|
FEATURED
COMMENTARIES
|
 Reelection
of Thaksin casts dark cloud over Thai press
Source: Southeast Asian
Press Alliance (SEAPA)
8 February 2005
The overwhelming victory
of Thailand’s populist leader Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak
Thai Party (TRT) in the 6 February general election is raising concerns
about the future direction of democracy in the country. (Continue)
|
American
journalist deported from Indonesia
SOURCE: Southeast Asian
Press Alliance (SEAPA), Bangkok
(SEAPA/IFEX) - Indonesian
officials have deported an American journalist for having allegedly defied
an earlier ban on his entry into the country. (Continue)
|
Experts
working to hammer out common reform package on libel laws
Source: Southeast Asian
Press Allaince
21 January 2005
Thai legal and media experts are working to hammer out a common agenda to
reform the country’s libel laws, but are split over the question of
whether or not libel should be decriminalized.
(Continue) |
The
following letter is sent to Science University of Malaysia in Penang on
January 6 2004 to protest the university's rising restrictions on students'
rights to organise and express themselves.
SEAPA protests against
Malaysian University's rising restrictions on students' free expression
rights.
January 6 2005
(Continue) |
Free
expression in Southeast Asia suffers serious setbacks in 2004
By ROBY ALAMPAY
(Mr. Alampay is executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance.)
Media advocates worldwide have arrived at one unanimous conclusion for 2004:
the past 12 months have been among the deadliest for journalists worldwide,
with monitored attacks on press practitioners the highest it’s been
in decades. (Continue) |
Asean
summit offers crucial test to media and freedom of expression in Laos
26 November 2004
As Laos continues
in its efforts to emerge from years of isolation, muchwill be made of
how it performs in its hosting of the 10th Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) Summit in Vientiane on November 29.
(Continue)
|
It's
like being boiled alive slowly
By ROBY ALAMPAY
Roby Alampay is executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance.
He may be e-mailed at roby@seapabkk.org.
(Continue) |
|
JOURNALISTS
KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY: THE SHAME OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
By
The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists
19 November 2004
Journalists are vulnerable in many parts of the world.
In the Philippines,
the risks are varied, ranging from poor working conditions, lack of job
security, low salaries and pressures of all kinds from those wanting to
use the press for private and personal purposes. (Continue)
|
|
Filipino
journalists killed in the line of duty since 1986
Source: Center for
Media Freedom and Responsibility. (Continue)
|
|
Trying
the press
Source:
Jakarta Post.com
Opinion and Editorial - October 18, 2004
In an example of prudence
in the search for justice, the underused Press Council issued on Friday
a momentous decision that should reignite freedom of expression's dimming
light.(Continue)
|
|
Decriminalize
Following
are excerpts from a Sept 14, 2004 editorial in Today newspaper in the
Philippines, written by Congressman Teodoro Locsin, Jr.
In Jakarta last week,
the cream of the foreign press gathered to join in protest against the
impending conviction for criminal libel of two Indonesian journalists
for calling a big businessman "a scavenger" in the name of euphony
and suggesting he had torched a public market for the purpose of urban
renewal. (Continue)
|
|
Getting
Hanoi to loosen up
Source:
The Nation
September 8, 2004
Ban on media covering
forum is a step back from Vietnam's place on the global stage.
(Continue)
|
|
Analysis
: Philippine press under fire
Aug
04, 2004
By Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE P50-MILLION criminal
libel case lodged by former Foreign Secretary Roberto R. Romulo against
the Philippine Star, its publisher and columnist Maximo Soliven and its
editors has put the entire Philippine press on the spot.
(Continue)
|
|
Editorial:
Endangered species
Source:
Today newspaper, Philippines
August 4, 2004
Testing the limits
of free expression and press freedom is a perilous venture. And nowhere
is it more dangerous than in the many small towns throughout the Philippines
where such constitutionally guaranteed liberties are not worth the paper
they are written on. (Continue)
|
|
HARD
TALK: Long-overdue media reform returns to the spotlight
Source:
The Nation
Jun 29, 2004
The scandals at Channel 5 and Channel 11 that have dominated media
headlines for the past week are just a tip of an iceberg of underlying
problems impeding long-delayed broadcast media reform, but the scandals
are not without a positive spin-off.
At the very least, they have put the issue of media reform back under
the spotlight and driven home the need for liberalisation of the airwaves,
rather than being concentrated in the hands of a group of state agencies,
as they are today.
How the Thaksin government will intervene in the controversies at Channel
5 and Channel 11 will determine the future course of media reform. (Continue)
|
|
EDITORIAL:
A day of reflection for the media
Published
on May 3, 2004
The Thai press has a choice to make - push for freedom or toe the govt
line
Today is World Press Freedom Day, an occasion the media should use to
reflect upon themselves and the state of their freedom. A recently released
survey by Freedom House, a New York-based non-profit organisation monitoring
press freedom, shows that globally, media freedom has declined by 5 per
cent, while the countries in the Asia Pacific are suffering from more
restrictions than ever before. These results are significant.(Continue)
|
|
PM
Must Guarantee Media Freedom
Source:
Kavi Chongkittavorn, The Nation
March 1, 2004
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has two approaches for dealing with
the media - one is to demonise journalists and the other is to treat any
issue relating to freedom of expression as a private-sector one. Since
taking power in early 2001 he has been quite effective on both lines of
attack, even though he continues to appear surprised by accusations of
media meddling. (Continue)
|
|
A
Matter of Concern to Everyone
Source:
Pravit Rojanaphruk, The Nation
February 24, 2004
Editorial independence at the Bangkok Post is now in a very fragile state.
This is underscored by the fact that its February 21 edition made no mention
of a signed protest to the paper’s board of directors by 77 of its journalists
the previous day. The protest was against the decision by the board to
remove Veera Prateepchaikul from the editor’s position, something the
journalists see as capitulation to pressure from the Thaksin administration.
(Continue)
|
|
We
Strongly Support ‘Bangkok Post’ Journalists’ Independence
Source:
The Nation
February 21, 2004
The Bangkok Post has served as a mirror of Thai society for 58 years.
Like any newspaper, it has gone through highs and lows depending on political
circumstances. Yet all along their journalists have withstood any attempted
intervention to restrict their freedom of expression and have continued
to report the news in "a straightforward, accurate, balanced and fair
manner". (Continue)
|
|
Querying
Broadcasting Bill
By:
Lukas Luwarso
September 25, 2002
Heated debate on the broadcasting bill, which has lasted about two years,
is regrettable but unavoidable, given that so much distrust continues
to linger in society. The government and legislature are still absorbed
in the old paradigm -- supervise and control rather than regulate -- especially
when they feel they have been caught off guard, particularly by the print
media. (Continue)
|
|
Thaksin's
tirade against the press: Editorial
Source:
Bangkok Post
June 11, 2002
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been at pains for months to deny
he is a dictator. ``I am not a dictator,'' he said bluntly to the foreign
magazine Far Eastern Economic Review after persecuting two of the publication's
reporters. He repeated exactly the same words in an interview last month
with the BBC foreign service, and recycled the phrase again during his
recent visit to Australia. (Continue)
|
|
In
terrorism's shadow
Source: Philip Bowring, International Herald Tribune
April 2, 2002
BANGKOK -- News organizations have recently been under official
fire from several Asian countries, including those noted for press freedom.
Is this a coincidence or a trend? If the latter, is it an extension of
post-Sept. 11 illiberalism in the West? (Continue)
|
|
Has
the People's Right to Know Got Facilitated?
April
1, 2002
By: Alongkorn Parivudhiphongs
This has been designated as the Year of Access to Official Information
- that is, a period during which the government will actively promote
citizens' "right to know". (Continue)
|
|
Press
Freedom Under Attack
March
19, 2002
Source: The Asia Wall Street Journal
By: Kavi Chongkittavorn
Recent headlines out of Thailand have been all about press freedom but
for all the wrong reasons. Since he came to power 13 months ago in one
of Asia's freest, most open societies, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
has worked overtime to cripple the hard-won media freedoms enshrined in
the country’s 1997 reformist constitution. Using his executive powers,
huge financial resources and news-spinning aides, he has co-opted journalists,
manipulated the news and stifled the media's ability to provide accurate
information and analysis. (Continue)
|
|
Cracks
in a Foundation
By: RUSS
BAKER
At the Arlington, Virginia, headquarters of the Freedom Forum some years
back, a visitor couldn't help inquiring about a large abstract painting
showing a man and a woman on a horse following a bird in flight. The painting,
the visitor was told, was titled "Free Spirit." The visitor expressed
surprise, as he recalls it, because the figures in the painting appeared
to be on a downward trajectory. A staff member then related an often-told
Freedom Forum tale. Upon selling the painting, it seems, the painter had
agreed to Freedom Forum's request to re-name the work. The original title:
"The Abyss." (Continue)
|
|
Enemy
of the State
Source: Alert Magazine: November Edition
January 3, 2002
At a meeting between Syamsul Muarif, Minister of Information and Telecommunication,
with Commission I DPRD members, the idea to revise Press Regulation No.40/1999
was launched. (Continue)
|
Freedom
of the Press, or to Oppress
Source: Malaysiakini.com
By: MGG Pillai
February 12, 2001
Malaysia insists there is press freedom because journalists can
interview cabinet ministers. Even the prime minister, Dr Mahathir
Mohamed, is surrounded by them, unlike in Britain and the US, whose
heads of government can only be interviewed, allegedly, from a distance.
The inference then is that there is press freedom in Malaysia but
not in Britain and the United States. (Continue)
|
Malaysiakini
Seeking Opposition Support to Clear Name, Says Zainuddin
By:
Burnama
February 13, 2001
KUALA LUMPUR -- Local Internet news portal Malaysiakini.com did
not further the cause of freedom by its seeking the support of
opposition parties, said Parliamentary Secretary to the Information
Ministry Datuk Zainuddin Maidin (Continue)
Journalists
Free to Do Coverage on M'Sian Ministers, Says Zainuddin
By:
Burnama
February 11, 2001
KUALA
LUMPUR -- Information Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Senator
Datuk Zainuddin Maidin today refuted claims by certain quarters
that there was no freedom for journalists in this country to do
coverage on ministers. (Continue)
|
The
Philippine Political Crisis: Two Views of its Effect on the Press
November 24, 2000
- PHILIPPINES:
The Press and The President
By Arnold S. Tenorio
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM Business World, Manila
Manila -- The crisis engulfing the presidency has occasioned
a parallel crisis in the Philippine press. As the best and the worst
of media practice have precipitated, it continues to feed the unfolding
drama that is the jueteng payoff scandal involving President Joseph
Estrada. (Continue)
- PHILIPPINES:
“Dissident” Journalists Organize:
Political Crisis Spurs Attempt to Improve the Profession
by Carlos H. Conde
source: Philippine Journalism Review
Manila – One day in November this year, Manila television
station ABS-CBN lined up a potentially explosive edition. The main story
was an interview by reporter Ana Marie Fuderanan with Kit Mateo, a former
police officer who had crossed swords with Philippine National Police
chief Panfilo Lacson in the past. Mateo had revealed accusations against
Lacson. Curiously, the second story was about Mateo’s retraction of
his accusations. More curiously, next in line was a live, back-to-back
interview by anchor Noli de Castro with correspondent Fuderanan and
Lacson (Continue)
Viewpoint:
Battle for the Media
A growing 'free press' is challenging ASEAN's
old order
Source Asia Week
By Kavi Chongkittavorn
November 27,2000
Like ASEAN itself, ASEAN's journalists are divided. It is increasingly
difficult to forge any kind of consensus among the region's reporters
and press organizations. Just as governments range from the dictatorial
to the democratic, press practices in the 10 nations of Southeast Asia
vary from freewheeling in the Philippines and Thailand to totalitarian
in Vietnam and Burma. In between are Singapore and Malaysia, where the
semi-controlled press has long been in vogue. (Continue)
Defeat
isn't Newsworthy for Burmese Media:
For
Burma’s Junta winning the recent Tiger Cup was everything. Defeat
was not an option.
Reprinted from the Bangkok Post, November 24, 2000
By Aung Zaw
Chiang Mai -- The early exit of the Burmese national football
side from Tiger Cup competition in Thailand last week was a disappointment
for fans, a humiliation for the ruling junta, and a headache for local
journalists covering the team. (Continue)
Free
Burma, Free Media
November 01,2000
Source:The Irawaddy
Chiang Mai -- In 1998, the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists released a report describing Burma and Indonesia as the two
foremost "enemies of the press" in Asia. Since then, Indonesia’s mass
media has blossomed, thanks to the fall of the Suharto regime. This now
leaves Burma with the dubious distinction of being the region’s "press
enemy number one." (Continue)
Desperately
Seeking Volume!
Petitioning for Microphones at Singapores's Speaker's Corner
Source: Think Center, Singapore
By: by Melvin Tan
September 2, 2000
SINGAPORE - -On September 1, 2000, a historical groundbreaking
event at Hong Lim Park took place - The Speakers' Corner, a place for
Singaporeans to air their views. But I did not make out what any of the
speakers have said, from the first right up to the last. I could discern
nothing except their actions and body language. (Continue)
Overview: The Press as Arena of Compromise
By:
Luis V. Teodoro
August 28, 2000
MANILA - - Since this is a forum on media, I'm going to start with
the good news. The good news is that important changes for the better
have taken place in Philippine journalism since 1986. (Continue)
Singapore's
Speaker's Corner Attracts Media Interest
By: James Gomez
August 27, 2000
SINGAPORE
- -Will a huge crowd turn out? Will somebody be prosecuted for libel?
Will conservative Singaporeans even speak up? And if they do what will
they say?These are some of the questions journalists both from local,
regional and international media are hoping to find out come September
1st at the Republic's first Speakers Corner at Hong Lim Park. (Continue)
Democracy Advocate Speaks in Singapore: One Forum,
Two Press Realities? (Continue)
- Hong
Kong Legislator Calls For More Liberty in Singapore
Martin Lee Says Patience, Tenacity Will Pay Off
By Richard Borsuk
Asian Wall Street Journal staff reporter,
August 8, 2000
- Martin
Lee at Forum: Asian
Guests Speak at Forum on Political Openness and Accountability
By Chua
Lee Hoong
Sunday Times (Singapore)
August 6, 2000
A New Phase: The US-Vietnam Trade Agreement
By:
Dr.
Doan Viet Hoat
August 4, 2000
WASHINGTON DC - After 4 years of discussion, the United States
and Vietnam have signed the Trade Agreement on July 13, 2000. This is
an important step for Vietnam to integrate into the international community.
This also provides more opportunities for the US Congress, Administration
and the American public to help the Vietnamese people in their efforts
to liberalize all aspects of social life in Vietnam, in light of HR Resolution
295. (Continue)
|
