Why I studied Human Rights

I was asked why I took Human Rights in my LLB programme. In fact it is pretty popular among other electives, but having chosen this elective, you have to give up Evidence or European Law and these two are much more practical.

I have asked myself this question as well. I guess at the v beginning when I chose this is because my frenz all think that that's the right subject I should choose... at least it sounds romantic.

But how to explain why its 'right' these years I didn't really have some concrete answers. Maybe that's the best option I'd have among the electives, or it is a relatively easy subject to study with (actually I took only a couple of days of revision before the exam), or its simply impractical and I'd show-off this romantic subject... nana... :p

It is definitely more than that.

I guess I have more ideas as I read more articles about it. However, for a while I feel that it is simply a tool for Western countries to attack others. And still I believe that it is true. There're some more incidents which I encountered while I'm serving in a charitable organisation and it made me feel even stronger that Human Rights is simply a tool or an excuse or a means to achieve something not necessarily related to the respect of human beings. However, it is not that negative.

I have just read an article and it re-ignited my passion in it... it is not directly related to Human Rights. It is more related to commercial ethics. However, if you do not respect human beings as something different from other creatures, the discussion of Human Rights could hardly start:

蘇丹麥洛維電站突然下閘蓄水　二千家園被淹沒

--李育成

http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=147112&group_id=97

李育成譯寫
2006年8月15日

八 月七日，蘇丹北部的麥洛維水電站建設當局在毫無預警下開始下閘蓄水，讓上游超過2,200戶Amri社區的家庭被淹沒。他們無家可歸，缺水缺糧。 據估計，分佈於Shikora、Al Bana、um Haza、El Batareen、Um Kouk、El Khezian與Gerf El Doud七個村莊的大約700個房屋已被催毀。另外在高地上的380個房屋也受到破壞，而且因為洪水浸泡而面臨倒塌的危險。其他六個村莊也正在受到水庫蓄 水淹沒家園的威脅。

附近村民正嘗試向災民提供食物和帳篷。代表Amri部族的委員會也正在向紅十字會尋求緊急援助。電站建設當局在蓄水當日，才告知村民他們有五天時間搬到在Bayuoda沙漠上還沒完工的移民村。

據初步估計，上升的洪水已淹沒農田，摧毀農作物和飼料，超過12,000頭牲畜被大水沖走，而生還的牲畜也會因為缺乏飼料而餓死。大量屍體的堆積也可能導致傳染病的爆發。

麥洛維(Merowe)水電站(又稱為Hamadab)是蘇丹尼羅河上一個正在建設的電站，投資成本為18億美元。電站項目由中國與歐洲公司承建，並得到中國進出口銀行和多家阿拉伯財務機構借貸建設。全長174公里的水庫將會淹沒蘇丹北部5,000年來富饒的歷史和文物遺產。

Amri 部族佔麥洛維水電站受影響群眾人口的四分之一，一直以來都拒絕遷出他們祖傳的土地。2002年11月，電站建設當局拒絕承認他們選舉產生的 委員會，因而爆發暴力事件。儘管當局進行受影響群眾的社會經濟調查，但此舉卻是為遷徙他們到沙漠地區作準備，因此衝突從未間斷。

2006 年4月，一支特別部隊襲擊Amri部族和平集會的村民。三個平民被殺，另外47人受傷。此後，該地區便一直被封鎖。記者與國際觀察員曾經於 六月潛入該地區，目擊大量軍隊駐紮。大壩保安主管告訴一名嘗試進入該地區記者，謂收到上層指示，不能讓任何媒體、非政府組織或救援組織進入。而來自Rai Al Sha’ab、Alwan和Al Aldwa的記者更由於進入大壩下游的村落Nuri而被扣查。

住在首都喀土穆的Amri部族社 區組成了行動委員會，籌備緊急救援工作。為了避免進一步人命財產損失，Hamadab受影響群眾領導辦公室組織 (LOHAP)呼籲國際社會必須儘快施加壓力給蘇丹政府，准許對當地的救援工作。當地的小孩和孕婦急需藥物和糧食。LOHAP也呼籲蘇丹政府必須讓聯合國 機構、媒體和非政府組織進入該地提供援助。

消息來源：
蘇丹論壇報、路透社網站、國際河網(IRN)、國際河網(IRN)中文博客