Thailand, one of the most open societies in Asia, is becoming a regional
leader in press freedom. Its constitution, ratified at the end of 1997, has
some of the strongest protections for the press in the developing world,
and the country's leaders are using their influence in regional meetings
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to urge neighboring countries
to follow their lead on free expression issues. It is also one of the few
developing countries to have a statutory guarantee of citizens' right to
have access to government records.
In 1998, the Reporters Association of Thailand, together with CPJ, organized
the founding conference of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), in
Bangkok in November. SEAPA, which brings together independent press organizations
from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, is the first multilateral
organization in Asia devoted primarily to promoting and protecting press
freedom. SEAPA plans to establish a press freedom secretariat in Bangkok
in 1999.
Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, who spoke at SEAPA's founding conference,
said that the best way to rebuild Asian economies in the aftermath of the
economic crisis is by reforming press and information policies. "More open
information policies will be the best guarantee of the sustainability of
restored economies," he said at the meeting.
The next hurdle for the Thai press will be the privatization of the many
radio and television frequencies still controlled by the military -- a legacy
of pre-1992 army-dominated governments. The constitution mandates that the
military relinquish the frequencies, but implementing legislation that defines
the terms of privatization has been slowed by the military's reluctance to
part with lucrative advertising revenues. |
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