In the past few years, and particularly since September 11 2001, growing security concerns have led to the introduction of new national security measures in many countries of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. While acknowledging the need for vigilance to prevent acts of violence, many people in the region are concerned that these measures may have significant implications for civic rights, including the constitutional rights of citizens and the rights of ethnic and religious minority groups and non-citizen denizens.
These concerns are reinforced by the experience of a number of Asia-Pacific countries, where long-standing national security laws have been used to suppress dissent and restrict fundamental rights. Against this background, the Asia-Pacific Cross-Border Online Rights Network brings together scholars, lawyers, NGO activists and others concerned with the maintenance and expansion of civic rights in the region. It aims to disseminate information about important developments in Asian and Pacific countries which impinge on civic rights, and to provide a basis for the sharing of ideas. In this way, we hope to explore alternative approaches to creating a truly just, secure and democratic social and political environment in our region.
Its activities include a series of conferences, and a developing database of documentation on recent development which impinge on civic rights in the Asia-Pacific region.
For further information on the Network, please contact Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Division of Pacific and Asian History, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, email: tessa.morris-suzuki@anu.edu.au