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Grants >> 2004 Asia Programs Highlights
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A variety of challenges continued to confront democrats in Asia throughout the year—including severe restrictions on all forms of political activity in authoritarian states; the weakness of state institutions designed to safeguard civil and political rights and pervasive corruption in more nominal democracies; and the increasing use of measures that undermine civil liberties and human rights as governments throughout the region introduce new tactics to combat terrorist networks operating in the region. Throughout 2004, NED continued to concentrate its resources on organizations working to open up dictatorial systems and broaden rights and political space in semi-authoritarian countries. In addition, NED's work in Asia addressed two issues that extend beyond the region's borders: aiding democracy in the Muslim world and strengthening solidarity networks among democratic activists and thinkers. Support for democratization efforts in China and Burma, where dissidents' demands for political reform continue to be met with heavy-handed repression, remained the Endowment's highest priority in Asia. In China, the Endowment continued to provide support to programs advocating human rights, labor rights, and democracy, as well as programs designed to advance partial reforms in building market institutions, create a functioning legal system, and develop mechanisms to increase responsive and accountable local governance. Projects to improve government accountability and transparency included new work by independent groups based inside China on issues such as gaining access to the legal system to enforce citizen rights and exposing government mismanagement of China's looming HIV/AIDS crisis. The Endowment's support for the free flow of information in China grew to encompass for the first time a grant to the Independent Chinese PEN Center, a newly founded member of International PEN, which campaigned for the release of imprisoned writers and organized events and programs inside China honoring the writings of banned authors. In addition, CIPE and several other NED grantees continued their support for independent public policy debate, including the highly regarded biweekly seminar series on economic and institutional reform held by the Unirule Institute of Economics. Hard-hitting reporting and human rights advocacy was carried out by a number of NED grantees outside of China. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, 2004 was the Endowment's second year of expanded support for local groups working to halt the erosion of civil liberties, including first-time support for Civic Exchange, an independent public policy think tank. The NED's programming in Tibet focused on providing civic education for the exile community, documenting human rights abuses, and fostering the flow of information into and out of Tibet. The Voice of Tibet, for example, used NED support for its daily Tibetan- and Chinese-language shortwave radio broadcasts, bringing Tibetans independent news, views and cultural programming as an alternative to the monopoly exercised by government-controlled mass media in Tibet. In Burma, conditions deteriorated. The regime continued to restrict basic political freedoms, target civilians in ethnic areas where opposition groups continued to resist government control, and detain U Tin Oo and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy. Moreover, the regime removed from power Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt and dismantled the entire intelligence apparatus he ran. The two leaders most identified as hardliners, Senior General Than Shwe and Deputy Senior-General Maung Aye, consolidated control and continued to pursue policies inimical to freedom. For the 14th year, NED continued large scale assistance to the beleaguered Burmese democracy movement. Key areas of support included support to political prisoners and their families, human rights documentation and advocacy, independent media, labor organizing, ethnic reconciliation, women's political participation, and transition research and preparation. In an outstanding new initiative, the Karen Women's Organization used NED support to introduce a democracy and human rights civic-education curriculum in high schools in Karen State, Burma. The failed policies of North Korea's Kim Jong Il continue to generate the so-called “invisible exodus” of its citizens, who risk great danger to cross the border into China in order to flee conditions of extreme privation and repression. Yet the regime continued to respond to international pressure and overtures with belligerence and denial. In 2004, NED supported several grantees based in South Korea working to document and campaign against the abuses ravaging the people of North Korea. One of them, the Democracy Network Against North Korean Gulag, is the first organization founded by survivors of the North's prison-camp system. It plays a critical role in providing first-hand personal and eyewitness testimony exposing the hidden human rights abuses that the North Korean populace continues to suffer. As General Pervez Musharraf solidified his control in Pakistan, conditions remained challenging for democratic activists. In 2004, the Endowment increased its support to local groups in Pakistan and both NDI and ACILS worked with local partners on projects addressing the free flow of information, civil society development, political participation, and labor rights education. Elsewhere in the region, NED responded to the mixed picture of democratic development by targeting support for indigenous prodemocracy efforts where modest projects can have a disproportionate impact and where resources are scarce. This was particularly important in Malaysia and Vietnam and in NED's regional programs, where cross-border solidarity is necessary to sustain and strengthen local efforts in areas such as maintaining the free flow of information and supporting independent, professional journalism, election monitoring, human rights reporting, transparency and anti-corruption programs. The Asian Network for Free and Fair Elections worked closely with local partners conducting a wide range of election-monitoring work, providing critical moral and technical support from prominent groups and individuals across the region. |
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