Updates from PPDD

Thank you Anna for the updates. please check Anna's Blog - http://armalindog.blogspot.com/ for more details and pictures.







Dear May 18 Foundation International Cooperation Team:

Greetings of Happy Holidays!

Hope all of you are doing great! Please see attached files. I am sending
you pictures of the Christmas Party of Light School that took place last
Dec. 20 at Thaime's Bar. It was attended by parents, some colleagues in
the work place and of course by the beautiful kids of Light School!

In behalf of all people and partners including the staffs and kids of
both PPDD and Light School, I want to greet you all a Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year. I wish all the best for year 2008!

Take care and thank you for the continuous support. In behalf of the
staffs of PPDD and Light School kids want to extend gratitude to all of
you.

Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!


Sincerely yours,

Anna Malindog
PPDD Executive Director








Dear May 18 International Team:

Hope all of you are doing great! Just want to give you some updates of the developments in Light School since the Foundation is financial supporting Light School. Please see below;

1. Migrant Schools Sports Competition in Maesot – LS kids joined and they won a lot of prizes both in sports competition and academic competitions. Out of 6 migrants/stateless schools, LS got the overall 3rd place in the competition. It was such a fun day. It was whole day event and I was there also participating and cheering for the kids and giving prize awards to winners as requested by the organizers of the event.

2. LS Kids and Teachers has the new school uniforms already

3. Community Development and Organizing & Economic Training LS Kids’ Parents is on-going, it started just last Friday (Dec. 6) and will be done by Dec. 27. Every other day we have training with the parents, they are very committed and happy to attend the training. I am having fun with them though sometimes quite hard for me because of the language barrier but it’s ok.

4. Training of Teachers on Human Rights, Child Rights, Leadership, Team Building, Project Management and School Curricula Development is on-going. It started last Saturday (Dec. 7) and will be done in Dec. 23 I guess. We have the training with the teacher almost everyday except Sunday and Monday since these days are my paper work day and I cannot be at the school to train them.

5. The new building of the school is almost done. I will send you pictures as soon as it is finished. The school will have Christmas Party by Dec. 20 at Thaime’s Bar and for this we are quit busy here preparing for the event, packing gifts for kids and teachers and games for kids etc. I will send you pictures after the party.

6. The school compound will undergo clean and green drive to beautify the school. This coming Saturday (Dec. 15) we will have flowers and trees planting and rebuilding of the fence of the school. This will be like an environmental day for LS. I will send you pictures of this event as well afterwards.

So far so good, very busy but ok, PPDD also is expanding so that’s another story to tell. Please check out PPDD blogsite every now and then (http://armalindog.blogspot.com) for you to see more pictures and updates of all the developments taking place for PPDD and Light School. Please see attached photos.

Thanks and happy holidays! I will give you update every now and then!

Good luck! Take care all of you!

Best Wishes!
Anna

Call for Application - 2008 International Internship Program

Dear friends and partners:

Greetings! Please find below our call for application for the 2008 International Internship Program. Please help us disseminate the information.

Thank you and good wishes,
International Cooperation Team
518interns@gmail.com


CALL FOR APPLICATION
THE MAY 18 MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The May 18 Memorial Foundation was founded by Gwangju citizens, sympathetic overseas Koreans, and from individuals who sacrificed and got indemnification from the government. It was created on August 30, 1994 by people who believe it’s important to keep the ideas and memories of the 1980 May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising alive and remembered.

The International Internship Program on Human Rights is a program of the Foundation created to contribute in the development of democracy and human rights throughout Asia. It is also an opportunity for interns to learn and experience the history and process of the development of human rights and democracy in South Korea. Specifically the purpose and aim of the program are the following: 1) To improve international solidarity and networking and 2) To promote Gwangju as Asia’s Hub for Human Rights Movement.

The Foundation is looking for two interns who will serve for 10 months from March-December 2008. Applicants female or male should not be more than 25 years of age, with a minimum of 3 years NGO or social development work experience on the issues of human rights, democracy and peace. Must be proficient in English and working knowledge of Korean is an advantage. Must be computer literate (email/internet, blog/web page, lay-out/design, etc).

Living allowance will be provided to successful interns. Housing will be provided for free but utilities (telephone/internet, electricity, and gas) will be paid for by interns. The Foundation will pay for the round trip airfare of interns.

Please download the application form if you are interested to apply from any of these links/sites:

http://eng.518.org/main.html?TM18MF=B04&bc_table=ENG_NOTICE&form_act=V&bnum=38&page=1



http://themay18.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/call-for-application-2008-international-internship-program/

Deadline of application is on 15 January 2008. Short listed applicants will be emailed for an online/webcam interview through Skype or Yahoo messenger.

Visit our blogsite archive to learn more about the internship program – 518interns.blogspot.com

518 Nominated to the OneWorld's Person of 2007

Ms. Anna Malindog, Executive Director of PPDD nominated The May 18 Memorial Foundation for the Oneworld's Person of 2007 - Nominate a Trailblazer, check out the link below:

http://oneworldus.civiblog.org/blog/_archives/2007/11/27/3377573.html#1052271

Thanks Anna for the nomination.

This is the call for the award:
OneWorld's Person of 2007 - Nominate a Trailblazer

Who do you think should be OneWorld's "Person of 2007"? Maybe it's someone who was working at the grassroots to bring change to their community or their country. Maybe someone working to improve governments' policies towards marginalized people. Or someone who raised issues that others were neglecting.

Al Gore came in second place last year, after a close vote where OneWorlders chose Dr. Rashad Zidan and the women of Iraq as the People of the Year, for "their tireless work to keep families together through the terrors of war." Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf certainly deserves some consideration this year for what she's done to bring stability to Liberia after years of war. What about Muhammad Yunus, the "father" of microfinance? Or Matt Flannery, the founder of kiva.org, which is bringing microfinance into the living rooms of the United States.

It doesn't have to be a single person either. Is there a corporation, an organization, or other group you'd like to nominate? The founders of Skype were nominated last year, for "helping connect people from all around the world." So was the town of Kinsale, Ireland, which has adopted a plan to wean itself off of fossil fuels. How about Bill Clinton? Hillary?

We'll leave it there. Now you tell us who you would nominate for OneWorld's Person of 2007 -- and why! Leave your nomination(s) in the comment fields below by Wednesday, December 19.

Please enquire about the death threats to Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi of the PVCHR

From: AHRC Urgent Appeals
Date: Dec 4, 2007 7:42 PM
Subject: INDIA: Human rights activist facing threats for reporting cases in Uttar Pradesh
To: pvchr.india@gmail.com


URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal



4 December 2007
------------------------------------------------------
UA-335-2007: INDIA: Human rights activist facing threats for reporting cases in Uttar Pradesh

INDIA: Threats to human rights activist; corruption; intimidation
------------------------------------------------------

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) regarding the recent threats to Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, the convener of the PVCHR in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state. It is reported that Dr. Lenin has been receiving calls over his telephone from unidentifiable telephone numbers threatening him that if the PVCHR continue reporting cases of hunger and starvation deaths from Uttar Pradesh state he will be shot dead and that the staff of the PVCHR will be implicated in false cases and the organisation forced to close down.

CASE DETAILS:

The AHRC has been contacted by Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi at 8:21pm Hong Kong time today that he has been receiving anonymous life threatening calls in his mobile phone since 4:45pm, Indian Standard Time (IST). The callers are reportedly threatening Dr. Lenin that he would be shot dead and that the staff of the PVCHR charged with fabricated cases and his organisation, the PVCHR, forced to close down since the PVCHR has been reporting cases of starvation deaths and malnutrition from the Uttar Pradesh state, India.

In the past two years the PVCHR has been instrumental in reporting cases of starvation and malnutrition from Uttar Pradesh, of which the case of Pritam, a three-year-old boy from Ambedkarnagar district of the state, who died from starvation on 25 November 2007, has been widely reported in the state as well as national media. Since the media started covering the news, the local staff of the PVCHR who has been working in the village where Pritam lived, Mr. Manoj Kumar, also has been receiving threats. For further details regarding this case, please see UA-333-2007.

Once the news regarding Pritam's death started coming out through the media, print and electronic, the other political parties in the state also have taken up the opportunity to sling dirt at the state administration. The state Chief Minister Ms. Mayawathi has appeared in all television news channels at about 1pm IST alleging that the cases reported by the PVCHR are false and inflated. The cases reported by the PVCHR are based on authentic documents, which also include medical certificates from local hospitals concerning the physical condition of each victim.

THE AHRC IS ALSO IN POSSESSION OF THESE DOCUMENTS AT OUR HONG KONG OFFICE, SINCE THE PVCHR FROM THE BEGINNING WAS EXPECTING THIS BACKLASH BY THE STATE ADMINISTRATION.

It is unfortunate that state administration is denying the cases reported by the PVCHR and the AHRC, instead of taking immediate actions against the corrupt government officers, who by criminal neglect in their duty, has pushed innocent children and poor persons to die from starvation in the state.

The AHRC is aware that the state administration led by Ms. Mayawathi has in the past has taken strict actions upon cases that were reported by the AHRC and the PVCHR, which has resulted in improvement of the living conditions of the poor and vulnerable communities in the state. The AHRC and the PVCHR expects that the state administration would immediately contact Dr. Lenin to assess the situation and would take all necessary precautions to safeguard the life and security of Dr. Lenin, the PVCHR and its staff.

For further information regarding some of the cases reported by the PVCHR in 2007 please see HU-002-2007, HA-004-2007, HA-005-2007, HA-006-2007, HA-008-2007, HA-009-2007, HA-010-2007, HA-011-2007, HA-012-2007, HA-013-2007, HA-014-2007 and HA-015-2007. For further cases please see the website of Urgent Appeals.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below expressing your concern about the incident and calling for an urgent intervention in the case. The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders calling for an intervention in this case.

To support this appeal, please click here:

Sample letter:

Ms. Mayawati
Chief Minister
Chief Minister's Secretariat, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91-522-2230002/2239234
Email: csup@up.nic.in

Dear Chief Minsiter,

INDIA: Please enquire about the death threats to Dr. lenin Raghuvanshi of the PVCHR

Name of the victim: Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, Convener, the PVCHR, SA4/2A, Daulatpur, Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh
Date of incident: November 4, 2007 at about 4:45pm (Indian Standard Time)

I am writing to express my concern regarding the case of Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, the convener of a local human rights organisation based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Lenin, as you might be aware, is the convener of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR). I am informed that at about 4:45pm, Indian Standard Time, Dr. Lenin started receiving anonymous calls on his mobile telephone threatening him that he will be shot dead and that fabricated cases would be registered against the staff of the PVCHR and that the PVCHR will be forced to close down since the PVCHR has been bringing shame to the state. It is unfortunate that you, as the Chief Minister of the state, have appeared on all major television channels alleging that the PVCHR and the AHRC has been reporting false cases from Uttar Pradesh just hours before Dr. Lenin started receiving anonymous threatening calls.

I am informed that the copies of the records like medical certificates of the victims of all the cases reported by the PVCHR from Uttar Pradesh has been also transferred to the AHRC office in Hong Kong for their verification and safe custody on a regular basis.

I am informed that the state administration in the recent past was in fact positively responding to all the cases reported by the PVCHR and the AHRC. I am also aware that, after the recent change in the state administration, in several cases the Chief Minister's office has directly intervened to resolve the issues of poor villagers whose cases were brought to the attention of your office by the PVCHR and the AHRC.

I hope that in this case too your office will positively respond, thereby taking all immediate precautions to ensure the safety of Dr. Lenin and the rest of the staff at the PVCHR. I am informed that the AHRC has already communicated this matter to the office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders calling for an intervention in this case.

I therefore urge you to take immediate steps through your office to ensure that:

1. A written complaint is recorded regarding the anonymous life threatening calls received by Dr. Lenin;

2. That the state administration will do everything legally possible to ensure the safety of the field activists of the PVCHR, and;

3. That the state administration will ensure that the work of the PVCHR in Uttar Pradesh state will continue unhindered.

I hope that you will take appropriate actions in this case at the earliest.

Yours sincerely,

---------------------

PLEASE ALSO SEND A COPY OF YOUR LETTER TO:

1. Ms. Veena Kumari
District Magistrate
Varanasi, Kachahari, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 542 2501450

2. Mr. Shripad Sirodakar
Senior Superintendent of Police
Varanasi, SSP Office, Kachahari, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: sspvns@up.nic.in

3. Dr. Kashmir Singh
Inspector General of Police
Varanasi Zone
Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: igzonevns@up.nic.in

4. Mr. Vikram Singh
Director General of Police
1-Tilak Marg, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 2206120, 2206174
E-mail: police@up.nic.in

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)
-----------------------------------------------

Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367




--
Dr. Lenin (Ashoka Fellow)
Mobile:+91-9935599333
Please visit:
http://www.universalrights.net/heroes/display.php3?id=101
www.pvchr.org
www.webspawner.com/users/pvchr
www.pvchr.blogspot.com
www.sapf.blogspot.com
www.antiwto.blogspot.com
www.rtfcup.blogspot.com
www.dalitwomen.blogspot.com
www.lenin-shruti.blogspot.com

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/930408838

Call for “Cancel One-semester Suspension of Lee Song Yong” Petition

Please support the call of DEMA !



Dear All,

DEMA had initiated an online petition on PetitionOnline. com that call for cancellation on one semester suspension of Lee Song Yong.

We calls upon the UPM to cancel the unreasonable punishment towards Lee, state the checking procedure of security guard and take action against the security officers who had abused their power.

We hope you could spend a moment and consider signing the petiton. Please take a look and support this online petition on

http://www.petitiononline.com/notoUUCA/petition.html

The petition is directed to Y. B. Dato’ Mustapa bin Mohamed (Higher Education Minister of Malaysia).

Thanks for your support.

Best Wishes,

Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement (DEMA)