever, one which violates every single article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights every day. It is also the world’s most closed nation – extremely difficult to get in or out of. Those who do visit – as I have done once – are tightly monitored and controlled, while those who try to leave the country without permission face imprisonment, torture and even execution if caught.

The COVID-19 pandemic has served to tighten the restrictions on access even further. Like many countries dealing with coronavirus, North Korea has sealed its borders. Britain’s embassy in Pyongyang has been closed since 27 May, with Ambassador Colin Crooks stating on his Twitter page: “Working from London pending my return to Pyongyang.” And last week, the North Korean regime warned its citizens to stay indoors over fears that a “yellow dust” blowing in from China could bring coronavirus with it. The so-called “hermit kingdom” has become the “hermetically sealed” nation.

And yet this offers a rare opportunity to save lives, because due to its COVID-19 restrictions, North Korea has told China it will not receive repatriation of North Korean escapees. In normal times, China has a policy of forcibly returning North Koreans who escape across its border, sending them back to face certain torture, detention and in some cases execution – in flagrant breach of the international principle of ‘non-refoulement.’ Now, Kim Jong-Un’s regime says it does not want them.

Continue reading “The COVID-19 pandemic could be an opportunity to save North Korean lives, if Moon Jae-In takes action” →