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SEAPA SUPPORTS EXILED BURMESE JOURNALISTS

A coalition of exiled Burmese journalists and press associations has agreed to strike up a committee to provide support to Burmese colleagues in Thailand, India, Bangladesh and China, following a two-day conference funded by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).

Organised by Burma News International and held in Thailand from 31 October to 1 November 2005, the conference brought together 60 participants, including representatives of SEAPA and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The aim of the conference was to discuss the security concerns of exiled Burmese journalists and explore practical solutions to ensure they can continue to work in safety. More than 100 Burmese exiles work as journalists in Thailand, India, Bangladesh and China.

SEAPA says these exiles are becoming more vulnerable to harassment and crackdowns as a result of warming relations between Burma's military junta and its neighbours. There are about 20 Burmese news organizations operating near Burma's borders in South and Southeast Asia, most of them along the Burma-Thailand border.

Seminar participants were told that Kaladan Press Network, a Burmese news group based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, was forced to close down its office in October 2005 following a crackdown on an exiled Burmese Muslim religious group.

In Thailand, several Burmese journalists have faced increasing harassment by local authorities. In October, a Burmese stringer working for the Norway-based broadcaster, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), was forced to leave his home in Ranong province because he feared for his life. This followed a raid on his home by unidentified Thai and Burmese officers. Another DVB stringer in Ranong is facing similar harassment.

Most exiled Burmese journalists work for small organisations, although some are affiliated with the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and DVB, says SEAPA. Many do not have legal documents. Some carry special travel documents and passes issued by the host countries or have a foreign passport. Only a few are recognized as "people of concern", which affords them protection by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Without clear legal status and rights, exiled journalists face difficulties in carrying out their work.
They are allowed to stay in their host countries for humanitarian reasons as long as they do not engage in political activities.
Participants at the conference said protection and some kind of recognition of their status as journalists was essential. They discussed several proposals that the new committee could take up, including lobbying host governments and local press associations to grant exiled journalists proper professional accreditation.

For more information, visit:

- SEAPA: http://www.seapabkk.org/newdesign/newsdetail.php?No=409
- Mizzima News: http://tinyurl.com/c3agx
- IFEX Alerts on Burma: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/145/
- UN Expert Assails Rights Violations in Burma:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/70180/