2002 SEAPA Fellowship Program Ended with Good Success

July 16, 2002

Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) last month concluded its first fellowship program with a good success. Six fellows who have been selected from independent press in the region went back home afresh with a completion of their reports on Asean neighbors whom they admitted to know ever before.

The six-week-long program gave fellows chance to get overview of Asean region- be there the Asean organization, human right, economic and development perspective. The first phase of the program started from June 13 until 18, 2002 in Bangkok featured panel discussions by Asean experts on political developments in Aceh and Burma as well as implications of September 11 incidents on the Muslim communities in the region as well as the Asean governments’ policy toward the incidents. Besides, fellows shared experiences on media situations in their home countries.

Each fellow spent another four weeks in destination countries; Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand to scoop stories they have planed and made contacts with local sources and media.

The fellows regrouped in Bangkok on June 19, 2002 for a three-day meeting to finalize their reports and evaluate the program. They returned home on June 22, 2002.

SEAPA will start to release some of the reports they have submitted. The same stories were published in the newspapers they belong. Please see fellowship for the stories