Enam dekad kita hidup bersama merupakan satu pencapaian yang nyata, namun ia perlu terus dipupuk melalui usaha berterusan. Hari Malaysia mengingatkan kita bahawa untuk setiap generasi dan dalam setiap cabaran baru, kita ditugaskan untuk terus memastikan hak asasi manusia yang telah kita perjuangkan kekal dimenangi, atau memperjuangkannya semula.
Edmund Bon emphasises that six decades of living alongside one another rather than against one another is a real achievement, but it is maintained by effort rather than inherited. Malaysia Day reminds us that for every generation, and in every new challenge, we are tasked to keep our human rights won, or to win them again.
Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, counsel for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, clarified that the witness statement was obtained through proper and lawful channels; it was not stolen, leaked, unlawfully procured or obtained through any clandestine means. Accordingly, MACC’s police report is false in the sense that it sought to suggest that the document was improperly or unlawfully obtained.
The Consultation is the fourth in a continuum of work that AICHR has led since 2019 on the right to development and the right to peace, moving from conceptual grounding to practical implementation.
At the East Coast National Young Lawyers Conference, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad drew on his wide-ranging litigation experience to offer practical insights into conducting high-profile cases, focusing on trial strategy, cross-examination, witness management, courtroom challenges, and responsible engagement with the media and public opinion.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, highlighted that to further strengthen AICHR to be more decisive, responsive, relevant, and future-ready in accordance with ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, AICHR’s mandate must be broadened and its Terms of Reference need to be updated.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, addressed five issues in his intervention: children’s rights; Malaysia’s apex court decision on Indigenous Peoples’ rights; progress towards abolition of the death penalty in the region; the attack on Indonesian human rights defender Andrie Yunus; and the rejection of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus by Myanmar’s military-led Parliament.
On World Drug Day 2026, two AICHR Representatives recommend six ways to effectively integrate human rights mainstreaming into regional drug policy cooperation.
Tiga WAKIL AICHR menyeru Negara-negara Anggota ASEAN agar beralih kepada alternatif selain penahanan, memandangkan langkah berasaskan komuniti dan bukan tahanan lebih berkesan dalam melindungi kebajikan dan maruah pelarian berbanding penahanan tanpa tempoh tetap.
Three AICHR Representatives called on ASEAN Member States to move towards alternatives to detention, as community-based and non-custodial measures better protect refugee welfare and dignity than indefinite detention, while still allowing States to manage movement responsibly.
Edmund Bon emphasised that diplomacy alone is not enough — AICHR must strengthen its role as a technical human rights body by developing knowledge, generating information, identifying common standards, and contributing to the growth of human rights jurisprudence. Political statements must be supported by principled analysis, evidence-based approaches, and practical guidance.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR spoke about the important strides made in 2025 under Malaysia’s chairship of ASEAN and AICHR, particularly the adoption of the landmark ASEAN declaration on promoting the right to development and the right to peace.
Edmund Bon highlighted that the Guidelines affirm the inherent dignity of every individual, urge the disruption of systemic injustices, and encourage advocacy for legal and policy reform.
Edmund Bon, Malaysia’s Representative to AICHR, highlighted the landmark programme he initiated as AICHR Chair in 2025 to address the intersection of drug policies with human rights and health, focusing on the need for a more human rights-based approach to drug policy.
At AICHR’s 42nd Meeting in Manila, Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, highlighted seven priority action areas, and stated that collective effort is required to forge a coherent ASEAN regional outlook on development, peace, justice, and human dignity.
On International Migrants Day, six AICHR Representatives joined the international community in celebrating the contributions of migrant workers in the region and emphasising the importance of collective action and solidarity in safeguarding the dignity and rights of migrant workers, as they play an essential role in ASEAN’s development.
The five Representatives to AICHR reaffirmed AICHR’s commitment to advancing human rights in ASEAN through constructive dialogue, strengthened cooperation, capacity-building initiatives, and inclusive engagement.
Tiga wakil hak asasi manusia daripada AICHR mengemukakan tujuh cadangan untuk fasa Pelan Induk Pengupayaan ASEAN 2025: Pengarusperdanaan Hak Orang Kurang Upaya seterusnya.
Three Representatives to AICHR put forward seven recommendations for the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has driven progress in aligning national laws, policies, and measures with international human rights standards.
At AICHR’s Special Meeting 4/2025 held in Melaka, Malaysia, Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, expressed his concern about the current state of human rights, particularly the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, and the situation in Myanmar.
Enam dekad kita hidup bersama merupakan satu pencapaian yang nyata, namun ia perlu terus dipupuk melalui usaha berterusan. Hari Malaysia mengingatkan kita bahawa untuk setiap generasi dan dalam setiap cabaran baru, kita ditugaskan untuk terus memastikan hak asasi manusia yang telah kita perjuangkan kekal dimenangi, atau memperjuangkannya semula.
Edmund Bon emphasises that six decades of living alongside one another rather than against one another is a real achievement, but it is maintained by effort rather than inherited. Malaysia Day reminds us that for every generation, and in every new challenge, we are tasked to keep our human rights won, or to win them again.
Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, counsel for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, clarified that the witness statement was obtained through proper and lawful channels; it was not stolen, leaked, unlawfully procured or obtained through any clandestine means. Accordingly, MACC’s police report is false in the sense that it sought to suggest that the document was improperly or unlawfully obtained.
The Consultation is the fourth in a continuum of work that AICHR has led since 2019 on the right to development and the right to peace, moving from conceptual grounding to practical implementation.
At the East Coast National Young Lawyers Conference, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad drew on his wide-ranging litigation experience to offer practical insights into conducting high-profile cases, focusing on trial strategy, cross-examination, witness management, courtroom challenges, and responsible engagement with the media and public opinion.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, highlighted that to further strengthen AICHR to be more decisive, responsive, relevant, and future-ready in accordance with ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, AICHR’s mandate must be broadened and its Terms of Reference need to be updated.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, addressed five issues in his intervention: children’s rights; Malaysia’s apex court decision on Indigenous Peoples’ rights; progress towards abolition of the death penalty in the region; the attack on Indonesian human rights defender Andrie Yunus; and the rejection of the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus by Myanmar’s military-led Parliament.
On World Drug Day 2026, two AICHR Representatives recommend six ways to effectively integrate human rights mainstreaming into regional drug policy cooperation.
Tiga WAKIL AICHR menyeru Negara-negara Anggota ASEAN agar beralih kepada alternatif selain penahanan, memandangkan langkah berasaskan komuniti dan bukan tahanan lebih berkesan dalam melindungi kebajikan dan maruah pelarian berbanding penahanan tanpa tempoh tetap.
Three AICHR Representatives called on ASEAN Member States to move towards alternatives to detention, as community-based and non-custodial measures better protect refugee welfare and dignity than indefinite detention, while still allowing States to manage movement responsibly.
Edmund Bon emphasised that diplomacy alone is not enough — AICHR must strengthen its role as a technical human rights body by developing knowledge, generating information, identifying common standards, and contributing to the growth of human rights jurisprudence. Political statements must be supported by principled analysis, evidence-based approaches, and practical guidance.
Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR spoke about the important strides made in 2025 under Malaysia’s chairship of ASEAN and AICHR, particularly the adoption of the landmark ASEAN declaration on promoting the right to development and the right to peace.
Edmund Bon highlighted that the Guidelines affirm the inherent dignity of every individual, urge the disruption of systemic injustices, and encourage advocacy for legal and policy reform.
Edmund Bon, Malaysia’s Representative to AICHR, highlighted the landmark programme he initiated as AICHR Chair in 2025 to address the intersection of drug policies with human rights and health, focusing on the need for a more human rights-based approach to drug policy.
At AICHR’s 42nd Meeting in Manila, Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, highlighted seven priority action areas, and stated that collective effort is required to forge a coherent ASEAN regional outlook on development, peace, justice, and human dignity.
On International Migrants Day, six AICHR Representatives joined the international community in celebrating the contributions of migrant workers in the region and emphasising the importance of collective action and solidarity in safeguarding the dignity and rights of migrant workers, as they play an essential role in ASEAN’s development.
The five Representatives to AICHR reaffirmed AICHR’s commitment to advancing human rights in ASEAN through constructive dialogue, strengthened cooperation, capacity-building initiatives, and inclusive engagement.
Tiga wakil hak asasi manusia daripada AICHR mengemukakan tujuh cadangan untuk fasa Pelan Induk Pengupayaan ASEAN 2025: Pengarusperdanaan Hak Orang Kurang Upaya seterusnya.
Three Representatives to AICHR put forward seven recommendations for the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has driven progress in aligning national laws, policies, and measures with international human rights standards.
At AICHR’s Special Meeting 4/2025 held in Melaka, Malaysia, Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, expressed his concern about the current state of human rights, particularly the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, and the situation in Myanmar.
