The media in Burma is still heavily censored, but in the recent years, there have been more news stories in the private print media on business and economics, health issues like HIV, malaria, TB and Avian Flu, environment and social issues etc. There is an urgent need to improve the professional capacity of the working journalists, since there is no formal journalism training in the Burmese education system. The American Centre, the British Council and the UNICEF in Burma have provided some training for the local journalists in the recent years. All public libraries are subject to...
Regions: Asia and the Pacific
Uzbekistan gained its independence in the early nineties. Since then, legislation changes have been made in favour of the freedom of the media: for example passing a law on abolishment of the censorship in 2002. Following this, along with existing government broadcasters, several nongovernmental media outlets have started operations in the country. Many of them mostly cover the capital and its suburb regions, leaving the population of the remote the Aral Sea Basin area vulnerable to get access to constructive information that represents various shades of opinion. Hence, the population of...
Following the peoples' movement for re-establishment of democracy in April 2006, Nepal has embarked on a sustained path to democracy respecting human rights, media freedom and free flow of information. Because of liberal government policy, more than four dozens community radios (CRs) were opened within the last eight months, reaching a total of 91, out of which 36 stations are already on air and 15 more stations will be on air by the end of October 2007. While professional training is a must for any fresh entrant in the media profession, the journalists of CRs are always constrained with...
Fundamental rights in South Asia have never been at a stage where constitutional guarantees of human rights and promises made by governments have translated into strong practices in reality. Across the region, the repression of dissent, the intolerance of alternative narratives and the clamping down on free media and the freedom of expression pose significant challenges to sustainable development, political stability, good governance and ultimately, the timbre of democracy. Cultural values and norms coupled with extremist nationalism, mono-ethnic majoritarianism and populist religious...
As a new nation, Timor Leste still needs much assistance and intervention from outside, including in the field of media. Even though some media were established shortly after the country was no longer under Indonesian occupation in 1999, the media organisations and professionals are still faced with lack of professionalism. This situation is also faced by the radio sector. In East Timor, it consists of one public broadcaster, independent from government by law but governmentfunded: RTTL Radio Timor Leste (RTL and TVTL), and about a dozen community radio stations. These were established...
The last two decades have witnessed increased freedom for the print media and liberalisation of the broadcasting section in Pakistan. Today, more than 1000 dailies, weeklies and magazines are being published in the country, while more than 172 licenses have been issued to private FM radio stations and TV channels. Similarly, Internet use is increasing at an astounding rate. Some seven million Pakistanis in more than 1000 cities, towns and rural centres are connected to the Internet. Recently, newspapers publishers have been authorised to open their TV channels. However, freedom of...
Pakistani media continues to face pressures from the government authorities, political and other groups. In addition to other punitive measures, the government has increased the use of advertising as a lever to pressure publications. Pakistani journalists also continue to face incidents of violence by political, ethnic and religious groups. Despite these problems, a wide range of publications provide a diverse and critical coverage of national and international affairs. A large number of television and radio stations have also opened up in the private sector, ending decades of government...
Penama Province has recently undergone a major shift in its institutional framework for development. An economic development policy was institutionalised into a policy by virtue of a 2006 Resolution of the Provincial Council with the aim of mobilising local capacities. It resulted in the formulation of the PAID Programme (Penama Agro-Industry Development Programme). There is also a parallel programme between the provincial government and the Vanuatu Renewable Power Energy and Power Association (VANREPA) in providing renewable energy throughout the province to support the industrialisation...
The media rather poorly serves the North and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. There are two dailies, Valampuri and Thunakkural and neither local television nor radio. All programmes are transmitted from Colombo, aim at upcountry people and are manned by the government. While Internet connectivity exists, it is far from adequate. In these areas, the media is not free; it is closely censored by the national authorities and endowed with automatic self-censorship. While some daily papers may be available, there are neither weeklies nor magazines for the majority of Tamil-speaking people of the...
The Republic of Palau is an archipelago chain of nearly 300 islands of which only 9 of the islands are inhabited. Due to the unique land and marine environment, only the PBS AM frequency is able to reach distant/isolated communities. However, the existing AM transmitter and antenna equipment have long out-lived their expected life cycle and maintenance costs exceed performance outcomes. The AM frequency no longer reaches 6 remote islands representing 40% of the population. The recent relocation of Government to the Northern Melekeok State increased the percentage of the population losing...