CPJ concerned by reports of editors’ imminent arrest
New York, August 25, 2005—The editors of Nepal’s two leading daily newspapers believe police plan to arrest them for their coverage of political unrest in the Himalayan kingdom, whose leadership has imposed widespread curbs on press freedom this year. Narayan Wagle, editor of Kantipur, and Prateek Pradhan, editor of the Kathmandu Post, were told by…
Sindh bans three newspapers, editor jailed
New York, August 23, 2005—The government of the southern province of Sindh banned three Karachi-based weekly newspapers last week accusing them of creating “sectarian extremism and hatred.” Officials withdrew the publication permits of the three weeklies on August 15 because they published “objectionable material” that caused “danger to public safety/order.” Police had already raided the…
CPJ concerned about delay in witness testimony in Thai trial
New York, August 19, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a delay in the testimony of three international expert witnesses who were scheduled to appear in court in Bangkok this week in defense of media activist Supinya Klangnarong, who is on trial with the Thai-language daily Thai Post on criminal defamation charges. Shin…
INDONESIA
AUGUST 17, 2005 Posted: September 2, 2005 Elyuddin Telaumbanua, Berita Sore MISSING Telaumbanua left his house in the northern Nias town of Gunungsitoli aboard a motorcycle, taking along a tape recorder and camera. He told his wife that he would return from a reporting assignment in a few days, according to Berita Sore, a Medan-based…
INDIA
JULY 27, 2005 Posted: August 17, 2005 Arun Kumar Rajnath, South Asian Tribune HARASSED Rajnath, the New Delhi correspondent for the online South Asian Tribune, was harassed and threatened by Indian government agents, according to the news site. In a report released on July 27, the Tribune detailed a series of intimidating phone calls and…
PHILIPPINES
JULY 25, 2005 Posted: August 17, 2005 DXVR-FM, Radio Mindanao Network LEGAL ACTION Jose Galario Jr., mayor of Valencia City on the southern island of Mindanao, ordered the closure of the local radio station, revoked its business license, and threatened to press charges against acting manager Jaos Dignos.
Tamil broadcaster killed with husband
New York, August 16, 2005—A popular Tamil broadcaster and her husband, a political activist, were killed by unidentified gunmen in Colombo on August 12, the day Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated. Political leaders blamed the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for all three killings, charges the LTTE denied. The attackers…
CPJ condemns criminal defamation charges
New York, August 16, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the criminal defamation charges filed by two state-owned firms against the editor of the English-language daily Bangkok Post, Kowit Sanandang, and the newspaper’s parent company, Post Publishing Plc. The charges, announced today, carry penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of…