Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

Ampon Tangnoppakul had been denied bail, resulting in a detainment of over eight months during which his health deteriorated.

Martyn See was questioned by the police for possibly having contravened the Public Order Act by organising a public assembly without a permit.

The end result of the project will be a publication that will serve not only as a resource for journalists, academics and civil society organisations, but as a reminder to governments of the region of the importance of freedom of information.

The forum, held on 12 October 2011, was jointly organised by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), the Thai Netizen Network and iLaw, to discuss the state of online freedom of expression in Thailand.

In an example of the ostracism of the media, a hard-hitting political and current affairs program host was forced to resign following criticisms that he favoured a political party leader in an interview broadcast prior to the elections.

The police allege that the Singapore Democratic Party allowed “fugitives from justice” to interfere with domestic politics because former detainees Francis Seow and Tang Fong Har participated in a political discussion via video conference.

The report addresses the question of what can be expected from the new civilian government, and what are its reasons for the recent gestures toward liberalisation.

The goal of “a free, safe and fair environment for journalists” would be greatly undermined should UNESCO’s executive board move forward with an award named for and funded by Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, say a group of organisations who participated in a UN consultative process on impunity last week.