Public Consultation on Human Rights - 22 Aug 2009

Hi Mr Tan,
I hope this e-mail finds you well. I am writing to you on behalf of a group called MARUAH (www.maruah.org), and specifically Braema Mathi who leads MARUAH.

As you may know, MARUAH is a human rights group that has been dialoguing at the regional and national level with governments and other stakeholders on the ASEAN Human Rights Body under the ASEAN Charter.

The ASEAN Human Rights Body, now termed the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, is here to stay -- you can see the Terms of Reference at http://www.asean.org/DOC-TOR-AHRB.pdf. We feel that a crucial precondition for the AIGCHR to be meaningful (even within the constraints of its TOR) is for all civil society members and other stakeholders to at least know what it is about and how it can impact our work.

Accordingly, MARUAH is organising a public consultation to be held on 22 Aug 2009. We would like to invite you to attend this consultation. The attachments provide more details on this public consultation and also include the registration form. You may also register online at http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEZRMHRvQjhpNXROdDZFRmV4d2k5bHc6MA..

Human rights is only going to gain more significance in the Singapore political landscape. We strongly encourage you to be part of this consultation. We intend to offer a one-stop shop for those who need more information, and we will also seek to gather views (without attribution to any particular group or person, to encourage a more open and frank discussion).

We would also greatly appreciate it if you could forward this email (including the attachments) to others who may be interested in this event, and also publicise this event on your site (e.g. by linking to http://maruah.org/2009/08/07/registration-for-consultation-workshop-on-asean-intergovernmental-commission-on-human-rights/).

We really hope to see you there, to be part of the process of shaping the future for the next generation.

Thank you and we look forward to receiving your positive response.

Best regards,
Kum Hong