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3. May 2023
Japan’s Abduction Issue: Why Japan-North Korea Relations Remain at a Standstill
Human rights, InFocus, International relations, Japan, Korea
Prior to 2002, the idea that Japanese nationals were once abducted and transported back to North Korea was labelled as a conspiracy theory by the Kim regime. This was until the Japan-North Korea summit meeting held in Pyongyang on September 17, 2002. The Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had hoped for three outcomes: for North Korea to agree they will no longer seek compensation and reparations, but rather economic cooperation; for North Korea to pledge to maintain international agreements on its nuclear programme and the moratorium on its missile testing programme; and finally, for North Korea to acknowledge the 1970s and 1980s abductions of Japanese nationals (Hughes, 2002, p.61). Few people expected North Korea to formally acknowledge their crimes, making the events of the summit and of the months to follow even more astounding.
Read more9. Aug 2013
On Testimonial Therapy & the Life Project
cambodia, conflict studies, Human rights, InFocus, Therapy, Trauma, Vietnam
INTERVIEW What testimonial therapy does is try & bring private suffering into public & political spheres. Inger Agger (IA) is a psychologist, currently working with the Danish Institution Against Torture,(DIGNITY) and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. She visited Hong Kong in early March to conduct a workshop on Testimonial Therapy, which is her […]
Read more12. Mar 2013
Another China – other inequalities
China, gender, Human rights, InFocus
By Mai Corlin, Ph.D. student, Aarhus University Gender inequality is not simply the unfair treatment of men and women. It is a complex issue tied to a whole range of disparities in society at large, argues Professor Min Dongchao, who has just been awarded a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship and will be a guest […]
Read more24. Jan 2013
The gunslinger state of Laos
development, economy, environment, Human rights, InFocus, Laos
On December 15, on his way back from work, the Laotian director, activist and award winner, Sombath Somphone, mysteriously disappeared. The last people to see him, according to leaked surveillance footage, were the Laotian authorities at a police control post, where he was pulled over, and then driven away in a different car. Despite that, […]
Read more21. Dec 2012
Myanmar – a country opening up?
Burma, democracy, development, Field work, Human rights, InFocus, Myanmar, politics
After 50 years of isolation Myanmar, formerly named Burma, is finally opening up to the outside world. According to the media the country is now welcoming tourists, foreign investment and development aid. But exactly what does the picture of openness look like in reality? Photo taken in a small village in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta: […]
Read more20. Nov 2012
Pakistan: a consolidated democracy?
democracy, Elections, government, Human rights, InFocus, Islam, Pakistan, terrorism
Intervention at a conference arranged by South Asia Democratic Forum on the occasion of the UN Human Rights Council’s periodic review of “Pakistan”, Palais des Nations, Geneva, October 30, 2012. by Stig Toft Madsen Senior Research Fellow NIAS – Nordic Institute of Asian Studies This intervention will cover the period from the return of Benazir […]
Read more15. Oct 2012
Mo Yan på tryggt avstånd från politiken av Johan Lagerkvist
China, culture, democracy, government, Human rights, InFocus, International relations, literature, politics
Svenska Akademiens beslut att 2012 års Nobelpris i litteratur går till den kinesiske författaren Mo Yan är ett val som får enorm uppmärksamhet i Kina. Det är svårt att överskatta Nobelprisernas betydelse i ett land och en kultur där dessa utmärkelser – i synnerhet de naturvetenskapliga – varit stora nyheter alltsedan reformpolitiken inleddes 1978. I en […]
Read more19. Jul 2012
So..what is the definition of Genocide, again?
Burma, genocide, Human rights, InFocus, minorities, Myanmar, politics, refugees
Rohingya: Rohingya is an ethnic minority with dark skin, Muslim beliefs and, for the most part, no citizenship anywhere. Some groups live as sea nomads. Others live as illegal immigrants in Thailand, India or Bangladesh. Some live in refugee camps different places. Most live in poverty and most live in Burma. Nobody likes the […]
Read more13. Mar 2012
A brief report from a Burma visit 13-21 February 2012
Burma, democracy, government, Human rights, InFocus, Karen, minorities, Myanmar, politics
Mikael Gravers, Aarhus University The situation: On the surface there is a more relaxed mood in Rangoon when I visited Burma. However, all agree that the old totalitarian system is still working. People are still arrested during the night. Thus, we are cautioned that the situation could change rapidly again after the by-elections. There is […]
Read more1. Mar 2012
A little tale about lies by Anya Palm
cambodia, corruption, democracy, Human rights, InFocus, politics, poverty, refugees, urban development
“The neighborhood of Dey Krahorm has never received a social land concession.” This was the words of Cambodian Information Minister His Excellency Khieu Kanharith when I last visited him for an interview. About a week ago. But let´s go back a little. Let´s go back to May 2003. Prime Minister Hun Sen gives a speech […]
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