The New AICHR Representative for 2013-2015

Starting 28th January until February 2, 2013, AICHR will have their first meeting for 2nd three-year period (2013-2015) with the new composition of its members. Until Saturday, here is the updated list of AICHR Representatives

Summary of the composition:

·       4 new Representatives

·       3 women

·       Only 2 countries conducted a participatory selection process (Indonesia, Thailand)

·       2 lawyers (Thailand and Malaysia), 1 NGO (Indonesia), 5 diplomats/former diplomats (The Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia), 1 government retired officials (Brunei Darussalam), 1 member of NHRI (Myanmar)

The following is the brief description of each Represenative that HRWG Staff managed to compile:

1.     Brunei Darussalam, H.E. Mr. Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Hj. Ahmad bin Hj. Jumat

H.E. Mr. Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Hj. Ahmad bin Hj. Jumat is a former of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Brunei Darussalam from 2008-2010. He was a Minister of Industry and Primary Resource from 2005-2008. He was a Minister of Development from 2002-2005. He earned BA at University of Malaya, Malaysia, M. Ed at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada and D. Ed at University of South California. This is his second term in AICHR.

2.     Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Dr. Om Yentieng

H.E. Mr. Om Yentieng was a member of the High Level Panel to draft the Term of Reference for the AICHR. Currently he is holding number of positions in Cambodia: (a) President of Cambodian Human Rights Committee in 2000, (b) Member of the National Counter-terrorism Committee in 2004, (c) Head the Cambodian Anti-Corruption Unit at the Office of the Council of Ministers, and (d) Senior Minister and vice president of the Council for Legal and Judicial Reforms. He holds Doctoral degree on Law. This is his second term in AICHR.

3.     Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Rafendi Djamin (Re-elected)

H.E. Mr. Rafendi Djamin the Executive Director of the Coalition of Indonesian NGOs for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG) Indonesia. He earned his master degree at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, the Netherlands, after graduating from the University of Indonesia. This is his second term in AICHR through the democratic selection process in Indonesia.

4.     Laos, H.E. Mr. Phoukhong Sisoulath (NEW)

H.E. Mr Phoukhong Sisoulath is the Project Manager, Department of Treaties and Law in the ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR. He has been the alternate/ assistant of the former AICHR Representative 2009-2012, H.E. Mr. Bounkeut Sangsomsak.

5.     Malaysia, H.E. Mr. Dato’ Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah

H.E. Mr. Dato’ Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is an advocate & solicitor, is well-known and respected in the legal circle. He received an LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Malaya in 1977. In 1984, he went to London to pursue his Post-Graduate studies at the London School of Economics and graduated with an LLM. He has his own Law Practice, Messrs Shafee & Co in which he is involved in litigation covering criminal, civil, constitutional, human rights, etc. He has been appointed in number of high profile boards/councils such as Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council, SUHAKAM, National Welfare Foundation and University of Malaya Board, to name a few. This is his second term in AICHR.

6.     Myanmar, H.E. Mr. U Kyaw Tint Swe

H.E. Mr. U Kyaw Tint Swe is a member of Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He was the Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations (since 2001). He was elected vice president of the General Assembly three times (2004, 2006 and 2008) and chairman of the special political and decolonization committee of the General Assembly.He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Yangon in Myanmar and a post-graduate diploma in international relations and development at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. This is his second term in AICHR.

7.     The Philippines, H.E. Mrs. Rosario Gonzales Manalo

H.E. Mrs. Rosario Gonzales Manalo is a Senior Foreign Service Adviser to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, who had also chaired the High Level Task Force to draft the ASEAN Charter (2007). She was the Philippines’ representative to the High Level Panel that drafted the AICHR’s TOR. She was the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Portugal and Estonia. She teaches at the University of the Philippines, the National Defencee of the Philippines and the School of Social Sciences at Ateneo de Manila University. This is her second term in AICHR.

8.     Singapore, H.E. Mrs. Chan Heng Chee (NEW)

H.E. Mrs. Chan Heng Chee has served as Singapore’s ambassador at-large to the United States from July 1996 to July 2012. Chan Heng Chee earned her B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1964 and 1966, respectively.  She earned a second M.A. at Cornell University in 1967, and her Ph.D. in Political Science at NUS in 1974. Chan left academia in 1989 to serve as Singapore’s representative to the United Nations from 1989 to 1991, when she was also accredited as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico. Between 1991 and 1996, Chan served as Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation, which is responsible for the Singaporean version of the US Peace Corps, and Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 

9.     Thailand, H.E. Mr. Seree Nonthasoot (NEW)

H.E. Mr. Seree Nonthasoot is an international law expert who teaches at faculty of Law in Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He was a Legal Counsel at the Treasury. He is a Legal Counsel at State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance. He graduated from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and the University of Oxford.

10.  Vietnam, H.E. Mrs. Le Thi Thu (NEW)

H.E. Mrs. Le Thi Thu is the Vice Head of the Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Vietnam. She has been served as the assistant of the former AICHR Representative (2010-2012), H.E. Mr Nguyen Duy Hung.

The list of Representatives of AICHR in two periods:

	2009-2012	2013-2015
Brunei Darussalam	·    H.E. Mr. Abdul Hamid Bakal (2009-2010) ·    H.E. Mr. Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Hj. Ahmad bin Hj. Jumat (2011-2012)	H.E. Mr. Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Hj. Ahmad bin Hj. Jumat
Cambodia	H.E. Mr. Dr. Om Yentieng	H.E. Mr. Dr. Om Yentieng
Indonesia	H.E. Mr Rafendi Djamin	H.E. Mr Rafendi Djamin
Laos	H.E. Mr. Bounkeut Sangsomsak	H.E. Mr. Phoukhong Sisoulath
Malaysia	H.E. Mr. Dato’ Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah	H.E. Mr. Dato’ Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah
Myanmar	Mr. U Kyaw Tint Swe	Mr. U Kyaw Tint Swe
The Philippines	H.E. Mrs. Rosario Gonzales Manalo	H.E. Mrs. Rosario Gonzales Manalo
Singapore	H.E. Mr Richard Magnus	H.E. Mrs. Chan Heng Chee
Thailand	H.E. Mrs. Sriprapha Pechamesree	H.E. Mr. Seree Nonthasoot
Vietnam	·    H.E. Mr. Do Ngoc Son (2009-2010) ·    H.E. Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung (2011-2012)	H.E. Mrs. Le Thi Thu