(TJA/IFEX) – The following are two statements issued on 3 May 2001 by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which TJA is a member: The following statement was issued today, May 3, 2001, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, in cooperation with journalist groups in Cambodia as part of a conference-celebration of World Press […]
(TJA/IFEX) – The following are two statements issued on 3 May 2001 by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), of which TJA is a member:
The following statement was issued today, May 3, 2001, by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, in cooperation with journalist groups in Cambodia as part of a conference-celebration of World Press Freedom Day held at the Royal Phnom Penh Hotel, Phnom Penh.
SOUTHEAST EAST ASIAN PRESS ALLIANCE
A joint statement by SEAPA, the League of Cambodian Journalists (LCJ), the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists (CAPJ) & the Independent Journalists Union (IJU)
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2001
Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA, — On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2001, SEAPA, LCJ, CAPJ & IJU celebrate the dramatic gains made toward press freedom in Southeast Asia. Not long ago, the press in virtually every country in this region labored under harsh authoritarian conditions. Today, the media is substantially free in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia. Southeast Asia’s newest country, East Timor, is also poised to have a vibrant and free press as it nears full independence. In these “free press” countries, the press is a forum for vital public debate, giving voice to society’s many diverse interests. Governments are forced to be more open and may no longer set the agenda for the media.
We further celebrate the fact that we are united as never before across national borders. We gather frequently to discuss real issues, build alliances, protect one another and share our experiences as journalists.
Yet the work of building a free press is far from over. Severe government control restricts free expression to varying degrees in other Southeast Asian countries. Our colleagues in these countries either have their work strictly censored or face the more subtle pressures of self-censorship and press licensing.
Even in countries with a free press we know that our work is far from over. In Indonesia, angry mobs and even criminal syndicates frequently attack and intimidate media outlets. In the Philippines, journalists often face grave danger from those they cover. In Thailand, political pressure is brought to bear against the independent media. In Cambodia, political tension influences and distorts the work of the press.
If we are honest, we also see that the press itself has a long way to go in terms of ethics and responsibility. We must redouble our efforts to strengthen the professionalism of the press. If we fail to police our own ranks, we risk losing the respect of our readers and jeopardizing our hard won freedoms.
Finally, it is our sincere hope that in the years to come we will be able to celebrate this important day openly in every Southeast Asian country. This will happen. We believe the independent media in our region will continue to grow because our people crave the right to read and discuss ideas in a climate free from intimidation, corruption and repression. In other words, Southeast Asia deserves a free press.
ENDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3 May 2001
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATED IN CAMBODIA
Progress noted toward an open media
Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA, May 3, 2001 – Cambodian journalists gathered in Phnom Penh today to celebrate progress made toward press freedom in a country that once suffered under the brutal Khmer Rouge.
“We do not censor. It is illegal to censor here in Cambodia,” Khieu Khanarith, Secretary of State for Information in the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen told some 200 journalists representing a large cross section of the print and broadcast media in the country. He said that the country is proud of its press law and that his information ministry is committed to protecting press freedom.
The remarks came at a conference marking World Press Freedom Day in Cambodia and Southeast Asia which was organized by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and three Cambodian journalist organizations. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) helped make the event possible.
Speakers from Cambodia, East Timor, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines spoke on issues related to the press in the region during the day long event.
Prominent Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy took exception with the portrayal of the press as free, insisting that the government exercises undue control of radio and television. Rainsy called for the liberalization of strict broadcast licensing rules to allow new players into the market, among which presumably would be a television station the politician has been trying to license for years.
“The print media are free enough,” Rainsy said, “but it is not really influential because two-thirds of our people are illiterate. Radio and television are more important.”
Cambodian journalists noted that many problems still remain for the media eight years after UN supervised elections in 1993 ended decades of harsh rule that included the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime in 1975, the 1979 occupation by Vietnam and widespread civil war.
“Freedom of the press has limitations in Cambodia, “said Um Sarin, President of the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, one of the day’s organizers. “Authorities always find the means to limit freedom of the press.” Speakers also criticized corruption in the media itself and called on journalists to police their own ranks and strengthen lax ethical practices. “We need to educate journalists about the dangers of their own corruption,” said Um Sarin.
In a joint statement celebrating World Press Freedom Day, SEAPA, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, the League of Cambodian Journalists and the Independent Journalists Union called the media “substantially free” in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia and noted a trend toward greater openness in the region. “In these ‘free press’ countries, the press is a forum for vital public debate, giving voice to society’s many diverse interests. Governments are forced to be more open and may no longer set the agenda for the media.”
Elsewhere in the region, the statement noted, Southeast Asian governments still censor and harass the media either through direct control or strict press licensing regulations. “We believe the independent media in our region will continue to grow because our people crave the right to read and discuss ideas in a climate free from intimidation, corruption and repression,” the group said.
Speakers noted ongoing severe press censorship in Burma, tough press licensing laws in Malaysia and physical attacks on reporters in the Philippines and Indonesia. East Timorese newspaper editor Hugo da Costa spoke on the need to develop the press in the territory almost from scratch following four hundred of years of colonial rule by Portugal and 24 years of military occupation by Indonesia.
SEAPA, which is an alliance of free press organizations in Southeast Asia, was founded in November 1998 to promote free expression. It has offices in Bangkok and Jakarta and projects throughout the region.
Ends
SEAPA is comprised of the following groups:
. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Philippines
. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
. Thai Journalists Association
. Alliance of Independent Journalists, Indonesia
. Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of information, Indonesia
