TIMED to coincide with the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum, the New York-based Human Rights Watch/Asia today releases a report accusing Asian governments of sacrificing human rights for economic growth.
The 36-page report, entitled 'Human Rights in the APEC Region: 1994', includes a survey of human rights in the United States, China, Japan, and APEC host country Indonesia.
The group claims that many of the Asian countries, while hailing their glamorous economic success, have turned a blind eye to the frequent abuses of human rights in the region.
The common premise that economic achievements could automatically bring about political change had given many Asian governments excuses to suppress human rights for the sake of stability, it says.
'Human Rights Watch/ Asia also questions the assumption that suspension of political and civil rights is necessary to economic growth,' the report says.
It gives plenty of examples where economic development has been used to enhance the legitimacy of authoritarian governments, including such places as Singapore and Indonesia.