PAKISTAN: ABDUCTED UN STAFFER’S HEALTH REPORTEDLY WORSENING

PAKISTAN: ABDUCTED UN STAFFER'S HEALTH REPORTEDLY WORSENING
New York, Mar 18 2009 1:00PM

The United Nations said today it is very concerned about the condition of staff member John Solecki, who was abducted in Pakistan more than six weeks ago, after the group which claims to be holding him reported that his health was deteriorating.

"The United Nations is keen for John to receive immediate professional medical care in a clinic or hospital where the necessary medical tests can be carried out," according to a news release issued in Islamabad.

"The swift delivery of medical help is important. John's well-being is the responsibility of the group who is holding him and we hope they are taking steps to make sure John remains well and is not suffering," it added.

Mr. Solecki, the Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Quetta, was kidnapped on 2 February during an attack in which his driver, Syed Hashim, who had been with the agency for 18 years, was killed.

A group known as the Balochistan Liberation United Front claims to be holding Mr. Solecki and has demanded the release the people it says are in Pakistani custody. Since 2004, rebels in the province have called for political autonomy and a larger share of natural resource profits.

The UN said it appreciates all efforts on behalf of the Baloch tribal leaders to ensure Mr. Solecki's safe release and remains in active communication and contact with them to support this goal.

"The UN is still willing to speak directly to those who have John, in the spirit of being ready to listen and to find a safe way to secure his release."
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ICRC and Philippine Red Cross appeal to abductors' sense of humanity

Manila / Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has taken note of direct threats made by those responsible for the abduction of ICRC staff members Mary Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter on 15 January 2009 and are extremely worried about the three persons' safety.

The ICRC and the Philippine National Red Cross remain in constant contact with the authorities concerned to discuss urgent measures necessary to resolve this crisis.

The ICRC and the Philippine National Red Cross are also appealing to the abductors' sense of humanity and asking them to avoid taking any action that could endanger the lives of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas. They are renewing their call for the immediate and unconditional release of the three ICRC staff members.

UN TRYING TO SECURE RELEASE OF STAFF ABDUCTED IN SOMALIA

UN TRYING TO SECURE RELEASE OF STAFF ABDUCTED IN SOMALIA
New York, Mar 16 2009 9:00AM

The United Nations is working to secure the unconditional release of four staff members who were abducted this morning by unknown armed men in south central Somalia, the world body said.

The four were on their way to the airport when their convoy was stopped by gunmen, according to a statement issued in Nairobi by the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

No violence or shooting was reported to have occurred during the incident, which took place in Waajid in south central Somalia.

"While the general location of the four staff members is known, no contact with the abductors has been established so far," the statement noted.

"The United Nations and the local authorities in Waajid are doing everything to secure the unconditional release of the staff," it added.

Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991, has been plagued by fighting and humanitarian suffering for decades. Continuing instability, coupled with drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency have only worsened the dire humanitarian situation in recent months.

The UN estimates that some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, are in need of assistance.

At the same time, there have been several encouraging developments in recent weeks for the country, including the election of a new President and the creation of an enlarged Parliament.
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Thailand: Resolve ‘Disappearance’ Case

(New York) - The new government of Thailand should ensure that those responsible for the enforced disappearance and presumed murder of prominent Muslim human rights lawyer, Somchai Neelappaijit, are finally brought to justice, Human Rights Watch said today, five years after his abduction.

On March 12, 2004, Somchai was assaulted and pulled from his car in Bangkok, allegedly by five police officers. He was never seen again. Somchai was chairman of Thailand's Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Lawyers Council of Thailand. At the time, he was investigating and reporting on widespread police torture of Muslims in the insurgency-ridden southern border provinces.

In a much-publicized attempt to demonstrate his commitment to human rights and the rule of law, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on January 21, 2009, ordered the Royal Thai Police and the Justice Ministry to accelerate their investigation into the case.

"Somchai's 'disappearance' reflects glaring problems of state-sponsored abuses in Thailand," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "While Prime Minister Abhisit's order is a good sign, actions speak louder than words. Now is the time to show concrete progress in the investigation and to bring the perpetrators to justice."

Four Thai prime ministers in the past five years - Thaksin Shinawatra, Gen. Surayud Chulanont, Samak Sundaravej, and Somchai Wongsawat - have acknowledged that police and government officials were involved in Somchai's abduction and killing. But none of them brought the perpetrators to justice. Key questions remain unanswered, including who ordered the abduction and presumed killing of Somchai and who was involved in obstructing justice.

Five police officers - Police Maj. Ngern Tongsuk, Police Lt. Col. Sinchai Nimbunkampong, Police Lance Cpl. Chaiweng Paduang, Police Sgt. Rundorn Sithiket, and Police Lt. Col. Chadchai Leiamsa-ngoun - were arrested in April 2004 in connection with Somchai's case and charged with coercion and robbery. None were charged with the more serious crimes of abduction or other offenses connected to the enforced disappearance.

On January 12, 2006, the Central Criminal Court found Police Maj. Ngern guilty of physically assaulting Somchai, and sentenced him to three years in prison. The other four police officers were acquitted.

Police Maj. Ngern, who had been free on bail while appealing his case, was reported "missing" in a mudslide on September 19, 2008 while supervising his construction business on the Thai-Burmese border.

The assistant national chief, Police Lt. Gen. Aswin Kwanmuang, who was hand-picked by Prime Minister Abhisit to supervise the investigation, was quoted in media reports on January 27 as saying: "Police involvement in this case has obstructed the investigation. With strong backing from the new government, the sky is now clearing up and progress can be made. First, we must find Somchai's body. After that, arrest warrants on additional suspects will be issued. No one will be spared, including senior police officers."

"The prominence of Somchai's case has made it difficult for Thai authorities to look the other way," said Adams. "Solving this case will give hope to many, including in the south, that powerful people can be held accountable."

While efforts to investigate and prosecute the case have been extremely weak, Somchai's case is the only enforced disappearance that has led to any prosecution or has received significant attention from Thai authorities. In a March 2007 report, "It Was Like Suddenly My Son No Longer Existed," Human Rights Watch documented a pattern of enforced disappearances and other abuses by the security forces. Successive governments have done nothing to hold abusive officers accountable for serious crimes.

Human Rights Watch called upon the Thai government to nullify the 2005 Emergency Decree on Government Administration in Emergency Situations (Emergency Decree) and repeal the 1914 Martial Law Act in order to protect the basic rights of all Thais and bring Thai law into conformity with international standards.

Human Rights Watch said that the Thai government has enforced laws and regulations in a way that increased the vulnerability of suspects in the southern border provinces, leaving them vulnerable to torture, "disappearance," and extrajudicial killing during pre-charge detention.

The Martial Law Act allows seven days of pre-charge detention. After that, suspects can be detained for another 30 days under the Emergency Decree, which was issued by the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. (See Human Rights Watch analysis of the Emergency Decree in a letter to Thaksin, dated August 4, 2005: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/08/04/thaila11592.htm ). Suspects are also prohibited from having access to family and lawyer visits during the first 72 hours of their detention.

Resentment against human rights abuses by Thai authorities is among the factors fueling an increasingly brutal insurgency in southern Thailand in which separatist militants have carried out a string of deadly attacks on civilia

A policy statement Prime Minister Abhisit delivered to Parliament on December 30 stressed that justice will be integral to resolution of the conflict in the southern border provinces, which has claimed more than 3,500 lives since January 2004.

Human Rights Watch urged Prime Minister Abhisit to take all necessary steps to stop the practice of enforced disappearances, including making enforced disappearance a specific criminal offense and ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. In addition, Thai authorities should ensure that all persons detained by law enforcement and security forces are held at recognized places of detention, and are not subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Authorities should immediately make the whereabouts of detainees known to family and lawyers.

"Prime Minister Abhisit needs to show political courage to end once and for all the enforced disappearances by the security forces," said Adams. "This is the only way to ensure that justice in Thailand is not also put on the list of the 'disappeared'."