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For the 2010/2011 term, the Human Rights Committee (“HRC”) is chaired by Andrew Khoo Chin Hock and the Co-Deputy Chairpersons are Roger Chan Weng Keng and Brendan Navin Siva.

There are currently 49 members in HRC, including 11 outstation members.  HRC has 11 working groups that focus on civil and political rights (including freedom of expression and freedom of information); age and gender; international, regional and institutional human rights instruments; exploited persons including refugees and trafficked persons; human rights education; people with disabilities; contravention of human rights; archaic and draconian legislation; preventive detention; freedom of religion; and abuse of police powers.

The mission statement of HRC is to uphold, promote and protect human rights in accordance with international human rights norms.  As such, it operates within, but is not limited to, the following objectives:

Thus far, HRC has carried out the following major activities for the 2010/2011 term:

1. Held a watching brief on behalf of Bar Council during the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (“SUHAKAM”) inquiry, into the arrest and detention of five lawyers of the Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (Kuala Lumpur) at the Brickfields Police Station, between 14 Aug 2009 to 23 Apr 2010;
2. Organised training programmes for members of HRC and subsequently Members of the Bar under the project entitled “Training on Human Rights for Effective, Sustainable and Holistic Outcomes in Law and Democracy” (“THRESHOLD”), funded by the US Embassy.  A three-day train-the-trainers workshop for HRC members took place in April 2010 at Ikram Training and Infrastructure Development Institute in Kajang.  This was followed by a three-day national training for Members of the Bar in June 2010 at Pearl International Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.  Follow-up workshops for participants of the national training will take place in Terengganu, Selangor and Malacca in December 2010;
3. Participated in the Seksualiti Merdeka forum from 13 to 17 Oct 2010;
4. Organised the Human Rights Debate from 10 to 12 Dec 2010 in conjunction with the celebration of Human Rights Day on 10 Dec 2010, at KDU University College, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and with the finals held at the Bar Council Auditorium on 12 Dec 2010;
5. Organised the Human Rights Forum on 12 Dec 2010 at the Bar Council Auditorium, focusing on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008; and
6. Contributed (and continuing to contribute) to the Freedom of Information Enactment Bill 2010 currently before the Selangor State Assembly.

The following activities are currently being planned:

1. A training programme in collaboration with the International Justice Project focusing on utilising international law at the domestic level and the challenges to domestic reliance on international human rights, on 15 Jan 2011 at Bar Council; and
2. A joint training programme with the Iranian Bar Association, which is organised by the International Bar Association, also in January 2011 (venue to be confirmed).
   

Apart from these major activities, HRC also organises and hosts human rights talks and dialogues at the Bar Council Secretariat.  Some of the notable ones were:

1. the dialogue between Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Malaysia’s representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, and the representatives from the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in February 2010;
2. the presentation on “Domestic Application of International Human Rights Law” by Sir Dennis Byron in March 2010;
3. the launch of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (“UNHCR”)’s urban refugee policy in April 2010;
4. a talk on rehabilitation after a war with particular focus on the situation in Sri Lanka in September 2010 (co-organised with the Bar Council Subcommittee on Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs; and
5. in October 2010, a dialogue with a visiting delegation from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration in Vietnam to discuss the structure of Bar Council and the work of HRC in promoting and protecting human rights in Malaysia.
   

HRC has also participated in, and contributed to, numerous meetings, forums and roundtable discussions organised by SUHAKAM, UNHCR and SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia), on racial equality; freedom of religion; Orang Asli; emergency legislation; the refugee situation in Malaysia; economic, social and cultural rights in Malaysia; as well as following up on Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council last year.  HRC also met with the visiting United Nations Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in June 2010.    

HRC often plays a pivotal role in Bar Council’s press conferences on issues relating to preventive detention and the Internal Security Act 1960, abuse of police powers, and rights of marginalised communities.  A part of the Penan Support Group, HRC made a presentation at the Parliament in July 2010.

In addition, HRC is very active in engaging with government ministries and departments, non-governmental organisations as well as international and regional institutions, by offering written as well as verbal views on human rights issues affecting the country.  HRC has also participated in dialogues with the UNHCR in Geneva and the European Union in Brussels, on the issues of refugee rights and human rights, respectively.  This has enlarged HRC’s capacity with respect to public policy engagement and advocacy.

Andrew Khoo Chin Hock
Chairperson
Human Rights Committee

The Executive Officer for HRC is Adilah Ariffin and she can be contacted by telephone at 03- 2034 2071 or 03-2031 3003 ext 160 or by email at adilah@malaysianbar.org.my.

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(1)    Andrew Khoo Chin Hock (Chairperson)
(2)    Brendan Navin Siva (Co-Deputy Chairperson)
(3)    Roger Chan Weng Keng (Co-Deputy Chairperson)

Members:
(4)    Aston Philip Paiva
(5)    Anushka Prashalini Chandra
(6)    Burhanudeen b Abdul Wahid
(7)    Chow Siew Lin
(8)    Clement Ong Tun Heang
(9)    Deepa Nambiar
(10)    Desmond Ho Chee Cheong
(11)    Dipendra s/o Harshad Rai
(12)    Edmund Bon Tai Soon
(13)    Genevieve Tan Gaik May
(14)    Hon Kai Ping
(15)    Jenine Anand Gill
(16)    Jeffri Cheong Siu-Kong
(17)    Jerry Chin Yoke Lee
(18)    Joanna Loy @ Loi Wen Shin
(19)    John Fernandez
(20)    Kathlyn Lee Sue-In
(21)    Khaizan Sharizad bt Abd Razak (Sherrie)
(22)    Khor Xiou Shan (Valen)
(23)    Kimberly Nina Rajaretnam
(24)    Lee Choi Wan
(25)    Lim Kar Mern (until September 2010)
(26)    Mohammad Faizal b Che Yusof
(27)    Nizam Bashir b Abdul Kariem Bashir
(28)    Noor Arianti bt Osman
(29)    Parvinder Kaur Cheema
(30)    Rachel Vanuja Suppiah
(31)    Ragumaren s/o N Gopal (Gary)
(32)    Raina bt Md Radzaif
(33)    Richard Wee Thiam Seng
(34)    Ridzmann b Abdullah
(35)    Roseli b Abdul Ghani
(36)    Saha Deva s/o A Arunasalam
(37)    Seira Sacha bt Abu Bakar
(38)    Siti Kasim
(39)    Simran Kaur (until June 2010)
(40)    Sonya Liew Yee Aun
(41)    Soo Siew Mei
(42)    Suraeisan ST Mani
(43)    Suraj Singh s/o Jaswant Singh
(44)    Syamsuriatina bt Ishak
(45)    Tham Hui Ying
(46)    Thirunavakarasu s/o Vijayan
(47)    Usha Kulasegaran
(48)    Yang Pei Keng
(49)    Yogeswaran s/o Subramaniam
(50)    Yohendra s/o Nadarajan
(51)    Zarizana bt Abdul Aziz

Officer-in-charge: Adilah Ariffin