<div>New owners and managers took over on 7 May 2018 the editorial and operations of the last independent English-language newspaper in Cambodia – The Phnom Penh Post – after its sale to a Malaysian investor over the weekend.</div> <div> </div> <div>A representative of the new owner fired the editor in chief, and several senior staff resigned over their refusal to take down the report about the new ownership of the Phnom Penh Post. </div>

<p>The Cambodian government has launched over the past 3 weeks a systematic attack aimed at silencing independent media in the country with at least six media outlets being shutdown, forced off the air, or facing closure.</p> <p>One daily newspaper, two foreign media services and three local radio stations have been targeted in the clampdown.</p>

<p>A Thai reporter from the Isranews Agency, an investigative reporting outlet, was charged with entering private property without permission in Bangkok on 9 August 2017. Nattaporn Veeranant&nbsp;was gathering information about an apartment that allegedly belongs to the family of a senior police officer who is under investigation for corruption.</p>

<p dir="ltr">It has been nine years since the Computer Crime Act (CCA) was promulgated in the wake of the 2006 coup to control the netizens in Thailand. Many websites have been blocked, often permanently without due process or remedy; and many internet users have unjustifiably faced criminal prosecution for expressing their opinion online. Now, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) appointed by the 2014 coup-makers is considering amendments to the law as one of its primary agenda.</p>

<p dir="ltr">During the two-day media development conference, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) met with Khun Yar Zar, founder and editor in chief of the People’s Voice Journal based in Taunggyi, Shan State. It’s his third time joining the media conference, which was held at the Chatrium Hotel in Yangon this year.</p>

<p>The military-appointed National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) is proposing a bill that will create a media regulatory body to impose additional regulations for the media in Thailand.</p> <p>The bill on the “Protection of Media Rights and Freedom, Ethics and Professional Standards” is being vetted by the NRSA Subcommittee on Mass Media Communication, which presented the proposed law to journalist and media groups two weeks ago.</p>

<p>It is a rare occasion when the lifting of martial law is met with unprecedented alarm and condemnation. Yet, this is exactly what happened when the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) lifted Martial Law on 1 April, after being in place for more than 10 months in Thailand.</p>

<p>The Thai junta has ordered a German foundation to cancel a planned seminar on Thai media, scheduled to be held on Saturday, citing the “sensitivity” of the issue.</p> <p>The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) revealed to Prachatai that the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) forced the foundation to cancel the 2014 Asian Media Barometer Thailand event planned for Friday at a hotel in Ratchathewi, Bangkok.</p> <p>The event was to be held jointly with the Thai Journalists Association (TJA).</p>

<div>AMPATUAN, Maguindanao – I get the same feeling of indignation and pain every time I set foot on the exact site where the 58 victims, including 32 journalists, were mercilessly mowed down at the Ampatuan massacre.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It has become a recurring trauma.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Many of the journalist victims were my close friends, having worked together for many years.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>How could I ever forget Alejandro “Bong” Reblando and Francisco “Ian” Subang?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" /> </div>

<div> <div>Journalists from Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia have attended a security workshop by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), held before their trip to the Philippines, which is considered the most dangerous place in the region for reporters.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>SEAPA held a workshop on working in dangerous areas in the region for journalists who were awarded fellowships to produce in-depth reports on press freedom, media harassment and impunity. </div></div>

<div>Two defamation lawsuits were filed recently by the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore against online media regarding the publication of articles criticising their roles as leaders in their respective countries.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The defamation cases are civil suits filed as “private individuals” against online media: Singaporean <a href="http://thehearttruths.com/">blogger Roy Ngerng</a>, and <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/">Malaysiakini</a>, Malaysia’s most popular online news site.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Even though these lawsuits did not use existing criminal </div>

<p><em>SEAPA Statement on the Declaration of Martial law in Thailand</em></p> <p>The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) expresses gravest concern over the Royal Thai Army’s imposition of martial law yesterday across Thailand, particularly that it has targeted the media and freedom of expression.</p>