Articles by Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
Government allegedly blocking Gmail and G-Talk Internet services
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Burma appears to have blocked access to Gmail and G-Talk, two of the most popular Internet applications in one of the world’s most restricted societies. Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) – which holds a monopoly over Burma’s postal and telecommunications sector – is believed to be tightening controls over cyberspace as demand for […]
Editor receives death threats, faces legal action
(SEAPA/IFEX) – The editor-in-chief of a local bi-weekly newspaper, “Sralanh Khmer” (“Love Khmer”), has received death threats from and is the target of a legal action by a nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, reports coming out of Phnom Penh say. The editor reportedly is being harassed for a published article which suggests that Sen’s […]
Four dissidents sentenced up to 19 years in prison for anti-government poems
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) protests against the “unjust and excessive” jail sentences slapped against four dissidents by a criminal court in Pegu, north of Rangoon, on 9 June 2006, for publishing a book of poems deemed “anti-government”. Delhi-based Burmese news website Mizzima.com reported on 15 June that Aung Than, member of the […]
Government readies stricter press laws to rein in journalists
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Strict new press regulations will take effect in Vietnam starting in July 2006, reports coming out of the country say, amid signs that national leaders are growing wary of the trend toward more aggressive and enterprising journalism. The Deutsche Press Agentur (DPA) is reporting that a new decree has been announced that will, […]
Prime Minister Thaksin files another libel case against opposition, three newspaper editors
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Thai caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has filed criminal and civil defamation suits against the opposition Democrat Party and three newspaper editors, and is seeking 800 million baht (approx. US$20 million) in damages. Thaksin said he was libeled by Democrat Party spokesman Thepthai Senpong when the latter suggested that Thaksin is clinging to […]
Blogger faces sedition charges for cartoons mocking Jesus Christ, according to reports
(SEAPA/IFEX) – A Singaporean blogger faces sedition charges for posting cartoons mocking Jesus Christ, reports coming out of the city-state are saying. The unidentified blogger has taken down the offending cartoons from his website, the “Singapore Straits Times” reported, even as police are said to be pressing on with an investigation. The Agence France Presse […]
Journalist’s columns banned over “International Herald Tribune” piece
(SEAPA/IFEX) – Burma’s military government has ordered domestic journals and magazines to stop publishing the columns of veteran journalist Ludu Sein Win after an opinion piece critical of the junta appeared in the “International Herald Tribune” (IHT) on May 23, 2006. “Our journal can’t use any of Saya Ludu Sein Win’s articles because the censorship […]
Journalist assaulted by police while covering Kuala Lumpur demonstration
(SEAPA/IFEX) – A journalist working with Malaysia’s Chinese-language online publication, MerdekaReview.com, was assaulted by police while he was covering a peaceful demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on 28 May 2006. Lim Hong Siang was kicked by a policeman before identifying himself as a journalist, according to Malaysia’s independent media advocacy group, the Centre for Independent Journalism […]