ACORN: 2002 Workshop

National Security Laws and Constitutional Rights in the Asia Pacific Region

In response to suggestions made at the Symposium on Constitutions and Human Rights in 2001, a smaller follow-up workshop, focussing on specific issues raised at the Symposium was held in Canberra in October 2002. The theme of the 2002 workshop was "National Security and Constitutional Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region".

National security laws have a major impact on the practical exercise of constitutional rights in many countries of the region. The relationship between these laws and constitutional rights has been particularly highlighted in the period since September 11 2001, when new security provisions were introduced by governments around the world. The aim of the workshop was to compare changes in security laws in several countries of the region, and to discuss the implications of these changes for constitutions and human rights. The workshop ran for one-and-half days and included eight papers by speakers from Indonesia, Japan, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

This workshop was funded by the Daiwa Foundation for Asia and Oceania, and the National Institute for Government and Legal Studies, Australian National University. It is expected that a further workshop will be held in Tokyo in 2004.