Social development
Human rights
Future Remains Cloudy for Exiled Myanmar Journalists in Thailand
It has been more than a year since Myanmar’s military seized power in a putsch that sent thousands fleeing the country. Among them were scores of media professionals who took up refuge here in Thailand. Some have since moved on or resettled elsewhere, but others stayed ...
Teeranai Charuvastra
PM acknowledges challenges of the media, encourages them to keep up
Prime Minister Hun Sen acknowledged challenges faced by journalists and media agencies, reaffirmed the government’s support for the sector, and urged continuous capacity building among them. Mr Hun Sen made the point in his open message to during the 29th World Press Freedom Day on May ...
AKP-Lim Nary
Freelance reporter Soe Yarzar Tun faces up to 7 years in prison under anti-terror law
A court in Insein Prison last week indicted freelance journalist Soe Yarzar Tun under Section 52a of the Counter-Terrorism Law, which carries a prison sentence of up to seven years, lawyers have told Myanmar Now. The reporter was detained in Bago Region’s Thone Sel Township on ...
Aung Naing
More than 130 journalists arrested in Myanmar, media group says
A total of 135 journalists have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup that overthrew civilian rule in that country, according to a local press freedoms group. Among those arrested, 109 were men and 26 were women, while three other journalists were ...
Translated by Khin Maung Nyane for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Journalist Taken to Court Over Report on Illegal Timber Factory
A video report alleging a Battambang timber factory was illegally processing luxury wood has landed a local journalist in court. Lim Phally, a reporter for Los Seng News, said he had asked for a delay for court questioning that was scheduled today. He was sued after a ...
Khut Sokun
Cambodia’s internet gateway debut leaves analysts in the dark
Just days before Cambodia’s national internet gateway is scheduled to take effect, analysts and civil society organisations say they know scarcely more about its rollout than when the decree was first signed into law last year. The gateway is slated to route all internet traffic through ...
FIONA KELLIHER
Citizen Journalists Fight Back Against Myanmar Military's Crackdown
Professional reporters in Myanmar say their job is nearly impossible under the fierce restrictions imposed by military rule. Now, citizen journalists have stepped into the breach, often working undercover to avoid arrests or worse. After a coup ousted elected civilian leaders about a year ago, press ...
Tommy Walker
Phones require face scans in Thailand’s Muslim Deep South
At first, Haslina Awae was willing to stop using a phone to avoid providing a scan of her face to the Thai government. Awae and other residents of Thailand’s Deep South, which comprise the three southernmost Malay-Muslim majority provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, were required ...
JACK BROOK
Environmental activist group suspends work in Cambodia
A Cambodian environmental protection group is suspending operations in Cambodia amid concerns for the safety of its activists, many of whom have been detained and jailed on charges widely thought to be politically motivated, the group’s founder said in an interview this week. Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, a ...
Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Facebook removes accounts targeting critics of Vietnam’s government
Facebook’s parent company removed a network of accounts on the platform that coordinated attacks against Vietnamese activists who criticized the government, but Hanoi said the removed accounts belonged to “anti-state” elements. In its Adversarial Threat Report published Wednesday, Meta said users of the accounts abused Facebook ...
Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.