To Conclude...

Wow! I can't believe I finally reached my last post (instead of ten posts in total by the end it's seven now since we're running out of time). Since it's the last one, I decided to conclude this blog and to do a little recap of what I've learned throughout the whole process of this blog. 


"Riot in Hong Kong on Chinese New Year":

Man throwing a public garbage can at a police.
(Same picture used in "Riot in Hong Kong on Chinese New Year")

I've learned about how people will fight for freedom. They even decide to have physical fights against police officers. This situation really made me think on how I'm supposed to resolve conflicts. Clearly this was an example of what I SHOULDN'T do. It's important to take a stand but when it can cause harm and possibly kill someone, is it really the way to go? This wouldn't make those standing up for freedom any better than those who are taking the freedom away. Problems should be resolved not getting worse thinking that the problems resolved. 
Lesson Learned: 
Fight for freedom but do it the right way (non-violent).

"Religious Freedom in China" :
In this post, I found out that the leaders in China actually legalize religions. Which means that those who aren't "legalized" are bad and aren't allowed to be practiced. I found that quite insulting and ride. This gives people three choices: practice the "legalized" religions, don't practice at all, practice your own religion but secretly and could possibly face punishments (usually physical) if found practicing. I feel terrible that people have to suffer so much. I'm now aware and also very thankful for where I've been raised. After this post, I feel so grateful for those who have fought for our freedom. I think that people should learn to accept differences. If they can accept different physical appearance, why can't religions be accepted?
Lesson Learned:
Be grateful for those who fight for your freedom; 
Accept others for who they are even with their differences.

"North Korean Camps" :

North Korean camp prisoners had to kneel before the guards and open their mouths.
The guards would then spit in their mouths and the prisoners just had to accept it.
(Same picture used in "North Korean Camps")

When I was writing this post, I feel like I finally understand the hardships that North Koreans are going through. Of course there is no way I would understand the pain they're going through, but now I know that it was never their choice and they had no choice. They are treated like wild animals and are trained to almost have no emotion. To them, family, love, peace, happiness and many more, don't even exist. Surely they would have heard of this, but many would never have experienced it because certain were born in the camps. I know that these days, people make fun of North Korea and I used to think it was quite amusing and funny. But now, I feel sorry for the people who have so much time making up these jokes. They should instead do like 5 minutes of research to see what they're making jokes about. After knowing their stories, I don't think you'll have the heart to make any more jokes. 
Lesson Learned:
Don't judge others before understanding them and knowing their story.

Sorry this post is getting a little long...I'm almost done. Just bear with me. 

"Tiger Moms" : 

So if you have read this post, it was funnier than my other ones. This post is about moms who overwork their children in...well everything. I feel that this method of raising children could work but would also just blow up and become a huge disaster. As for why parents (usually mothers) do this, it's because of their beliefs on how to succeed. The Chinese believe that in order to succeed, they have to do anything in order to get it. They grew up knowing, "If you want it, you gotta work for it yourself." But I think that in doing this, kids lose their childhood when they can just play and have fun. They lose the time where they don't have to worry about anything. Instead they're taught: "I need to study because I won't succeed." at a young age. 
Lesson Learned:
Let children live their childhood and just let them be free.

Last one, I promise. 

"One Vision, One Identity, One Community" :

Different leaders of the countries in AICHR at a special meeting with their signature hand shake
(Same picture used in "One Vision, One Identity, One Community")

I've learned that there are organizations fighting for human rights in Southeast Asia. They have conferences and meet up at least twice a year. They are the example that others should follow. I think that the other Asian countries should also join this group or start their own. In order to understand the problems, leaders of each country should meet up and discuss about the problems and possible solutions. This is somewhat similar to what we know as UNICEF. ASEAN and the group AICHR are examples of how problems should be solved opposed to the ways that the people in Hong Kong reacted to their human rights problem. I feel that we shouldn't be afraid to stand up for what's right to help change the world.  
Lesson Learned: 
Don't be afraid to stand up for what's right;
Together we can solve problems and help the world become a better place. 


Well that took a while, but in the end I was able to learn A LOT. I felt like throughout this blog project for my media studies unit in English helped me learn more about others, myself and many morals.

Thanks for reading my blog, I hope you learned a lot and enjoyed reading it!! :) 

非常感謝你!!
(Thank you very much!!)  

"One Vision, One Identity, One Community"

Hey everyone welcome to my sixth post! Some of you may or may not have noticed that I changed the look of my blog. I thought it would fit my theme pretty well. Anyways that's not the point, let's get back to this blog post. 

I will be talking about "AICHR" which stands for "ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights" Before you continue and think: "Wynonna doesn't even know how to spell ASIAN right?" "ASEAN" is actually another acronym. (Who puts an acronym in an acronym?) "ASEAN" stands for "Association of Southeast Asian Nations". Let me explain to you these two different groups and how they're tied/related.

This is the ASEAN emblem/logo.

ASEAN is an organisation of 10 Southeast Asian countries. It was formed by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand on August 8th 1967. Later on

other countries have been added including, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. As written in the ASEAN Declaration, the purposes of ASEAN are:

• "To accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region.
• To promote regional peace and stability
• To promote collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest.
• To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities.
• To collaborate for the better utilization of agriculture and industry to raise the living standards of the people.
• To promote Southeast Asian studies.
• To maintain close, beneficial co-operation with existing international organisations with similar aims and purposes"

This is the ASEAN flag.

Next is AICHR, which first started in October 2009. They are a group formed by ASEAN to focus on human rights. They meet up at least twice every year.  Their job is to "promote and protect human rights and regional co-operation on human in the member states of Brunei, Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic), Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Special Meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
with their signature crossed hand shake.

Since I've been talking negatively about human rights and freedom in Asia, I felt like I needed to balance things out. There are organisations who are trying to protect human rights, like this one. Countries in Asia are started to understand human rights and freedom, which is a good sign. Education and understanding, to me, are the keys to change for the better. Once someone understands the problem it can be solved and prevented. This organisation is just the start!  

Oh! I seemed to have forgot to mention the title. Some of you are probably thinking that I just put something inspirational as a title just because. That is FALSE! Fun fact: the title is actually ASEAN's motto.

遲啲見!
(See you later!) 

Sources: 
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN_Intergovernmental_Commission_on_Human_Rights
2. http://aichr.org/about/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Southeast_Asian_Nations#Purpose
4. http://asean.org/asean/about-asean/

"Tiger Moms"

So welcome back to my blog and this will be my fifth blog post! 

So obviously as the title states, I will be talking about "tiger moms". I know, most of you are thinking: "How is this related to 'Human Rights and Freedom in Asia' in any way whatsoever?" Well rest assured because after this post you will know why.

First of all, what is a "tiger mom"? According to oxforddictionaries.com a tiger mom is: "A strict or demanding mother who pushes her children to high levels of achievement,using methods regarded as typical of childrearing (parenting) in China and other parts of East Asia" 

Well after-knowing the definition of a "tiger mom", let's move on to how it relates to human rights and freedom. Well obviously as people, we can't forget the younger generations: kids. Most of the time people will think that kids are free and they have wonderful lives. But not when you're being raised by a tiger mom. 

Because of these "tiger moms", the stereotype that all Asians are smart and that they're good at everything was created. Sure, that stereotype isn't bad but in reality the parents are just strict and demanding towards their kids. That limits the child from living their childhood. When they grow older, they'll start to wonder where their childhood has gone and regret that they couldn't have freedom. But it isn't their faults it's the "tiger moms" and their ways of parenting. 

To a certain extent, this method of raising a child is quite funny and most people make fun of people like me with strict parents. I take it as a joke but honestly this shouldn't be taken as a joke because these parents are so strict they say they care about the child but in fact they're abusing the child. I don't think this is the right way to raise a child. Of course their future is important but let them decide and as parents, guide them. Don't force them into doing things your way because that just takes away their freedom. Even though children are younger, they are still humans and they still have human rights and they should be treated with respect and love too. The parents will overcharge the child's schedule with lots of extracurricular activities in order to be well-rounded. And they will make sure they are the top students, if not they will be punished and when they do succeed, it is never good enough.

 

This is a trailer from a Taiwanese drama which is about a "tiger mom" raising her child.

再會...

(See you again)

Sources:

1. My mom

2. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/child-rearing#child-rearing__3

3. Battle Hym Of The Tiger Mom by Amy Chua

4. My own opinion and knowledge

North Korea Camps

Welcome back to my blog! 

So this is my fourth blog post and now I'm not sure if most people think this way but when this topic came up, I immediately thought of North Korea. Maybe it's because of its reputation and all the stereotypes and judgments that are spread all around the world. Now of course, everyone just assumes North Korea is a bad place and everything they do is wrong but is that the truth? 

Well I've decided to research about the North Korean Camps. Basically it is almost like prison or even worse actually. "The kwan-li-so is a prison system which holds political prisoners."* When a someone commits a crime and gets sent to the camps, not only is he/she sent to the camp but also three generations of his/her family. This is how the North Korean government takes control over the people. 

In these camps, people get tortured from extremely severe to just common forms of torture such as beating with sticks or iron rods, slapping, kicking etc. The reason the prisoners get tortured is so that they will tell them confessions. 
The type of torture, I find really unreasonable and really gross is when a guard would order the prisoners to come over. The prisoners had to kneel in a certain position with their hands behind their backs and their mouths open. What would happen is that the guard would spit in their mouths and they had to swallow in order not to get hit. If they gagged, they would get beaten. The guards were taught to treat the prisoners cruelly. They didn't care about human rights.

Also, in the camps there were lots of executions, and they were public executions. Every North Korea has witnessed public execution. Firstly, the prisoners would get triangular stones shoved into their mouths, followed by their faces being covered by rags and then a patch is put over their eyes. Then, they would get tied to a stake in three places: chest, stomach, and knees. After that, the first shots strike in the head, then the chest and finally he stomach. 

In the end, I think that the North Koreans vary between those who hurt and the ones getting hurt. For me, I feel bad for the prisoners because when they first enter the camp, they are told not to ask what crime they committed. So most of the prisoners have absolutely no idea why they're being taken there. To conclude, I think that North Koreans are being tortured unfairly but those who torture shouldn't get blamed for either because they were told and trained to do so. Which is why I think the problem lies within the government and the authorities who let these things happen.    

당신이 다음 번 참조...

(see you next time...)

 Sources:
1. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/north-korea *
2. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/22/a-terrifying-look-inside-the-nightmarish-world-of-north-koreas-prison-camps/
3. http://www.businessinsider.co.id/north-korea-prison-survivors-on-video-2014-2/#.VwctyvkrLIU

Religious Freedom in China

Hey everyone, 

When most people think of Asia, they think immediately of China. Maybe because it takes the biggest part of the continent?? For those who don't know much about China, it is a communist country and the world's most populated country.

Map of China

Religion is frowned upon and persecuted in China. Because of this, lots of buildings have been destroyed. The people are trying to repair these historical and cultural sites to protect them. The members of the Communist Party have to be atheists but since it isn't really enforced because some of them sneak off to their religious activities.1

I'm going to be focusing on three main religions:

• Christianity: "The religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its belief and practices." There are only two Christian groups that are considered "legal" in China. Other Christian groups are persecuted.6

This Falun Gong practitioner
was allegedly tortured
in custody in 2005.

• Tibetan Buddhism: "The religion of Tibet, a form of Mahayana Buddhism." The Chinese government declared that, without their permission, no living Buddha would may be incarnated.7 

• Falun Gong: "Chinese spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance." The Communist Party banned this practice. Thousands and maybe millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured, sent to labor camps and went through horrible treatment.  

According to me, China has went too far. They want to have full control over everyone and every religion. So, in order to make people listen, the decide to use labor camps and persecution. That is not the right thing to do. They shouldn't even have religious groups that are "legal" and "illegal". What is the difference between the legal ones are those who are illegal? They are both religions that are being practiced. I don't think it's right to put a barrier around your beliefs. Each person should have the right to believe in their own religions and should have the freedom to practice their religion. You don't necessarily have to practice and believe in that religion. But it's important to accept everyone. Freedom of religion is something that should be cherished in the countries that can practice their beliefs without being persecuted.

拜拜啦!
(Bye Bye!)

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_China#Religious_freedom
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Falun_Gong
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falun_Gong
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_China
5. http://www.hrichina.org/en
6. https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=what%20is%20christianity
7. https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what+is+tibetan+buddhism

Riot in Hong Kong on Chinese New Year

Hey! Welcome back to my blog!

So as I mentioned in my introduction, I will be blogging about "Human Rights and Freedom in Asia". So I've decided to start off with my most comfortable place, almost like home...HONG KONG! 

For those who don't know about Hong Kong. It is an SAR (Special Administrative Region). It used to be a British Colony from 1842-1941. Now it is under the Chinese government and it has caused many disagreements and conflicts. I'd like to focus on a more recent riot. It happened on February 8th, the first day of Chinese New Year, there was a pretty big problem. The residents of Hong Kong were protesting because of the elections and how they wanted to have a better choice of candidates. They were fighting for freedom. Because they couldn't get that, they decided to protest. The protesters didn't like the authorities and the police were a sign of authority, so they threw water bottles and trash cans at the police. It became a huge riot and even the police had to fight back with pepper spray! The authorities fired gun shots as warning but that wasn't enough to stop the people. The people even took out certain bricks from the pavement to throw at the police. It was a huge mess right at the beginning of the New Year!1,4,5 

Here's a resident throwing a garbage bin at a police.
And yes, that is how big the garbage bins in Hong Kong are.

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with what the people think. They want to have freedom so they're acting up in order to make a statement. BUT...I don't think they should have hurt the police. Many of the officers were hurt, injured, and could even have been killed. I mean, anyone could die if a brick was thrown at the head. Was there absolutely no way in talking things out? Maybe this could have happened some other day even. The Chinese are really superstitious people and having a disaster happen right on the first day of New Year isn't exactly what I'd call a great way to start off the year. The people even started fires. And not only did they hurt the police, they ended up hurting the reporters, journalists and even other residents. I just think that this shouldn't be the way to express opinion because they are hurting each other and I'm sure many of the police officers were confused and innocent but being punished for things they didn't do. They just so happened to be part of the authorities. Everything was really well elaborated though, I have to give them credit for that. 

In the end, even though I think it's important to express yourselves and to fight for rights and freedom, this should not be the way. And just because the residents of Hong Kong have done this, that doesn't automatically make them bad people and a bad place. They are not the type of people to just start a riot and definitely should not be judged for one thing that they've done.

下次再見...

(See you next time...)

Sources:

1- http://time.com/4213191/hong-kong-riot-protest/

2- My mom 
3- A news broadcast that I watched with my mom 
4- http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/hong-kong-activists-police-clash-over-holiday-food-stalls-1.2769991
5- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong

Just A Little Introduction...

Hi! My name is Wynonna and this is my blog on human rights and freedom in Asia. You may be wondering why I choose Asia of all places. Well, there are two reasons. One, I'm Asian (specifically Chinese) but also Canadian so by writing this blog on this topic, I will be able to learn more about how politics work in Asia. Two, Asia is a pretty big place and there are lots of countries that are good and bad examples of freedom and human rights. So it's important for me to not only focus on the negative or only the positive but also to explore and see the many sides and perpectives of Asia.

Before I continue on, there are some questions to be answered. For instance, what are human rights? According to Dictionary.com, human rights mean "fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a government may not interfere, as the rights to speak, associate, work, etc." All these fancy words just to explain that every person has the authority to do or have certain things. 

Which ties into my next question. What is freedom? Also, according to Dictionary.com there are many definitions because there are different types of freedom. There's the political freedom, the physical freedom and many other types as well. But there is a common point for each definition on the different types of freedom and that is to be free and to have liberty and rights.

Human rights and freedom work together and they're tied with each other. They're each other's synonyms. Plus how can you have human rights without freedom and how can you have freedom without human rights. The basics of having human rights is being free.

In my next few posts, I will share some of my knowledge as well as some knowledge from other sources to cover the different point of views of each situation in each place. Until then, here is a little history on what human rights are and how they came to be...

Until next time...