25 Apr
2018
25 Apr
'18
10:27 a.m.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2018
Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org>
mahajanr(a)rfa.org
A Year 'Like No Other': RFA President Decries 'Unprecedented' Crackdown
on
Independent Voices in Asia
Rise of Authoritarianism, China Model Undercuts Asian Press Freedom in RSF's
Index
WASHINGTON - The media environment in <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio
Free Asia's broadcast region is showing dramatic decline, according to the
Reporters Without Borders <https://rsf.org/en> (RSF) 2018 Press Freedom
Index <https://rsf.org/fr/classement> . And this is particularly true in
Cambodia and Burma - countries for which press freedom hopes have eroded
over the past year. The report
<https://rsf.org/fr/classement-mondial-de-la-liberte-de-la-presse-2018-la-ha
ine-du-journalisme-menace-les-democraties> especially cites China's model
of media suppression, which has been exported to and duplicated by many
countries under authoritarian rule in Asia.
"The past year up to now has been like no other for RFA," RFA President
Libby Liu said. "Authoritarian strongmen in Asia - who rule countries to
which RFA broadcasts - have shown little, if any, restraint in targeting RFA
journalists and sources, as well as their families and loved ones.
"More countries have adopted China's censorship model, which has led to
unprecedented efforts to attack and jail reporters and citizen journalists,
and crush all forms of dissent.
"RSF is absolutely correct in noting the dramatic fall in Cambodia. There
two former RFA reporters - Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin - have been jailed
for almost six months on trumped-up charges that are clearly related to
their past connection with our organization. And this is after the Cambodian
government forced the closure of RFA's bureau in Phnom Penh just after last
year's communal elections and before national polls this summer.
"Six of RFA's Uyghur reporters still have family members missing or detained
in re-education camps in China. Authorities have given no word of these
individuals' whereabouts, let alone their well-being or if they're receiving
the medical care they need.
"In Vietnam, former RFA contractor Nguyen Van Hoa and RFA contributors such
as blogger Mother Mushroom and Nguyen have all received harsh, long jail
sentences."
RSF's annual survey is especially critical of Cambodia, which fell 10 places
in the Index to 142nd, one of the biggest falls in the region. The report
cites Prime Minister Hun Sen's "ruthless offensive against media freedom in
2017, shutting down more than 30 independent media outlets and jailing
several journalists in a completely arbitrary manner." RSF says the
documented crackdown in Cambodia on "independent voices," the government's
"increased dominance of the mass media," and the "meticulous control of
social media" are a "disturbing echo of the methods used in China," which
has invested heavily in Cambodia's pro-government mouthpiece media.
China meanwhile is described in the report as becoming a "contemporary
version of totalitarianism," citing Xi Jinping's steps to establish a "new
world media order under its influence." In Vietnam, people who blog about
banned subjects can expect a 15-year jail term. Of the 180 countries ranked,
RSF put North Korea dead last, China at 176; Vietnam, 175; and Laos, 170 -
consistent with the 2017 index. Cambodia dropped 10 places to the 142nd spot
and Myanmar to 137, dropping six places from last year's index. The report
also cited other worsening trends in Asia. China now has more than 100
bloggers and journalists detained as President Xi Jinping has stepped up
efforts to retain complete control over internal news coverage.
<http://www.rfa.org/about/> RFA provides accurate, fact-based news and
information via short- and medium-wave radio, satellite transmissions and
television, online through the websites of its nine language services, and
social media such as
<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Asia/31744768821> Facebook and
<https://www.youtube.com/user/RFAVideo> YouTube, among other widely used
platforms in its countries of operation. RFA's language services are
Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur, in China; Burmese; Khmer
(Cambodian); Vietnamese; Lao; and Korean.
# # #
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and
publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian
languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media.
RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and
expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information
and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by
an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital
Strategy
<mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M:
202.489.8021
