Civil and political rights
Access to information
New media ombudsman set up
In-House Media ombudsmen were officially introduced for the first time on May 17 by the National Press Council of Thailand to improve effective self-regulation of the industry. The move came as the state has attempted to introduce a new media regulation bill that media groups ...
Facebook to block local content
Facebook Inc has agreed to continue to consider the Thai government’s requests to restrict local access to content on its site found to be in violation of the country’s laws. The US internet giant replied to the Thai Internet Service Provider Association after a group ...
Bill endangers media survival
Prominent Media figures and rights activists are concerned whether the Thai media would survive suppression of press freedom in the wake of existing and future measures of the junta government. The source of the worry is the media regulation bill draft proposed by the junta-appointed ...
Minister calls for greater press freedom
The Union Minister for Information, Dr Pe Myint, has called for greater improvement in Myanmar’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index at a celebration to mark the World Press Freedom Day 2017. This year’s celebration was jointly sponsored by UNESCO Myanmar and the Ministry of ...
Myanmar press freedom ranking jumps
Myanmar press freedom has hit an all time high, ranking No. 3 in ASEAN just behind Indonesia and the Philippines, according to the latest survey by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres. But some veteran journalists also warned that Myanmar media freedom still has a long way ...
Court seeks arrest of RFA reporter
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on May 2 stepped up its pressure on Radio Free Asia reporter Chun Chanboth by issuing an arrest warrant for him, hours after his lawyer submitted a written statement admitting Chanboth had joined an opposition delegation visiting Prey Sar prison, but ...
Action to be taken against fake news reports
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has announced on April 30 that it is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action after ‘fake news’ that Arabic schools in Thaketa township in Yangon Region were closed went viral on social media networks. It said ...
Press freedom declines: RSF report
Cambodia’s press freedom ranking has fallen four spots compared to last year, to 132 out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index. The 2017 index, published on April 26, cited the high-profile killing of political commentator Kem Ley as ...
Activist seeking plaque probe held by military
The prime minister and many senior government officials said the disappearance of a historic plaque was no big deal – yet well-known lawyer and activist Srisuwan Janya was arrested on April 18 as he urged the PM to conduct an investigation into the matter. “This issue ...
Former exiled news outlets granted licenses for state media channel
Two former exiled news outlets—the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and Mizzima—have been selected to run their own digital channels in Burma under the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV). In late 2016, the Ministry of Information (MOI) put out a call to local companies ...
