SEAPA | Southeast Asian Press Alliance

A pioneering initiative to discuss the sensitive issue of the Thai monarchy on public television hit a snag when an episode of the political talk show was abruptly cancelled on 15 March, prompting a heated debate on the how such issues should be tackled, or if it should be discussed at all.

Executives of the Thailand Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) pulled out the fifth and final episode of the talk show series “Tob Jote Prathet Thai” (“Answering Thailand’s Questions”), in response to protests over the content of the show.

Dili – Two journalists attended on Thursday a final court hearing on a criminal defamation trial for writing articles alleging bribery of a state prosecutor.

Raimundo Oki of the Independente and Oscar Maria Salsinha of the Suara Timor Lorosa’e faced these accusations for writing separate articles about a district prosecutor in Oecuse district being suspected of receiving a bribe.

Yangon - Myanmar’s Hluttaw (Parliament) approved on 8 February a proposal to investigate a blogger for writing a critical article that ‘dishonored’ the legislature.

A 17-member bicameral commission was formed to determine the identity and take action on a blogger who wrote under the pseudonym “Dr Sate Phwar”, who wrote a 17 January 2013 article entitled “Is the Hluttaw (Parliament) above the law?”.

We, the undersigned organisations which advocate for media freedom and responsibility in South-East Asia, regret the unnecessary detention and interrogation of three Al-Jazeera journalists who were reporting an armed standoff near Lahad Datu, Sabah, on 20 Feb 2013.

Bangkok – A Thailand criminal court today sentenced Somyot Pruekasemsuk, editor of a political magazine, to eleven years of imprisonment for publishing two articles in 2010 deemed defamatory to the country’s monarchy.

Somyot was sentenced to 5 years for each count of violating Article 112 of the Penal Code, otherwise known as the lese majeste law, which prohibits acts of insulting, defaming or threatening Thailand’s king, heir apparent or Regent.

Bangkok  - The Lao People's Democratic Republic on Friday expelled an expatriate development worker for criticizing the government in a letter to donors.

Anne-Sophie Gindroz , country director of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation in Laos, was ordered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to leave the country within 48 hours of a notice dated 7 December 2012.