IFJ welcomes press freedom commitment, new Asean body

MANILA, Philippines - An international media watchdog group welcomed Tuesday the formation of the Legislative Caucus on Rights and Free Expression, a new regional body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to promote press freedom. The International Federation of Journalists noted the formation of the Caucus was announced at the 14th Asean summit in Thailand last February 28. "The IFJ encourages the Legislative Caucus on Rights and Free Expression to take an active role in opening stronger lines of dialogue between Southeast Asian governments and the international human rights and press freedom communities," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said. "In 2008, nine journalists in the Philippines, four in Thailand and one in Cambodia were killed while conducting their professional work. In 2009, the Philippines has already seen the murder of a radio journalist and the attempted murder of another," IFJ added. IFJ added press freedom and the safety of journalists in Southeast Asia is a significant concern for it. Members of the Caucus include Cambodian MP Yim Sovann, Indonesian MP Djoko Susilo, Senator Francis Pangilinan and Rep. Teodoro Casino of the Philippines, and Thailand MPs Buranaj Smutharaks and Kraisak Choonhasan. "We believe that the dream of a true Asean Community and the formation of an Asean Human Rights Body must recognize free expression, press freedom, and people’s access to information as essential to human rights," the Caucus said in a statement issued on February 28. Aside from the situation in the Philippines, IFJ noted journalists in Indonesia continue to face threats of imprisonment under archaic criminal defamation laws. It noted a high-profile media advocate and leader of the Coalition of Journalists Against Criminalization of the Press, Upi Asmaranda, is currently on trial for allegedly "provoking journalists to resist the head of the South Sulawesi Regional Police Office." "The Caucus’s acknowledgement of the UN Declaration of Human Rights as minimum standards for human rights across all countries in Southeast Asia is a positive step," IFJ said. "The IFJ looks forward to observing implementation of these standards in Asean countries, including standards applying to freedom of expression and the rights of journalists to conduct their work without fear of harm or restriction," it added. IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide. - GMANews.TV