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DAP welcomes Suhakam's creative expansion of its human rights ambit and concerns to the international arena on the Iraq war and calls for a similar vigorous and robust approach to all domestic human rights issues and challenges Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya,  Friday): The announcement by the Suhakam commissioner Datuk Hamdan Adnan that Suhakam would be filing memorandums of protest against the invasion of Iraq at the foreign missions of countries involved in the attack (The Star) must have raised many eyebrows considering the provisions of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999 "to set out the powers and functions of such commission for the protection and promotion of human rights in Malaysia". Strictly speaking, it could be argued that Suhakam would be acting outside its statutory scope and jurisdiction in sending anti-war memorandums to the United States Embassy, British and Australian High Commissions, but DAP welcomes Suhakam's creative expansion of its human rights ambit and concerns to the international arena on the illegal, unjust, immoral and unnecessary US-led war on Iraq. Hamdan's statement that "the war resulted in the mother of all human rights - the right to live - being ignored and trampled on" should be endorsed by all national and international organizations committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. DAP would want to see Suhakam being consistent and adopt a similarly vigorous and robust approach to all domestic human rights issues and challenges and that Suhakam would henceforth be estopped from disclaiming jurisdiction of an issue which it admits concerns human rights but has no power to be engaged and concerned about because of statutory limitations. Suhakam's preparedness to take a stand on the human rights implications of the Iraq war is most commendable, especially after the decision of the 53-country UN Commission of Human Rights yesterday to reject by 25 to18 a proposal to hold an emergency meeting to consider the effects of war on the Iraqi people and their humanitarian situation. Canada, Japan, European and several Latin American nations sided with the United States to defeat the resolution. Sponsored by Russia and a number of Asian, Arab and African states, including Malaysia, they argued the commission should reaffirm the application of the fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians by all parties to the conflict. The decision of the UN Commission on Human Rights is most deplorable, as it should have taken the opportunity to focus on the situation facing ordinary Iraqis and in particular the impact of war on the human rights and humanitarian conditions, as it is the UN's principal body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights. The UN Commission should have provided the forum for mounting International concerns about civilian suffering in Iraq - such as the interruption of food handouts, on which 60 percent of the 22 million Iraqis rely and war damage to pipelines and treatment plants forcing Iraqis to drink polluted water, increasing the likelihood of cholera and dysentery. (28/3/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman