SEAPA | Southeast Asian Press Alliance

[Timor Leste] Court verdict due on defamation trial of 2 journalists

01 March 2013 Alerts - Incidents

Dili – Two journalists attended on Thursday a final court hearing on a criminal defamation trial for writing articles alleging bribery of a state prosecutor.

Raimundo Oki of the Independente and Oscar Maria Salsinha of the Suara Timor Lorosa’e faced these accusations for writing separate articles about a district prosecutor in Oecuse district being suspected of receiving a bribe.

Myanmar Parliament to investigate blogger for critical article

28 February 2013 Alerts - Incidents

Yangon - Myanmar’s Hluttaw (Parliament) approved on 8 February a proposal to investigate a blogger for writing a critical article that ‘dishonored’ the legislature.

A 17-member bicameral commission was formed to determine the identity and take action on a blogger who wrote under the pseudonym “Dr Sate Phwar”, who wrote a 17 January 2013 article entitled “Is the Hluttaw (Parliament) above the law?”.

Book and website launch on the Myanmar peace process

13 February 2013 announcement - SEAPA Activities

Date & Time: Feb 16th, 2013, 2-3:30 pm

Venue: Belle Villa Resort (Maew Ra Reung Room)

After decades of protracted civil war with the ethnic armed groups the new nominally civilian government has made serious initiatives towards establishing ceasefires with all of the various groups. Understanding the peace process is confusing to say the least. The conflicts in Myanmar is complicated not only by the large numbers of ethnic armed groups, each competing for their own regional and domestic interests, but also by the lack of transparency by all sides.

Call for new ASEAN Sec-Gen to promote freedom of expression

24 January 2013 Campaigns - ASEAN & freedom of expression

We, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), a Bangkok-based regional press freedom and freedom of expression advocacy group, welcome the assumption to the office of Mr. Le Luong Minh, a former deputy foreign minister of Vietnam, as Secretary General of ASEAN on January 9.

[Laos] Joint statement on the disappearance of NGO worker Sombath Somphone

17 January 2013 Campaigns - Impunity

We, 65 national, regional and international human rights organizations, express very grave concern over the lack of progress and information regarding investigations into the fate and whereabouts of Mr. Sombath Somphone. He has been missing for over three weeks and to date, the investigations on in this respect appear to be lacking or ineffective. Our organizations fear that he may have been subjected to enforced disappearance.

[Philippines] State of Press Freedom: Attacks and Threats 2012

09 January 2013 Alerts - Reports

The failure of the Benigno Aquino III administration to stop the killing of journalists and to speed up the prosecution of cases in court has disappointed journalists, press freedom defenders—and those who have been demanding justice for their slain kin.

Media rights groups slam detention of Al-Jazeera journalists in Malaysia, call for greater transparency

26 February 2013 Alerts - Incidents

We, the undersigned organisations which advocate for media freedom and responsibility in South-East Asia, regret the unnecessary detention and interrogation of three Al-Jazeera journalists who were reporting an armed standoff near Lahad Datu, Sabah, on 20 Feb 2013.

Call for Laos Prime Minister to stop attacks on government critics

24 January 2013 Campaigns - Impunity

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is writing to you to express our deep concern over eroding situation of freedom of expression in Laos over the past year.

After the abrupt cancellation of news talk show program, Wao Kao, the country’s only live-call-in radio news program, on Lao National Radio last January for unclear reasons, came the expulsion of Swiss aid development Helvetas country director Anne-Sophie Grindroz for expressing critical views about the lack of freedom of expression on 7 December. One week later, we received news of the disappearance of Magsaysay award recipient and Lao development worker Sombath Somphone, who has yet to be found after more than a month.

[Thailand] Editor sentenced for publishing defamatory article

23 January 2013 Alerts - Incidents

Bangkok – A Thailand criminal court today sentenced Somyot Pruekasemsuk, editor of a political magazine, to eleven years of imprisonment for publishing two articles in 2010 deemed defamatory to the country’s monarchy.

Somyot was sentenced to 5 years for each count of violating Article 112 of the Penal Code, otherwise known as the lese majeste law, which prohibits acts of insulting, defaming or threatening Thailand’s king, heir apparent or Regent.

[Vietnam] Appeal to release 13 jailed activists and bloggers

14 January 2013 Campaigns - Impunity

SEAPA has signed on to this appeal from 28 groups within the IFEX network to the Vietnamese authorities to free bloggers, citizen journalists and human rights activists, and reverse the court convictions for their alleged offences

[Indonesia] 2012, Dark Period for Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression

07 January 2013 Campaigns - Impunity

On-going Suppression

Press freedom and freedom of expression in Indonesia went through gloomy days in 2012 as a growing number of violent acts against journalists was recorded. AJI Indonesia noted that between December 2011 and December 2012, there were at least 56 cases of violence against journalists—higher than 2011's 49 cases.