Reporters sans frontières has awarded grants worth 1,000 US dollars to four journalists who have shown their commitment to press freedom in countries where it is not respected by the authorities. Journalists who try to maintain an independent editorial line in those countries do not have the financial means to work in the best conditions. […]
Reporters sans frontières has awarded grants worth 1,000 US dollars to four journalists who have shown their commitment to press freedom in countries where it is not respected by the authorities. Journalists who try to maintain an independent editorial line in those countries do not have the financial means to work in the best conditions.
Reporters sans frontières, which seeks to defend press freedom worldwide, wants to contribute to the consolidation of an independent private press in Southeast Asia and has called on journalists in those countries to join the struggle for freedom of expression.
The journalists who received grants are:
For Burma, Moe Aye, Bangkok correspondent of the Oslo-based radio station Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) and author of many articles published in the Thai daily The Nation. Aged 36, he spent six years in Insein jail (Rangoon), where conditions are appalling. He was imprisoned because of numerous articles which were critical of the military junta, and because of his involvement with the National League for Democracy (NLD). He has been living in exile in Thailand since 1997 and has published two books about Burma, one on torture and the other on conditions at Insein jail.
For Vietnam, the grant has been given to a journalist who is imprisoned because of his role in the struggle for freedom of expression. He must remain anonymous because the authorities could take reprisals against him.
For Malaysia, Fathi Aris Omar, of the online daily Malaysiakini. This experienced journalist is a leading staff member of the daily, which founded by Steven Gan. Fathi Aris Omar (his pen name) stopped working for newspapers controlled by press groups linked to the government to join this ambitious project.
For Cambodia, the grant went to Ham Kak, a journalist with the Khmer-language weekly Sakarach Thmei (The New Era). A Fellow of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Ham Kak is working with a group of young journalists to relaunch the weekly. Sakarach Thmei was forced to stop publishing after only nine issues due to financial difficulties. The general news weekly maintains an editorial line independent from political parties and economic interests.
