IFJ Asia-Pacific Regional eBulletin: July 2012

Welcome to the IFJ Asia-Pacific’s monthly e-bulletin. The next bulletin will be issued on August 1, 2012, and contributions from affiliates are most welcome. To contribute, email ifj@ifj-asia.org.

1. Murder of Witness to Philippines Journalists Massacre
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in expressing outrage at the murder of yet another witness to the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan massacre of 58 people, including 32 journalists and media workers, in Mindanao. Lawyer Nena Santos, who represents the family of Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, who lost his wife, sister and other relatives in the carnage, said the brutalized body of witness Esmail Enog had been found in Mamasapano town, two months after he had gone missing.

His murder came two years after that of another key witness, Suwaib Upham. Relatives of witnesses have also reported being been attacked, threatened, offered bribes and harassed. Enog, a brother of Rakim Amil, one of the 100 massacre suspects who have been arrested and detained, had testified that he drove 36 of the accused, four of whom he identified, to the massacre site in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman. Reports stated he returned to Maguindanao after testifying, having refused to be enrolled in the government’s witness protection program.

The IFJ called on “the Philippines government protect the safety of all witnesses and their families”, and joined the NUJP in demanding that Philippines President Benigno Aquino III order a full investigation into Enog's murder, and the reasons for the failure to ensure his safety.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-outraged-by-murder-of-witness-to-philippines-journalists-massacre

2. Brutal Murder of Journalist in Bangladesh
The IFJ was shocked by and sharply condemned the brutal murder of a Bangladeshi journalist on June 15, in the Sharsha area of Jessore, a district located south-western Bangladesh. According to reports from the Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum (BMSF), the journalist was identified as Jamal Uddin, 33, a Jessore-based journalist of the daily Bengali-language newspaper Gramer Kagoj. Uddin was reportedly attacked by a group armed with sharp weapons while having tea at a shop at around 11pm on June 15. Local residents immediately took the severely injured journalist to Buruzbagan Upazila Health Complex, but he was declared dead around 11:30pm.

Motives behind the attack are yet to be confirmed, but local drug dealers had reportedly threatened Jamal Uddin for his reporting on their activities. Police announced that they are working to identify those responsible for the murder. According to the BMSF, the President of the Sharsha Press Club, Asaduzzaman Asad said that journalists of the Benapol and Sharsha press clubs organised a rally to protest the killing.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/brutal-murder-of-journalist-in-bangladesh

3. Indian Photo-Journalist, Tarun Sehrawat, Dies at 22
The IFJ, and its affiliates and partners in the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN), were saddened by the death on June 15 of photo-journalist Tarun Sehrawat, after he contracted multiple infections on assignment in the Abujmarh region of India’s Chhattisgarh state. Sehrawat was on assignment with the weekly news and current affairs magazine Tehelka and with his colleague, reporter Tusha Mittal, spent a week early in May in the thickly forested area, believed to be among the main operational bases of the Maoist insurgency that has been active in parts of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states in recent years.

Their account of life in an area that remains for the most part beyond the media gaze was published in the print edition of the magazine, dated May 12. Both Sehrawat and Mittal came down with severe infections and fevers at about the same time. Mittal recovered after two weeks under intensive care, but Sehrawat was hit by a combination of jaundice, typhoid and malaria, and slipped into a coma. He regained consciousness early in June, but suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage on June 10. He died on June 15 aged 22, the cause of death identified as cerebral malaria.

Tarun Sehrawat’s portfolio of pictures from his final assignment in Abujmarh can be viewed here.

In mourning the loss of a dedicated young professional, the IFJ urged the news industry to pay heed to the imperatives of care and preparation, when assigning reporters to areas of potential safety risk and health hazard. “We urge renewed attention to the code evolved by the International News Safety Institute and widely endorsed by news industry managements”. Titled “Surviving the Story”, the code observes by way of preface, that the “preservation of life and safety is paramount”. The safety code requires that “assignments to war and other danger zones must be voluntary and only involve experienced news gatherers and those under their direct supervision.” Employers are responsible under the code, for providing “efficient safety equipment and medical and health safeguards appropriate to the threat to all staff and freelancers assigned to hazardous locations”. The IFJ stated that they appreciated that Tarun Sehrawat and his colleague volunteered for this assignment and that the Tehelka team took all decisions in good faith and the belief that an important public interest was served in getting the story out of a region that few media persons venture into”; but urged that in future, all such decisions be made after due deliberation over the risks and the consequences involved”.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/indian-photo-journalist-tarun-sehrawat-dies-at-22

4. Death Threat Made to Nepali Journalist
The IFJ and its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) were deeply alarmed by a death threat made against Arjun Bhattarai - a journalist affiliated with the Naya Karnali Weekly and President of Revolutionary Journalist Association Kalikot - in the mid-western region of Nepal, by way of an anonymous phone call on June 14,. The caller threatened his life if he continued to report and also told Bhattarai that his office was under threat.

Intimidation and violence against journalists has escalated in Nepal amid tensions arising from the stalemate over a constitution. This coupled with the government’s failure to investigate and prosecute many of these crimes is creating an environment of fear and self-censorship, affecting journalists’ ability to exercise their right to freedom of expression. The IFJ called on authorities in Nepal to take all necessary steps to ensure that journalists and press freedom are protected and that all threats are thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-death-threat-made-to-nepali-journalist

5. Threats Made to Philippines Journalists
The IFJ joined its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in expressing deep concern over recent threats made to four journalists and a newspaper publisher. According to NUJP reports, the media personnel were threatened in separate incidents immediately following articles and on-air statements made concerning illegal logging activities in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines.

Two commentators from the RMN-dxBC 693 AM radio station based in Butuan City - Sasie Babar and her co-anchor Gerry Campos of the daily morning radio program ’Straight to the Point’ - were threatened via text message on June 18 in connection with their on-air commentaries on illegal logging operations in the Caraga. Both threats read "Prepare your coffins, this is from Cabantian. If you try to intervene with Edma (referring to businessman Roger Edma) your birthday will really change." Babar said they had been discussing the recent series of confiscations of illegally logged trees in Butuan.

Edwin Iyo, correspondent for the Mindanao Gold Star Daily in Cagayan de Oro City, also received death threats via text message on June 17, following an article he wrote on June 15 about the proposed filing of charges against prominent businessman Roger Edma by the Department of Interior and Local Government. Iyo alleged that Edma had made the threats. In response, Edma allegedly challenged Iyo to publish the death threat in his newspaper. Iyo's editor-in-chief, Edilberto "Herbie" Gomez allegedly received a similarly-worded text message on the morning on June 19, saying he would be “fed to a crocodile”, and also made a threatening reference to Ernesto Chu, the publisher of the newspaper.

The threats made to Babar, Campos and Gomez reportedly all came from the same cell phone number. Babar reported the threats to the Philippines Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Iyo made a report to the police. The IFJ joined the NUJP in calling on the authorities of the Philippines to investigate the threats swiftly and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and the safety of journalists to be ensured.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-threats-made-to-philippines-journalists

6. Government Threats to Fiji TV
The IFJ joined its partner the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning the threat made by Fiji’s government, that coverage of members of the “opposition” by commercial broadcaster Fiji TV could result in the loss of its broadcasting license. According to a PFF report, the order not to broadcast comments or pictures of a regime list of "opposition" people, including Laisenia Qarase, Mahendra Chaudhry, and Felix Anthony, came from Fiji's Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum two weeks ago. This followed the broadcast of a Fiji TV news bulletin that included interviews with the deposed Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, and the Fiji Labour party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry. Both were responding to an earlier story in which Constitution Commissioner, Taufa Vakatale, blamed past politicians for what she said was Fiji's current state.

The regime’s threats were shared with Fiji TV’s management in early June, and put the station on notice that all of the station’s content will be 'monitored' and will influence the decision regarding the renewal of Fiji TV's 12-year broadcasting license, due at the end of June. The IFJ stated that the threats clearly indicated that despite the removal of the previous media regulations and the introduction of a new media decree, press freedom in Fiji remains curtailed by authorities.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-government-threats-to-fiji-tv

7. Threats to PNG Film Crew
The IFJ joined its partner the PFF in condemning threats and intimidation directed towards a film crew working in Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, on Sunday June 10. According to the PFF, EMTV Journalist Mick Kavera and camera operator Gesoko Adrian were threatened with physical violence and forced to delete their footage by members of a government-appointed investigative task force. The two were on assignment at Port Moresby’s Jackson Airport Terminal to film the arrival of alleged illegal immigrants being accompanied by members of the government-appointed investigative task force. According to Kavera, task force members witnessed them filming during the mid-morning arrival and approached them, berating them for media "misreporting" of their activities and telling them to await a formal statement. Adrian was also told to delete all the footage he had taken that day or the camera would be broken and he would be assaulted. Sometime after Adrian had deleted the footage, the task force members apparently apologised for their earlier orders, and invited the EMTV crew to resume filming and complete their assignment.

The IFJ joined the PFF in demanding quick and effective action to investigate this case of media intimidation, and urged PNG's government and media organisations to work together to ensure journalists are not exposed to threats to their safety in the course of their work. Intimidation and threats against media workers were previously identified as a key obstacle to improved journalism in PNG by the country’s new PNG Media Workers Association. The issue was also highlighted in the PNG country chapter in the IFJ Asia Pacific Inaugural Pacific Press Freedom report.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-threats-to-png-film-crew

8. Attack on Television Station in Pakistan
The IFJ joined its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in strongly condemning an attack on the office of Pakistan’s AAJ TV, in Karachi on June 26, 2012. According to media reports, at least two employees of the private TV channel were injured when four armed men opened fire at the main gate of AAJ TV office at Gurumandir in Karachi. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist militant umbrella group based in Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. In a phone call to AAJ News, TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan threatened attacks against other Pakistani television channels that did not feature the Taliban point of view.

The IFJ joined the PFUJ in demanding a thorough investigation of the attack and said that the incident revealed the continued threat to the safety of media personnel in Pakistan, and demonstrated the urgent need for effective action by the government to address the worsening situation for press freedom in the country. This incident followed similar attacks on the offices of Kawaish Television Network (KTN) on May 11 and Geo TV on March 20.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-attack-on-television-station-in-pakistan

9. Ongoing Attacks on Press Freedom in China
The IFJ has condemned a number of attacks on press freedom in China over the last month. In early June, the IFJ called for the release of a netizen, from China’s western Xinjiang province, who was detained by authorities for allegedly ‘spreading rumours’ about the death of a young boy on June 5. According to a Global Times report, the unnamed netizen was detained for 15 days after forwarding information about a 12-year-old boy found dead in Korla, also in Xinjiang province. A spokesperson for the Xinjiang Provincial Government said that after the information was posted online, subsequent comments on the post attacked the Communist Party and the Chinese Government. The spokesperson claimed that the post had caused ‘social disturbance’, however they did not elaborate on the nature of that disturbance. However, the spokesperson did confirm that a boy referred to in the post had died after receiving a beating from his classmates at the local underground school. On May 30, Xinjiang Government officials announced that anyone found to be ‘fabricating and disseminating false information’ would be punished.

The IFJ noted that this was not an isolated case of a netizen being punished for forwarding non-sensitive information. Along with its demands that the netizen be released, the IFJ called for an assurance that similar cases will not occur in the future.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/netizen-in-chinas-xinjiang-province-detained-for-spreading-rumours-online

The IFJ also condemned restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities on the media reporting of the death of a man shortly after he gave an interview to foreign press about his incarceration and torture following his connection with the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests.

Li Wangyang, 62 and blind, was a union leader in Hunan who had served 22 years in prison for his involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests that took place in Beijing around June 4,1989. After his release, Li received 8,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately USD 1,300) from the foreign non-governmental organisation Human Rights in China. During his imprisonment, Li was tortured to such an extent that he was left completely blind and largely deaf. Li disclosed that he was tortured by a prison warden during an interview with Hong Kong-based media channel, Cable Television on June 3, 2012. During the interview, Li demanded vindication for those punished or killed in the reprisals of the 1989 protests. On 6 June, Li was found dead in Daxiang District people’s hospital in Shaoyang City, Hunan province. According to various Hong Kong and overseas media reports, his death was reported as a suicide. However, his family members and friends claim his death is suspicious. Li’s sister said she visited her brother in hospital the day before his death and he had asked her to buy him a radio, suggesting he had no intention of committing suicide. When Li’s family arrived at the hospital after his death, they were prevented from examining his body by security agents. After his death Li’s body was immediately taken away by police despite Li’s sister’s demands for an autopsy. Chinese journalists have been forbidden from reporting the story. Li’s family were also warned by local police not to accept any interviews from the media.

The IFJ stated that it was difficult to understand authorities’ claims that media reporting could jeopardise police investigations and that Li’s family and the Chinese public have the right to know how and why a man has allegedly committed suicide in a public hospital. Given Li Wangyang’s connection with the 1989 protests, it is even more important that this case be investigated in a manner that is open and transparent.

The IFJ urged Meng Jianzhu, China’s Minister of Public Security, to investigate the case independently and report to the public his findings. The IFJ also urged Liu Yunshan, the Director of China’s Propaganda Department, to uphold Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution which guarantees the free media reporting of news stories of great public concern.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-condemns-restrictions-on-reporting-of-suspicious-death-of-chinese-activist

10. Increasing Censorship of Hong Kong Media
The IFJ joined its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HJKA) in expressing disappointment at the increase in self-censorship by media that was revealed in a recent media survey and moves by the government of Hong Kong to tighten flows of information and news coverage. On June 24, the HJKA released a press freedom survey of 663 respondents, indicating a growing prevalence of censorship in the reporting activities of Hong Kong’s media. The most worrying result from the report noted that 92.7% of media personnel said that they believe press freedom in Hong Kong is reducing due to the tightening of local government controls. Other factors nominated by respondents include self-censorship within the industry (71%), interference by the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong (67.5%) and interference by the business sector and conglomerates (35.9%). Respondents were able to nominate multiple choices in their responses. According to the survey, 79.2% of respondents believe that self-censorship in 2012 is more serious than in 2005, during the tenure of Chief Executive Donald Tsang. 35.9% of respondents admitted that they themselves or their supervisors had practiced self-censorship of their reporting in the past twelve months. In 2007, this figure was 29.5%; with a further 39.6% responding at that time, that their colleagues and supervisors self-censored.

According to the survey, respondents reported bowing to censorship pressure concerning the following topics:

• Information unfavourable to advertisers (40.3%)
• Information unfavourable to the Central Government (37%)
• Issues or information detrimental to the media owners or their interests (34.5%)
• News in favour of Chief Executive candidates (33.6%
• Information unfavourable to the SAR Government (28%); and
• News in favour of the SAR Government (23%).

During the lead up to the election for the new Chief Executive of Hong Kong on March 25 this year, the IFJ reported allegations that the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong had interfered with the reporting of the election of the new Chief Executive by local media. The recent survey published by the HKJA found that 34.5%of respondents said that blatant infringements of press freedom were occurring as a result of pressure that came from the Chinese Liaison Office.

Recent examples of political interference in the media include the altering of an article written by commentator Johnny YS Lau for Sing Pao, which was altered to reflect support for the mainland China-supported candidate for Chief Executive. Lau’s contract was subsequently terminated on April 12, 2012, without explanation. The newspaper has continued to self-censor, with a column about blind activist Chen Guangcheng removed from its official website on April 30.

In the wake of the deterioration of press freedom in Hong Kong, and the troubling findings of the HKJA media survey, the IFJ called on the Government of Hong Kong to ensure greater respect for press freedom. The IFJ urged outgoing Chief Executive Donald Tsang, and Chief Executive Elect, CY Leung to pledge to investigate all allegations of political interference into the reporting of Hong Kong’s media and ensure that press freedom is protected in Hong Kong.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/hong-kong-press-freedom-survey-reveals-increasing-censorship

The IFJ also expressed deep concern for the independence of Hong Kong’s longest-running English newspaper, the South China Morning Post, after becoming aware of reports of censorship. According to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Apple Daily, Wang Xiangwei, Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post and Member of the Jilin Province Political Consultative Conference of China, is suspected of ordering the censorship of a story on the suspicious death of Tiananmen dissident Li Wangyang in Hunan hospital on June 6, 2012. The reports claim that Wang directed staff to cover the story as briefly as possible, rather than giving the story the extensive coverage undertaken by other media outlets. When the paper’s sub-editor, Alex Price, emailed Wang for an explanation, Wang is alleged to have replied, “I don’t have to explain to you anything. I made the decision and I stand by it. If you don’t like it, you know what to do.”

The IFJ called on Robet Kuok, the Malaysian majority shareholder of the South China Morning Post, to investigate the claims of political censorship at the paper and report his findings to the public and its share-holders. The IFJ also called for Wang Xiangwei to resign his membership of the Jilin Province Political Consultative Conference of China, which raises questions as to his independence and impartiality.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/hong-kongs-south-china-morning-post-accused-of-censorship

11. Calls for End to Newspaper Ban in Kiribati (Updated)
On June 22, publishers and staff of the print edition of The Kiribati Independent Newspaper announced it would be closing indefinitely. The paper's website, based in Auckland, which will continue to operate normally, wrote in a statement:

“On June 18, police officers visited our office to investigate the complaints of the Ministry of Communications. Therefore it is appropriate that we allow the police to do their investigations so the Ministry of Communications can prove in a court of law that Kiribati Independent has [allegedly] breached the Newspaper Registration Act 1988. Kiribati Independent cannot operate under such difficult circumstances. Finally, we wish to thank our loyal readers and businesses for their support. We trust that this issue would be resolved soon.”

Prior to that, the IFJ joined its partner the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) in condemning the Government of Kiribati’s ban on the Kiribati Independent newspaper. According to PFF reports, the editor and founding publisher of the Kiribati Independent, Taberannang Korauaba, had been instructed on Friday May 18 to immediately cease publication of his newspaper until his registration application is finalised. Korauaba had resumed publication of the newspaper following legal advice he received in March stating that he was able to publish, given that his application for registration had been lodged. He had previously published another, now defunct, news title in 2006 in the same manner, and this had gone unchallenged.

The timing of the ban came in the wake of articles published in the Kiribati Independent which reportedly upset the country’s government. The IFJ said that the decision to ban the Kiribati Independent from publishing, at that time, raised serious issues of political interference in the media.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/ifj-calls-for-end-to-newspaper-ban-in-kiribati

12. Indian Union Rallies for Law to Protect Journalists
The IFJ extended its support to its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of India – NUJ(I) - in its campaign seeking a national law to protect journalists. On June 25, the NUJ(I) organised a series of demonstrations across India, to highlight the rising trend of violence against journalists and demand a comprehensive law to deal with the range of hazards faced by media practitioners. All state-level units of the NUJ(I) presented memoranda to the relevant governmental authorities to focus attention on this demand.

The national leadership of the NUJ(I) and elected office-bears of the Delhi unit attended the demonstration at a central location in the national capital. Among those present was the secretary-general of the NUJ(I), Ras Bihari, former president Nand Kishore Trikha and senior journalist and union activist, Rajendra Prabhu, as well as senior representatives from the national and local leadership. A delegation of the NUJ (I) later presented a memorandum to the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The document recorded over 190 attacks on journalists in the recent past and argued the case for comprehensive security legislation. In addition, increasing job insecurity, represented by recent staff retrenchments in major TV channels, was highlighted by the demonstrators. The NUJ(I) has also made the case for the law empowering the Press Council of India to be amended to include the entire media industry within its mandate.

See: http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/indian-union-rallies-for-law-to-protect-journalists

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