20 November 2008

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) is pleased to announce the names of Members of Parliament (MP) from Malaysia who now form the national committee of the Malaysian Chapter of the regional caucus. They are:

Office-bearers: Chairperson: MP Lim Kit Siang

Vice-Chair: MP Mohd Puad Zarkashi

Secretary: MP Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff

Committee members: MP Teresa Kok

MP Ahmad Kasim

MP Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj

MP Lo’ Lo’ Hj Mohamad Ghazali

MP Salahuddin Ayub

MP Nurul Izzah Anwar

The current AIPMC President (regional caucus committee) – MP Kraisak Choonhavan, Member of the Parliament from Thailand – congratulates the new AIPMC Malaysian Chapter Chairperson and Committee members and warmly welcomes them.

MP Lim Kit Siang will also now assume the post of AIPMC Vice-President (regional caucus committee).

Since its inaugural meeting in Kuala Lumpur, on 26-28 November 2004, AIPMC has been calling on the military government in Burma to bring about changes and democratic reforms in the country.

The regional grouping of ASEAN Legislators from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have also continuously called for the unconditional release of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as for the freedom of over two-thousand other political prisoners in Burma.

12 November 2008

Legislators from ASEAN States are calling on the office of the United Nations Secretary-General and other relevant bodies of the United Nations to immediately enquire into Myanmar’s authorities’ reported sentencing of human rights defenders to 65 years imprisonment.

Parliamentarians from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia, who make up the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), are extremely concerned with reports that these jail-terms were reportedly handed down in a closed-door ‘Special Court’ hearing in Yangon’s Insein Prison on 11 November 2008.

“These are draconian sentences. Moreover, these extraordinarily lengthy sentences were reportedly handed down to these activists whom did not have legal representation at that time. This is against basic judicial principles and cannot still be occurring in a time when international conventions exists that protect human rights and justice for people,” said AIPMC President Kraisak Choonhavan.

“The fact that the Myanmar military regime has ratified the ASEAN Charter is also enough grounds to call into question the legality of these sentences. Regional and international leaders must act,” he added on behalf of his regional parliamentary colleagues from AIPMC.

AIPMC urges the United Nations to commission its various Special Rapportuers – such as the Special Rapportuer on the Independence of Judges and Freedom of Lawyers, Special Rapportuer on Human Rights Defenders, Special Rapportuer on Torture and Special Rapportuer on Freedom of Expression – to investigate and respond to these reports.

‘The honourable Mr. Ban Ki-moon has on numerous occasions expressed his concern with what happens in Myanmar. It is with great hope that we urge him, the UN Special Rapportuers and various bodies in the UN to investigate these happenings, and should these reports be accurate, the UN must intervene and hold accountable the military for its acts of tyranny towards its citizens,” added the AIPMC President.

Reports indicate that apart from the 14 pro-democracy and human rights defenders, whom were sentenced to the 65-year prison term, one blogger was sentenced to 20 years while many others were handed a varied amount of long jail terms.

Ends

For media contact or to facilitate an interview with AIPMC Parliamentarian members, please call: Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Director) at +6-012-3750974 or the numbers above.

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), held a membership drive at the Malaysian Parliament on 10 November 2008 in its bid to step up support and efforts in hope of democratic change in Myanmar.

As a result, the AIPMC Malaysian Chapter has now registered 35 new members to date, mainly from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and People’s Justice Party (PKR). Among MPs that formally signed up were Lim Guan Eng (Chief Minister of Penang), veteran parliamentarian Karpal Singh (National Chairman of DAP), Nurul Izzah Anwar (first-term MP and daughter of former deputy PM) and Sivarasa Rasiah (prominent human rights lawyer).

The multi-partisan Caucus also saw its first Socialist Party member in MP Jeyakumar Devaraj from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

This brings the total MPs in AIPMC’s Malaysian Chapter to over 40 which include founding members such as Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Zaid Ibrahim (former MPs), Lim Kit Siang, Teresa Kok and Salahuddin Ayub (Islamic Party Malaysia).

The full list of AIPMC Malaysian Chapter members are as follows:

1. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (former MP)

2. Lim Kit Siang

3. Teresa Kok Suh Sim

4. Zaid Ibrahim (former MP)

5. Salahuddin Ayub

6. M Kulasegaran

7. Lim Guan Eng

8. Nurul Izzah Anwar

9. Sivarasa Rasiah

10. Jeyakumar Devaraj

11. Karpal Singh

12. Charles Santiago

13. Tony Pua Kiam Wee

14. Fong Po Kuan

15. Hiew King Cheu

16. M. Manogaran

17. Chong Eng

18. Liew Chin Tong

19. Er Teck Hwa

20. Fong Kui Lun

21. Lim Lip Eng

22. Sim Tong Him

23. Tan Kok Wai

24. Teo Nie Ching

25. Chong Chieng Jen

26. Gobind Singh Deo

27. Gwo-Burne Loh

28. Hee Loy Sian

29. Abdullah Sani bin Abdul Hamid

30. Johari Bin Abdul

31. Gobalakrishnan A/L Nagapan

32. Ab Aziz bin Ab Kadir

33. Ahmad bin Kasim

34. Willian Leong Jee Keen

35. Mohsin Fadzli Bin Hj. Samsuri

36. Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail

37. Azan bin Ismail

38. Dato Zahrain Mohamed Hashim

39. Kamarul Baharin bin Abbas

40. Tan Tee Beng

41. Mohd. Yusmadi Mohd. Yusoff

42. Tian Chua

43. Fuziah Bte Salleh

44. Dzulkefly Ahmad

45.Dato Wan Abd Rahim Wan Abdullah

46. Siti Zakiah Bt. Mohd Yusoff

47. Lo’Lo’ bt Hj Mohd Ghazali

48. Khalid Abd Samad

49. Siti Mariah Mahmud

50. Mahfuz Omar

51. Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi

52. Amran bin Ab Ghani