<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It is good to see that Thailand still ranks (slightly) above Vietnam and Laos. </div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>Charles Biff Keyes</div><div>Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and International Studies</div><div>University of Washington</div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">"Bill Hayton" <<a href="mailto:bill.hayton@bbc.co.uk">bill.hayton@bbc.co.uk</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">October 20, 2010 1:56:00 AM PDT<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">"Vietnam Studies Group" <<a href="mailto:vsg@u.washington.edu">vsg@u.washington.edu</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><b>[Vsg] FW: World Press Freedom Index 2010: VIETNAM 165th (Eng+Fr) - EMBARGO</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">Vietnam Studies Group <<a href="mailto:vsg@u.washington.edu">vsg@u.washington.edu</a>><br></span></div><br>
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<div dir="ltr" align="left"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>From:</b> RSF ASIA
[mailto:asie@rsF.org] <br><b>Sent:</b> 19 October 2010 17:59<br><b>To:</b>
<a href="mailto:asie@rsF.org">asie@rsF.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> World Press Freedom Index 2010: VIETNAM 165th
(Eng+Fr) - EMBARGO<br></font><br></div>
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<div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12px">Reporters Without Borders/Reporters
sans frontières</span></div>
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<div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 14px; MARGIN: 0px"><b><a href="http://www.rsf.org">www.rsf.org</a></b></div>
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<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">EMBARGO 19 October 2010 GMT 10
pm</span></font></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><br></span></font></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">WOLRD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX
2010</span></font></div>
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<div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px 'Times New Roman'"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><b>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px">Asia's Rankings</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font style="FONT: 12px 'Times New Roman'" face="Times New Roman" size="3">Français : <a href="http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/FR/CP_ASIE_PACIFIQUE.pdf"><font style="COLOR: rgb(0,17,237)" color="#0011ed"><u>http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/FR/CP_ASIE_PACIFIQUE.pdf</u></font></a></font></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font style="FONT: 12px 'Times New Roman'" face="Times New Roman" size="3">English: <font style="COLOR: rgb(0,17,237)" color="#0011ed"><u><a href="http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/GB/C_ASIA_GB.pdf">http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/GB/C_ASIA_GB.pdf</a></u></font></font></div>
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<div style="MIN-HEIGHT: 15px; MARGIN: 0px; FONT: 12px 'Times New Roman'"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><b>World' Rankings</b></span></font></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">English: </span></font><a href="http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/GB/C_GENERAL_GB.pdf"><font style="COLOR: rgb(0,17,237)" color="#0011ed"><u><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/GB/C_GENERAL_GB.pdf</span></font></u></font></a></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font style="FONT: 12px 'Times New Roman'">Français
: <font style="COLOR: rgb(0,17,237)" color="#0011ed"><u><a href="http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/FR/CP_GENERAL.pdf">http://www.rsf.org/IMG/CLASSEMENT_2011/FR/CP_GENERAL.pdf</a></u></font></font></div>
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<div style="MARGIN: 0px"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Asian Communist regimes still
hold the lowest rankings</span></font></div></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Asia’s four Communist regimes, North Korea
(177</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"> place), China (171</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">st</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), Vietnam
(165</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) Laos (168</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), are among the
fifteen lowest-ranked countries of the 2010 World Press Freedom Index. Ranked
just one place behind Eritrea, hellish totalitarian North Korea has shown no
improvement. To the contrary: in a succession framework set up by Kim Jong-il in
favour of his son, crackdowns have become even harsher. China, despite its
dynamic media and Internet, remains in a low position because of non-stop
censorship and repression, notably in Tibet and Xinjiang. In Laos, it is not so
much repression which plagues this country of Southeast Asia as its single
party’s political control over the whole media. On the other hand, Vietnam’s
Communist Party – soon to hold its own Congress – and its open season against
freedom of speech is responsible for its worse than mediocre
ranking.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Among the last thirty countries of Reporters Without
Borders’ Index are ten Asian nations, notably Burma, where the military junta
have decided that the prior censorship system will be maintained despite the
upcoming general elections in November.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><b>India’s and Philippines's rankings drop due
to a breakout of serious violence</b></span></font></span><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Political violence has produced some very troubling
tumbles in the rankings. Thailand (153</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">rd</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) – where two
journalists were killed and some fifteen wounded while covering the army
crackdown on the “red shirts” movement in Bangkok </span></font><b><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">– </span></font></b></span><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">lost 23 places, while India slipped to
122</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">nd</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"> place (-17) mainly due to extreme violence in
Kashmir. The Philippines lost 34 places following the massacre of over thirty
reporters by partisans of one of Mindanao Island’s governors. Despite a few
murderers of journalists being brought to trial, impunity still reigns in the
Philippines. Also in Southeast Asia, Indonesia (117</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) cannot seem to
pass under the symbolic bar separating the top 100 countries from the rest,
despite remarkable media growth. Two journalists were killed there and several
others received death threats, mainly for their reports on the environment.
Malaysia (141</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">st</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), Singapore (136</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) and East Timor
(93</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">rd</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) are down this year. In short, repression has not
diminished in ASEAN countries, despite the recent adoption of a human rights
charter.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">In Afghanistan (147</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) and in Pakistan
(151</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">st</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), Islamist groups bear much of the responsibility for
their country’s pitifully low ranking. Suicide bombings and abductions make
working as a journalist an increasingly dangerous occupation in this area of
South Asia. And the State has not slackened its arrests of investigative
journalists, which sometimes more closely resemble
kidnappings.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><b><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"></span></font></b></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><b>Democratic Asian countries gain
ground</b></span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Asia-Pacific country rankings can be impressive. New
Zealand is one of the ten top winners and Japan (11</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), Australia
(18</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) and Hong Kong (34</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) occupy favourable
positions. Two other Asian democracies, Taiwan and South Korea, rose 11 and 27
places respectively, after noteworthy falls in the 2009 Index. Although some
problems persist, such as the issue of the state-owned media’s editorial
independence, arrests and violence have ceased.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Some developing countries have managed to make solid
gains, particularly Mongolia (76</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) and the Maldives
(52</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">nd</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">). As a rule, the authorities have been respectful of
press freedoms, exemplified by their decriminalisation of press offences in the
Maldives.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">An occasional ranking in this Index can be deceptive.
Fiji (149</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), for example, rose three places, even though the
government has passed a new liberticidal press law. The year 2009 had been so
tragic, with soldiers invading news staff offices, that the year 2010 could only
seem to be somewhat more tranquil. Sri Lanka (158</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">th</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) jumped four
places: less violence was noted there, yet the media’s ability to challenge the
authorities has tended to weaken with the exile of dozens of
journalists.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">In this Index based upon
violations of press freedoms, Asia, has earned a low ranking for yet another
year. Even when a country’s press enjoys freedom, too often it also has to
endures violence from non-governmental actors. When the press lives under the
control of an authoritarian regime, it is obliged to censor and to self-censor.
Chinese intellectual Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to eleven years behind bars for
denouncing this situation – a struggle which was rewarded by the Nobel Peace
Prize – bringing new hope to the Asia-Pacific area.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><br></span></font></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">-------------</span></font></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 18px">Les régimes communistes asiatiques
toujours au dernier rang</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Les quatre régimes
communistes d'Asie, la Corée du Nord (177</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), la Chine
(171</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), le Viêt-Nam (165</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) et le Laos
(168</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), se trouvent dans les quinze derniers pays du
classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 2010. Juste devant l'Érythrée, la
Corée du Nord, enfer totalitaire, n'a connu aucune amélioration. Bien au
contraire, dans un contexte de succession engagée par Kim Jong-il en faveur de
son fils, la répression s'est faite encore plus implacable. La Chine, malgré le
dynamisme des médias et d'Internet, reste en mauvaise position, en raison de la
censure et de la répression incessantes, notamment au Tibet et au Xinjiang. Au
Laos, ce n'est pas tant la répression qui plombe ce petit pays d'Asie du
Sud-Est, mais le contrôle politique du parti unique sur tous les médias. En
revanche, au Viêt-Nam, le Parti communiste, qui doit bientôt tenir son Congrès,
par sa chasse ouverte contre la liberté de parole, est responsable de ce
classement plus que médiocre.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Parmi les trente
derniers pays du classement de Reporters sans frontières, on retrouve dix
nations asiatiques, notamment la Birmanie, où la junte militaire a décidé que le
système de censure préalable sera maintenu malgré la tenue des élections
générales de novembre.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"></span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"><b>L'Inde et la
Thaïlande chutent en raison de graves violences</b></span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">La violence
politique a conduit à des dégringolades très préoccupantes. La Thaïlande
(153</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), où deux journalistes ont été tués et plus d'une
quinzaine d'autres blessés en couvrant la répression par l'armée du mouvement
des "chemises rouges" à Bangkok, a perdu 23 places. Tandis que l'Inde se
retrouve à la 122</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"> place (- 17 rangs) en raison notamment de
violences très graves au Cachemire. Les Philippines perdent 34 places suite au
massacre de plus de trente reporters par les partisans d'un gouverneur de l'île
de Mindanao. Malgré quelques procès de meurtriers de journalistes, l'impunité y
prévaut. En Asie du Sud-Est également, l'Indonésie (117</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) n'arrive pas à
passer en dessous de la barre symbolique des 100 premiers, malgré le
développement remarquable des médias. Deux journalistes y ont été tués et
plusieurs autres menacés de mort, notamment pour des reportages sur
l'environnement. La Malaisie (141</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), Singapour
(136</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) et le Timor-Leste (93</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) sont à la baisse.
En résumé, la répression ne s'est pas apaisée dans les pays de l'ASEAN, malgré
l'adoption récente d'une Charte sur les droits de
l'homme.</span></font></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">En Afghanistan
(147</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) et au Pakistan (151</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), les groupes
islamistes armés portent une très grande responsabilité dans le piteux
classement de leur pays. Les attentats-suicides et les enlèvements rendent
l'exercice du métier de journaliste de plus en plus risqué dans cette zone
d'Asie du Sud. Mais l'Etat n'est pas en reste avec des arrestations parfois aux
allures de kidnappings visant des journalistes
d'investigation.</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"></span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<h2><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Les démocraties asiatiques gagnent des
places</span></font></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Les pays
d'Asie-Pacifique peuvent aussi se montrer exemplaires. La Nouvelle-Zélande est
dans les dix premiers, et le Japon (11</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">), l'Australie
(18</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) et Hong Kong (34</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) sont bien placés.
Deux autres démocraties asiatiques, Taïwan et la Corée du Sud, ont regagné
plusieurs places, respectivement 11 et 27, après des dégradations notables dans
le classement 2009. Même si des problèmes persistent, comme celui de
l'indépendance éditoriale des médias publics, les arrestations et les violences
ont cessé.</span></font></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Des pays en
développement tirent également leur épingle du jeu, notamment la Mongolie
(76</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) ou les Maldives (52</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">). Les autorités se
montrent généralement respectueuses de la liberté de la presse, avec par
exemple, une décriminalisation des délits de presse aux
Maldives.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">On peut noter, dans
ce classement, des améliorations en trompe-l'œil. Les Fidji
(149</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) gagnent trois places, bien que le gouvernement ait
fait passer une nouvelle loi liberticide sur la presse. L'année 2009 avait été
tellement dramatique avec la présence de militaires dans les rédactions, que
l'année 2010 ne pouvait être qu'un peu plus tranquille. Le Sri Lanka
(158</span></font><sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">e</span></font></sup><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">) gagne quatre places, car on y recense moins
d'incidents, mais la capacité des médias à s'imposer comme un contre-pouvoir
tend à s'amenuiser, en raison de l'exil de dizaines de
journalistes.</span></font></p>
<div class="MsoBodyText"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Dans ce classement des violations
de la liberté de la presse, l'Asie est, cette année encore, mal placée. Quand la
presse est libre, elle doit trop souvent affronter la violence d'acteurs non
étatiques. Quand elle vit sous la coupe d'un régime autoritaire, elle est
contrainte à la censure et à l'autocensure. C'est pour avoir dénoncé cette
situation que l'intellectuel chinois Liu Xiaobo a été condamné à onze ans de
prison. Un combat qui a heureusement été récompensé par le prix Nobel de la
paix. Un espoir nouveau en Asie-Pacifique.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 16px"> </span></span></font></div></div><br>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: normal normal normal medium/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: normal normal normal medium/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: normal normal normal medium/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="word-spacing: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; ">
<div>Vincent Brossel</div>
<div>Asia-Pacific Desk</div>
<div>Reporters Without Borders</div>
<div>33 1 44 83 84 70</div>
<div><a href="mailto:asia@rsf.org">asia@rsf.org</a></div>
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