When the advocates of the freedom of expression and journalists from Southeast and South Asia met in the Indonesian capital last weekend, each had their own sobering tale to tell.

In Burma, 17 video journalists are in solitary confinement facing the threat of torture. In the Philippines, more than 121 journalists have been killed since 1986, and so far only ten of these cases have ended in the conviction of hired killers. In Indonesia, religious fundamentalist groups attack human-rights defenders cities in incidents related to issues ranging from homosexuality to religion and indigenous people's rights. The Indonesian police have been accused of having "close relations" with the attackers.

In Malaysia, the press is banned from lampooning the courts, while Muslim women fighting for gender equality are branded as destroyers of Islam. In Singapore, there's not one person who can stand up in protest without the government's permission. And in Thailand, there is no regulation about the rights of those being detained under the lese majeste law and whether they should be regarded as political prisoners. Also, the charges under which they are being detained are very murky.

Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression, told the symposium that when it comes to communication, "controls have never worked". Yet, journalists and advocates of free speech continue being jailed, attacked or even killed.

The symposium, organised by Bangkok-based regional NGO, Forum Asia, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (Seapa), Jakarta's Universitas Paramadina among others, became a stage for those who find freedom of expression in their home countries severely curtailed.

"In Burma, there's no freedom of expression and there's only one version of truth," said Toe Zaw Latt, Bureau Chief of the Democratic Voice of Burma, who is in exile and currently living in Thailand.

The consistent failure to bring the masterminds behind the killing of Filipino journalists to justice "may be the result of a state of lawlessness that operates in Philippine society", said Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director of the Manila-based Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility.

In Malaysia, some women who are trying to break "the stereotype of Muslim women" are being muzzled, said Yasmin Masidi, communication manager at Sisters in Islam, a group of Muslim women who work toward gender equality. Masidi said some Muslims were being sent to "rehab camps" for not properly accepting religious norm and identity.

The group published a booklet entitled "Are Women and Men Equal Before Allah?", which has been banned by Malaysian authorities because, according to Masidi, it "confuses Muslim women ... especially those who have shallow religious belief".

In Thailand, media reform activist Supinya Klangnarong, speaking on behalf of the Thai Netizen Network argued that though the Thai press were "institutionalised by censorship", social media such as Twitter as well as blogs were being used to challenge the traditional media's role as a gatekeeper of news and information.

As the second speaker from Thailand, I spoke about how the lese majeste is making any meaningful discussion about the monarchy impossible, which I believe can be detrimental to the future of Thai society and democracy. Further arrests under this law are likely, even though at least 11 people are already under detention over lese majeste charges in Bangkok alone. What's more, the ultra-royalists' fear about the institution's future is increasing due to His Majesty's advancing age and frail health.

The two-day workshop also heard voices from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, with their stories adding to the already gloomy atmosphere. Pakistan, the workshop were told, is one of the world's most dangerous nations for journalists, with seven reporters having been killed in the first six months of this year alone and no progress being made in solving their cases.

Overwhelmed by voices crying out for freedom and help, La Rue urged everybody to join the struggle. As for Thailand's lese majeste law, he urged "these are the kind of laws that we have to criticise and condemn". Those detained under lese majeste law "should be seen as political prisoners", La Rue said, adding that the United Nations will soon release a statement about the law.

La Rue also urged people to recognise that in a democracy "the public, not the government, decides what they read and what they don't read because once [the government] decides, it would be for the benefit of the political powers and they will become authoritarian".