FOR human rights activists, 1992 has been a distressing year. The media has been full of harrowing images, from all corners of the globe. Whether it be Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia or Burma, the human suffering caused by repressive regimes, for many, has been intolerable.
There are now more than 17 million refugees worldwide, and although this statistic makes the staggering scale of the refugee crisis clear, it also masks countless individual stories of persecution, loss and suffering.
Condemnation of human rights abuses, is often dictated by geopolitical considerations. The East Timorese continue to be subjected to torture and disappearances at the hands of the Indonesian military. Aung San Suu Kyi, now in her fourth year of detention, is a symbol of the ruthless treatment meted out by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) which has governed Burma, without a mandate from the people, for years, refusing to hand over power to the democratically elected representatives, manyof whom have now died in prison as a result of ill treatment.
As this decade began we looked forward to a ''new world order'', but now we see racism and xenophobia in Germany and other countries. ''Ethnic cleansing'' is a new term that has been introduced in 1992 and religious conflicts continue unabated. Respect for human rights needs to be universal and let us hope that 1993 sees a will by the international community to address and resolve the many trouble-spots around the world and alleviate human suffering, whether it be caused by civil unrest, famine or despotism.
With a United Nations-sponsored forum on human rights scheduled for June, 1993, should we not start the move towards a time when all people can live with freedom and dignity, regardless of their beliefs, colour, sex, ethnic origin, language or religion? That in 1993, we move towards looking for ways of solving conflicts, without resorting to violence.
Hongkong as a strong trading partner and economic influence in this region, could have a stronger voice in 1993 and could call for the universal protection of human rights.