SEAPA | Southeast Asian Press Alliance

Working within bounds: Southeast Asia’s Press Freedom Challenges for 2013

03 May 2013 Resources - Regional Press Freedom Reports

As a whole[1], the region has moved backward on media freedom in 2012 with more restrictive laws being enacted by governments, while in many countries journalists and civil society continues to be threatened by violence

The year 2012 was a landmark year for human rights in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after its leaders unveiled its first ever human rights instrument, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) on 12 November 2012.

The AHRD was widely hailed as a significant step towards better protection of human rights in a region notorious for its human rights record.

Gains need consolidation in landmark year for change in Burma

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

Burma’s parliament officially dissolved the country’s infamous Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) on 24 January 2013. The body under the Ministry of Information has overseen content regulation of the country’s news journals under the military regime and into the new nominally civilian government.

Increasing restrictions and violence in the Indonesian media

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

The decade since the fall of Soeharto’s military regime in 1999 was followed by a series of efforts to reduce the political role of the Indonesian military, which included the separation of the Indonesian National Police (Kepolisian Nasional Republik Indonesia/Polri) from the Indonesian National Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia/TNI) command chain. However, in the last two years, the situation has begun to reverse, giving the TNI fresh powers, particularly in internal security. In May 2012, the Parliament approved the legalization of bills concerning the Handling of Social Conflict (Penanganan Konflik Sosial/PKS) allowing the TNI to participate in handling conflicts in Indonesia.

Media at a tipping point in Malaysia

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

Barisan Nasional (BN) – the coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for 55 years since independence – is currently facing the most significant challenge to its political power and control on free expression in Malaysia's history. It therefore stands at a rather precarious juncture, confronting a widening wave of dissent alongside demands for more democratic reforms from an increasingly emboldened public and a more organised opposition, a far cry from the simple domination BN has been used to for so long.

Business as usual on Singapore’s restrictions on media

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

The stifling media climate in Singapore persists uneasily amidst the backdrop of opposition’s continued electoral gains as the population increasingly voices their discontent.

To protect or control the media in Timor Leste

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

The 2012 national elections have resulted in a broader national consensus in Timor Leste between the party in power, led by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, with the opposition party FRETILIN. Both political camps have increasingly united in matters of national importance, including on increased control of the media in the context of national political unification.

Intimidating the media in Cambodia

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

The situation of media freedom in Cambodia declined in 2012, as evidenced by the number of deadly attacks and harassment of media personnel, many of whom are reporting on corruption and land issues. The increasing number of attacks takes places alongside increasing restrictions from government.

Stifling media and civil society in Laos

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

Freedom of expression in Laos took a turn for the worse in 2012 as people’s efforts to broaden the space and self-empowerment to raise their critical voices against the negative impact of the country’s economic and investment drive were stifled.

Failed expectations, restrictive laws in Philippines

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

There were some bright spots in the problematic Philippine campaign for media freedom and free expression in 2012. Among these were the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s (UNHRC) declaration that criminal libel is “incompatible” with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); the live media coverage of the impeachment trial of then Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona; the establishment of new multimedia companies; improvements in the coverage of natural disasters; and the early preparations for the coverage of the May 2013 senatorial, party-list and local elections. The implementation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10175) was also stopped by the Supreme Court. But these were practically eclipsed by the continuing killing of journalists, the persistence of impunity, and the passage of restrictive laws including RA 10175.

Thailand: Caught between ethics and politics

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

Thailand generally experienced a politically peaceful and naturally calm year in 2012 after massive street protests paralyzed the capital’s central commercial district in 2010 and catastrophic floods devastated a large portion of the country and Bangkok in 2011.

Taming the online spaces in Vietnam

02 May 2013 Resources - Country Press Freedom Reports

[Southeast Asia Press Freedom Challenges for 2013]

The maritime sovereignty dispute between Vietnam and China has continued into 2013, with the latest incident occurring on 26 March 2013 after a Chinese patrol boat fired on a Vietnamese fishing vessel. China’s use of weapons may perhaps signal a new phase in the dispute over the Paracel islands, as the regional superpower asserts control over its claimed territory over the South China Sea.