Human Rights Watch continues to be critical of Singapore and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Singapore's constitution guarantees freedom of assembly and expression, but "opposition politicians and their supporters are at constant risk of prison and substantial fines for simply expressing their views", says the Human Rights Watch World Report 2009. It notes that "the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) has won all elections since 1959" when Singapore became a self-governing state within the British empire. (Independence followed on August 9, 1965).
The report was released two days ago, I just discovered after reading about it in the Economist. While the whole report can be downloaded as a PDF, I have linked here to the country chapters.
The report says:
The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act requires that locally published newspapers renew their licences each year, and empowers authorities to limit the circulation of foreign publications deemed to be engaging in the domestic politics of Singapore…
Singapore's penal code mandates caning combined with imprisonment for some 30 offenses, including drug and immigration felonies. Courts reportedly sentenced 6,404 men and boys to caning in 2007, some 95 percent of whose sentences were carried out.
Although death penalty statistics are secret in Singapore, available information indicates that it has one of the world's highest per capita execution rates…
Singapore's labour laws exclude some 180,000 migrant domestic workers from key protections guaranteed to other workers, such as a weekly day off, limits on working hours, annual leave, paid holidays, and caps on salary deductions. In May 2008 acting Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong said it was unnecessary to mandate a weekly rest day. He instead supported the current standard contract provision that provides for at least one day off a month or compensatory pay. However, many employers forbid domestic workers to take a rest day…
About other Asean nations, the report says:
An increasingly vibrant blogosphere and use of electronic media and communications are challenging longstanding restrictions on free expression, but authorities continue periodic crackdowns on dissent….
Indonesia saw little human rights progress in 2008. Basic freedoms in the country expanded dramatically following the resignation of President Suharto in 1998, transforming Indonesia from an authoritarian state to a vibrant if chaotic democracy. Today, there is a loss of momentum, with reforms in key areas bogged down and backtracking in some areas…
In a major setback for religious freedom, the government in 2008 bowed to pressure from hard-line Islamic groups and banned the Ahmadiyah sect from publicly practicing their faith…
Indonesia has a diverse and lively media sector, but freedom of
expression has been undermined by powerful officials and businessmen
using criminal and civil defamation laws to silence criticism…
The end of a military-installed administration has not led to the restoration of rights and democracy in Thailand…
The Philippines is a multiparty democracy with an elected president and legislature, a thriving civil society sector, and a vibrant media. Several key institutions, including the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, however, remain weak…
Cambodia continued its drift toward authoritarianism in 2008 as Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) consolidated power through flawed national elections in July. The elections were criticised by the European Union and the United Nations special representative for human rights in Cambodia for failing to meet international standards.
Authorities continue to use the criminal justice system to silence critics…
The Vietnamese government continues to crackdown on democracy activists, journalists, human rights defenders, cyber-dissidents, and members of unsanctioned religious organizations…
Burma’s already dismal human rights record worsened following the devastation of cyclone Nargis in early May 2008. The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) blocked international assistance while pushing through a constitutional referendum in which basic freedoms were denied.
There are no country chapters on Brunei and Laos.
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