WASHINGTON — The United States said Friday that rights abuses have worsened in China in the past two months with the detentions of dozens of activists, while repression of dissidents has increased in Vietnam and Internet censorship has widened in Thailand.
The situation has improved in Indonesia, despite the persecution of some religious minorities, but conditions remain grim in North Korea and Myanmar, which continues to persecute its opponents and burn down villages of ethnic minorities.
The findings were part of the State Department's annual assessment of human rights around the world which was released by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington.
During 2010, China had stepped up restrictions on its critics and tightened control of civil society and had increased to limit freedom of speech and Internet access, the report said.
"We have seen negative trends that are appearing to worsen in the first part of 2011," Clinton told a news conference, singling out for mention the detention of prominent artist and government critic Ai Weiwei, who was arrested last Sunday.
She urged the immediate release of Ai and dozens of public interest lawyers, writers, intellectuals and activists detained since February for "exercising their internationally recognized right to free expression."
China says Ai is being investigated for economic crimes, but has given no details. Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on the report.
The U.S. alleged that tens of thousands of political prisoners are incarcerated in China, although officials continue to deny detaining anyone for their political or religious views. It said thousands of state security personnel monitor electronic communications, and Internet cafes are required to install software that allows officials to monitor customers' usage.
Another authoritarian government, Vietnam, has increased its suppression of dissent, the report said, arresting at least 25 political activists in 2010 and convicting 14 who were arrested in the past three years. Internet freedom was further restricted as the government orchestrated attacks against critical websites and spied on dissident bloggers, it said.
However, Internet usage continued to grow, with 32 per cent of the population having access. Despite government attempts to block Facebook, it has nearly two million users in Vietnam, the report said.
In Thailand, a key U.S. ally and a democracy that was beset last year by violent political unrest, the report noted a significant increase in Internet censorship. The Thai government closely monitored and blocked thousands of websites that expressed anti-government sentiment or were deemed critical of the revered monarchy.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the U.S. said respect for human rights continued to improve in Indonesia — a democracy with which Washington is forging closer ties. But in comments likely to irk human rights groups, Clinton said that Indonesia is facing up to "preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance."
In January, three Indonesian soldiers went on trial for torturing two Papuan men, but were only sentenced to 10 months. Critics have also accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of remaining largely silent on recent attacks on Christians and members of Ahmadiyah — a minority Muslim sect which has been banned by several provincial governments.
The report said military-dominated Myanmar has released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but its conduct of November elections was criticized as neither free nor fair. Military forces in Shan and Karen states displaced civilians from their villages, which were often burned to the ground. It said the number of children in the government army has reportedly risen to 12,000 children.
In North Korea, the human rights situation remained grim, with defectors and aid groups indicating that severe and systematic abuses occurred throughout the country's extensive network of prisons and detention centres. The report said international groups were denied access to the country, making it impossible to assess the validity of the reports.
The Canadian Press
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