Laos

(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an open letter from RSF to President Choummaly Sayasone: Mr Choummaly Sayasone President Vientiane People’s Democratic Republic of Laos Paris, 23 June 2006 Dear Mr President, Following your appointment as head of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (PPRL) and the state of Laos, Reporters Without Borders, an international organisation which […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Laotian government has prevented “Time” magazine’s Asia correspondent from entering the country to cover the recently-concluded 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. Sources in Vientiane told SEAPA that the Laos Foreign Ministry rejected “Time” correspondent Andrew Perrin’s visa application on the grounds that it was submitted late. But SEAPA’s sources […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The following is a SEAPA capsule report: SEAPA: Asean summit offers crucial test to media and freedom of expression in Laos As Laos continues in its efforts to emerge from years of isolation, much will be made of how it performs in its hosting of the 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 24 July 2003, journalists Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud appealed to Laotian authorities to release Thao Moua and Pa Phue Khan. On 30 June, the two detainees received prison sentences of 12 and 15 years, respectively, for working as guides for the two journalists while they were preparing a documentary in Laos. […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 9 July 2003 IFJ media release: IFJ Calls for Liberty for All After Release of European Journalists in Laos The International Federation of Journalists today called for the immediate release of three Laotian guides, who remain imprisoned in Laos after the liberation of two European journalists and their American […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: JOURNALISTS AND TRANSLATOR RELEASED FROM LAOTIAN PRISON New York, July 9, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the release today of Belgian journalist Thierry Falise, French cameraman Vincent Reynaud, and their American translator and guide, Rev. Naw Karl Mua. Their release comes one week after […]

(RSF/IFEX) – As of 4 July 2003, journalists Thierry Falise of Belgium and Vincent Reynaud of France have been detained in Laos for one month. After their trial on 30 June, they were transferred to Phontong prison in Vientiane, which is reserved for foreigners, where they are currently held. The Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release: LAOTIAN COURT SENTENCES JOURNALISTS AND THEIR TRANSLATOR TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON New York, June 30, 2003-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is outraged that two journalists and their American translator were convicted today by a Laotian court in Phonesavan, a town in the northeastern Xieng […]

(RSF/IFEX) – Journalists Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud will be publicly tried on 27 June 2003 in Phonesavanh, more than ten hours by road north of the capital, Vientiane, according to diplomatic sources. The charges against them are still unknown. The official enquiry into the case is expected to finish late on 26 June. The […]

(RSF/IFEX) – The Thierry Falise and Vincent Reynaud Support Committee deplores the continuing failure of the Laotian authorities to inform the families of these two detained journalists of their whereabouts. The committee is also concerned about the impact of reportedly poor conditions of detention on their health. The committee has been told that Falise and […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In an 11 June 2003 letter to Laotian President Khamtay Siphandone, CPJ expressed deep concern about the safety of two European journalists and their American guide who were arrested last week by Laotian authorities: Thierry Falise, a Belgian free-lance photographer and reporter; Vincent Reynaud, a French free-lance photographer and cameraman; and Naw Karl […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called on the Laotian authorities to release two freelance journalists. Belgian reporter Thierry Falise and French cameraman Vincent Reynaut were arrested on 3 or 5 June 2003 after preparing a report on the desperate situation of the Hmong ethnic minority and the frequent clashes between Hmong rebels and the armed forces. […]

(IPI/IFEX) – In an 8 June 2001 letter to Laos President Khamtay Siphandone, IPI expressed its concern over recent comments made by Information and Culture Minister Phandouangchit Vongsa that the Laos government intends to amend the penalty for freelance journalists who provide false information on Laos. According to information provided to IPI, on 8 June, […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 27 October 2000 letter to President Khamtay Siphandone, CPJ expressed its deep concern over his government’s efforts to restrict the exchange of news and information over the Internet. A notice published in the 26 October edition of the “Vientiane Times”, a government newspaper, warned people “not to use the Internet in […]

In a 6 April 2000 letter to President Khamtay Siphandone, CPJ stated that it is disturbed by the efforts of Lao authorities to censor news coverage of last week’s explosion at a restaurant in the capital city, Vientiane. On 30 March 2000, shortly after 9:00 p.m. (local time), Ginny Stein, Southeast Asia correspondent for the […]

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 3 April 2000 letter to Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh, RSF protested the arrest of two journalists from the Australian television broadcaster ABC. The press freedom organisation asked the prime minister to “order an inquiry into this arrest, which is a serious attack on the free flow of information”. RSF also called […]