For several years, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has sought to use the power of the internet and other modern communication systems to promote and protect human rights in the region. Part of this effort involves creating web sites specifically for particular human rights issues. We offer below a brief summary of the contents of these web sites and their internet addresses.

Cyberspace Graveyard for Disappeared Persons: <www.disappearances.org>

AHRC does not want disappearances to disappear from the collective memories of Asia¡¦s societies. Thus, it has created this web site to remember as individuals those who have suddenly been taken from their families and friends and to remember disappearances as an important human rights problem. AHRC has chosen to commemorate the disappeared through a graveyard in cyberspace that now contains the names of hundreds of people in several Asian countries. The web site also contains articles, reports and U.N. documents about the topic.

Massacres in Asia: <http://massacres.ahrchk.net>

Based on a similar rationale as the web site about disappearances, this web site contains news stories and other documents as well as maps and photographs of the Bindunuwewa massacre of more than 25 Tamils in Sri Lanka in October 2000, the Mae Lamao massacre of at least 21 Burmese migrant workers on the Thai-Burma border in January 2002 and the Gujarat massacre of thousands of Muslims in India at the end of February 2002. Like the web site on disappearances, this web site calls for justice and accountability.

No Torture: < http://notorture.ahrchk.net>

AHRC¡¦s newest web site is devoted to one of the organisation¡¦s major areas of work.

Urgent appeals, books and other publications about torture are available as well as links to campaigns and other organisations addressing the issue. In addition, suggestions are offered about ways to become an advocate against this inhuman practice.

Permanent People¡¦s Tribunal on the Right to Food and the Rule of Law in Asia: <www.foodjustice.net>

Building on the four years of successful work of the People¡¦s Tribunal on Food Scarcity and Militarisation in Burma, whose findings are available at <www.foodjustice.net/burma/1996-2000tribunal>, the Permanent People¡¦s Tribunal was launched in May 2003 to address issues throughout Asia related to the right to food and to link them with the rule of law. The web site explains the rationale behind this link and updates the findings of the previous tribunal since it concluded its work in 2000.

World Conference against Racism: <http://wcar.alrc.net>

While the U.N. World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001 ended long ago, the issue of caste-based discrimination in South Asia and Japan over which AHRC and many others at the conference fought has not. Thus, this web site, which was created to collect materials related to the conference about this form of discrimination based on work and descent, is a platform that continues to be used to contest caste-based discrimination.

Cambodia Human Rights: < http://cambodia.ahrchk.net>

Kashmir Human Rights: <www.kashmir-hr.net>

Korea Human Rights: <http://korea.ahrchk.net/english> in English and <http://korea.ahrchk.net> in Korean

Malaysia Human Rights: <http://malaysia.ahrchk.net>

Sri Lanka Human Rights: <http://srilanka.ahrchk.net> in English and <http://srilanka.ahrchk.net/sin> in Singhalese

For people concerned about human rights in a specific country, this series of web sites offers a valuable resource. Among the material that is provided on these sites are news stories and other articles, urgent appeals, documents supporting campaigns, reports from legal reform seminars, U.N. submissions, publications that are available, historical information and links to human rights organisations and newspapers in these countries.

Asia Child Rights: <http://acr.hrschool.org>

Jana Sammathaya (Folk Consensus): <www.ahrchk.net/js>

Manav Astitwa (Voice of Humanity for Peace and Justice): <www.ahrchk.net/ma/index.php>

Qaumi Yak Jahti (Folk Consensus): <www.ahrchk.net/qaumi>

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights: <www.rghr.net>

Sada-E-Aman (Voice of Peace): <www.kashmir-hr.net/mainfile.php/sea>

AHRC produces several e-newsletters that share analysis, commentary and news items that are delivered by e-mail. These regular newsletters can also be read at the web sites above. The e-newsletters are produced either weekly (Asia Child Rights, Jana Sammathaya and Religious Perspectives on Human Rights) or biweekly (Manav Astitwa, Qaumi Yak Jahti and Sada-E-Aman) and are based on a human rights theme (Asia Child Rights), report on a variety of human rights issues in the region (Religious Perspectives on Human Rights), deal with abuses in specific parts of Asia (Jana Sammathaya in Sri Lanka, Qaumi Yak Jahti in Pakistan and Sada-E-Aman in Kashmir) or are a mixture of these formats (Manav Astitwa on Dalits in Nepal).

article 2: <www.article2.org>

Human Rights SOLIDARITY: <www.ahrchk.net/hrsolid>

Publications: <www.ahrchk.net/pub>

Sri Lanka Legal Reform and Human Rights: <http://srilanka.ahrchk.net/legal_reform>

Books produced by AHRC can be read or ordered online at the publications web site above. Moreover, all of the articles in AHRC¡¦s bimonthly publications article 2 and Human Rights SOLIDARITY are available on the internet as well. In addition, the publication Sri Lanka Legal Reform and Human Rights produced jointly with organisations in Sri Lanka ¡X People against Torture, Janasansadaya, SETIK, the Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Kalapaye Api ¡X can also be found at the web site listed. The editors invite readers to contribute articles to these publications by sending them to the address for Human Rights SOLIDARITY on page 2 and indicating for which publication the article is intended.