Southeast Asia: Open Letter on the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Southeast Asia

One month after 17 countries gathered in Bangkok to discuss the refugee and migrant crisis in South East Asia, we are writing to you to express our deep concern at the continuing lack of concrete and regionally-coordinated measures to tackle the current crisis and its long-standing root causes […]

Caught Between State Censorship and Self-Censorship: Prosecution and Intimidation of Media Workers in Myanmar

Myanmar’s media landscape has seen a radical change since the country embarked on a series of important political, economic and social reforms, announced by President Thein Sein in March 2011. The lifting of pre-publication censorship, the release of imprisoned journalists and greater space for freedom of expression have seen the development of an increasingly vibrant and diverse media. These media reforms have been lauded by many in the international community, who are keen to point to increased media freedoms as one of the hallmarks – and successes – of Myanmar’s reform process […]

Myanmar’s Media Stifled by Climate of Fear

Myanmar’s authorities are intensifying restrictions on media as the country approaches crucial national elections, scheduled to be held in November, using threats, harassment and imprisonment to stifle independent journalists and outlets, Amnesty International said in a new briefing today […]

Myanmar: Four Years On,Impunity is the Kachin Conflict’s Hallmark

On the fourth anniversary of renewed fighting in Kachin and Shan states in northern Myanmar, Amnesty International joins with Kachin activists and national and international NGOs in calling for an end to human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. The organization further calls for an end to persistent impunity, which is a hallmark of the conflict […]

Guilty Verdict for “Insulting Religion” Must be Overturned Immediately

The guilty verdict against an opposition activist in Myanmar today for “insulting religion” is a serious blow to both freedom of expression and religious tolerance in the country, Amnesty International said. Htin Lin Oo, a writer and former information officer of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Myanmar’s main opposition party, was today convicted and […]

South East Asia: ‘Boat People’ Crisis Summit an Opportunity that must not be Missed

Regional governments must take immediate action to save lives and address the root causes of the South East Asian refugees and migrant crisis, Amnesty International said ahead of a key summit in Thailand on Friday […]

Southeast Asia: Open Letter: Refugee Crisis

On 29 May 2015, Thailand is scheduled to host a Regional Summit on Irregular Migration in Bangkok to address the current refugee and migrant crisis in South East Asia, which has seen more than 2,000 people arrive by boat in Malaysia and Indonesia in May. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), thousands remain stranded at sea […]

South East Asia: Necessary U-Turn on Refugee Boats Still Leaves Thousands at Risk

The decision by Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to reverse an appalling policy of turning back boats carrying refugees and vulnerable migrants is a step in the right direction – but falls far short of the measures urgently needed to save thousands of lives still at risk at sea, or to address the root causes of the crisis, Amnesty International said […]

South East Asia: Immediately Step up Efforts to Rescue Thousands at Grave Risk At Sea

South East Asian governments must step up urgent search and rescue efforts to ensure that thousands of people stranded in boats are not left in dire circumstances and at risk of death, Amnesty International said, as another boat carrying hundreds of people thought to be migrants and asylum seekers in desperate conditions is currently awaiting rescue off the Thai coast […]

World Press Freedom Day or World Press Restrictions Day?

Sunday 3 May, 2015 was World Press Freedom Day and the Burma Army embraced the sentiment of this day by issuing a gaging order on the media, aimed at stopping them from reporting on statements by the ethnic armed group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) with which the Burma Army is at war with. Meanwhile, 12 journalists remain in prison, demonstrating why the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) designated Burma as the 9^th most censored country in the world.

Five of the most high profile incarcerated media workers, four journalists and the chief executive officer of the Unity Journal, have been in prison since reporting on a secret chemical weapons factory of the Burma Army in January 2014. They are serving seven years with hard labor after being charged under the colonial-era State Secrets Act. International human rights group, Amnesty International, brought attention to this issue on World Press Freedom Day, encouraging supporters to post ‘#FreeUnityFive’ on the Burma Government’s Information Minister’s Facebook wall. It is not just the Unity five that are in prison. Seven more media workers spent World Press Freedom Day without their freedom, including five from the Bi-Midday Sun newspaper and two from the Myanmar Post Weekly […]