Editorial Roundup

Excerpts of editorials from newspapers around the world:

The Bangkok Post

U.S. hit on human rights

BANGKOK — The United Nations has concluded … that the situation in Guantanamo Bay, the United States jail in Cuba for alleged terrorists, violates international law and the convention on human rights and torture.

While some of the allegations have been made before, this report is the first to emerge from an investigation made by the reputed U.N. Commission on Human Rights. A draft of the report was forwarded to the White House on Jan. 16 for comment.

The report accuses the U.S. of violating the detainees’ rights to a fair trial, freedom of religion and health.

Five U.N. experts had applied for permission to conduct an inquiry at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. government denied entry to two and said three experts could visit the facility but could not talk with any detainees. The U.N. panel decided not to accept the U.S. government offer and refused to go. …

Lawyers for two Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay filed court papers on Monday seeking an order for their release. Abu Bakker Qassim and A’Del Abdu al-Hakim were captured in Pakistan in 2001 as they fled a Taliban training camp, where they were learning tactics to use in seeking independence from the Chinese government. The two men have said they have no quarrel with the U.S., and the U.S. military has found that they are not “enemy combatants.”

And in Paris on Monday, Reporters Without Borders, a worldwide press watchdog, urged the U.S. to free two journalists jailed without charges, one in Iraq and one at Guantanamo Bay, and accused U.S. and Iraqi forces of obstructing media coverage of the war.

The Korea Times

The top U.N. post

Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon’s declaration of candidacy for U.N. secretary general marks an epoch for both Korea and the global body. It is like a child who was born and grew up under dedicated parental support has come of age and offers to return the favor.

Of course, the top job at the United Nations is individual rather than national in nature. This only makes Minister Ban a better candidate than most others. A lifetime diplomat and a known U.N. expert, he enjoys … recognition on the diplomatic stage.

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