Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 09:17:11 +0700 From: Sacha Jotisalikorn <sacha@forumasia.org> Subject: [communication 932] Fight never ends for a free press To: communication@wsisasia.org Message-Id: <86369B54-F935-11D7-B222-000393DB8C92@forumasia.org> X-Mail-Count: 00932The Bangkok Post 7 October 2003 Editorial Fight never ends for a free press Last week was almost normal to those who specialise in trying to secure freedom of speech and the press. Iranian militiamen seized 14,000 satellite dishes because citizens might use them to obtain news. The Chinese editor of a biography of US senator Hillary Clinton not only admitted censoring the Chinese translation but bragged of it. The United States rejoined Unesco, after bureaucrats in the United Nations cultural agency ended their 20-year-old battle for a ``new information order'' to license all journalists. And a loose coalition of dictatorships attempted to subvert the World Summit on the Information Society in December by putting all internet facilities under government control. WSIS was originally framed to discuss the digital divide around the world. In general, rich people have reaped the benefits of the internet and other information technology projects, sometimes to the detriment of the poor. Similarly, both governments and citizens of poorer countries have seen fewer IT benefits. Sometimes they have seen none at all. Sometimes, they have actually fallen back from their relative positions, compared with neighbours or richer countries. This subject alone has more than enough facets to keep world leaders arguing and proposing solutions to problems for three days. But that will not satisfy oppressive governments, meddling dictatorships and censorious regimes. Advance talks to the Dec 10-12 summit in Geneva reveal a dangerous, hidden agenda. Authoritarians seek to have the sponsoring International Telecommunication Union authorise government control of, and meddling into, freedom to access the internet and all information technology. Yoshio Utsumi, the Union secretary-general, is an expert on information technology and has deep knowledge of the digital divide. The Union itself was formed as a non-political group which sets world standards for technology so, for example, a fax machine made in Thailand will communicate with one made in Latin America. Certain governments, including several important and influential ones, are seeking to use the Union and its ambitious World Summit on the Information Society to legitimise their own censorious ways. Last week, the Union found it could not organise a statement of principles for the summit because of disputes. China and similar governments seek to sneak in statements and paragraphs that would seem to make the UN approve of censorship and withholding information. Other governments and a group of non-government organisations called the civil society disagree. This is not an issue that can be bartered. First Lady Laura Bush announced the United States was rejoining Unesco as a ``full, active and enthusiastic participant'' after a 19 year absence. The US, Britain and Singapore quit the group in protest at its New World Information Order. Now, with Unesco back on track pressing cultural and educational exchanges, there is a new attempt to use UN offices for censorship, via the International Telecommunication Union. Thailand has been blindsided by the tricky and underhanded attempts to subvert the WSIS. The Thai team to the two preparatory meetings in Geneva has pressed ahead with such issues as better access to information by the handicapped, more sources of aid to poorer nations to establish internet connectivity, and help to spread use of high-speed internet lines to and from the country. The attempt to subvert WSIS in favour of censorship has made it necessary to hold another unscheduled preparatory meeting. Thailand must join attempts to kill off attempts to write pro-censorship clauses into the final summit statement. Such subversion will widen the digital divide. Advances in information technology requires a free flow of ideas.932_2.enriched (attatchment)(tag is disabled)