Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

(SEAPA/IFEX) – A major newspaper associated with the ruling party in Malaysia has terminated two critical columns, further reducing the plurality of voices in the mainstream media, which largely mirrors the government position. The “New Straits Times” (NST), the English daily with the second-largest distribution in the country, has pulled Zainah Anwar and Amir Muhammad’s […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Thais will vote on a draft Constitution on 19 August 2007, in a crucial exercise the interim military government insists will put democracy back on track in the kingdom – but that critics say will have the opposite effect. Quite apart from the virtues and risks of its content, critics say the very […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – On 4 August 2007, amid political tensions arising from the controversial formation of the new government, an unknown group of men attacked the office of a major newspaper, “Suara Timor Lorosa’e” (STL). STL managing director Francisco Belo Simoes Da Costa said most of the windows in the office have been destroyed. “It is […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Malaysian authorities are looking to come down hard on a student in Taiwan who has allegedly insulted nationalistic and Islamic sensibilities in a music video uploaded on the popular video-sharing website YouTube. In the clip, the student, going by the name “Namewee”, turned the Malaysian national anthem, “Negaraku” (My Country), into an angst-ridden […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – Thai police are investigating a university lecturer for allegedly insulting the monarchy through examination questions he set on Thai civilisation. Asst. Prof. Boonsong Chaisinghanon, who teaches philosophy at Silpakorn University, had asked students to debate, among other things, the role of the monarchy in a democratic system and the effects of militarism and […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian government has threatened to invoke draconian laws against bloggers in what appears to be a move to limit information and free expression ahead of the general election expected in early 2008. On 24 July 2007, de-facto Law Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz warned that bloggers who write about “sensitive issues” will be […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – The Malaysian government has banned the mainstream media from reporting on an explosive issue concerning the very nature of the country’s constitution that points to the problematic relationship between law and religion. Web-based daily “Malaysiakini” reports that following the Internal Security Ministry’s directive on 19 July 2007, several journalists and editors contacted have […]

(SEAPA/IFEX) – On 17 July 2007, Malaysian authorities released blogger Nathaniel Tan on police bail after his four-day remand expired. However, Tan’s laptop and desktop computer, which were seized during his 13 July arrest on suspicion of breaching Section 8 of the Official Secrets Act (OSA), have not been returned to him. Tan’s mother, Sukumari […]