Challenges to press freedom in Southeast Asia Roby Alampay, executive director of the Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance, visits UCLA to speak about the prospects for and limits on freedom of expression in Southeast Asia

Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 Time: 5 - 6:30 p.m. Location: UCLA Campus, 6275 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Cost: This event is free and open to the public. Parking on the UCLA campus is $8. You can purchase a pass for Parking Lot 3 at the kiosk on Wyton and Hilgard. Click here to see a map of UCLA including Bunche Hall.

In Indonesia, there is an ongoing debate about freedom of expression, fueled by the April publication of the first issue of the Indonesian edition of Playboy. In Singapore and Thailand, defamation suits against journalists are a common occurrence. And in the Philippines, ten journalists were killed in 2005, mostly for reporting on corruption.

Roby Alampay will discuss the media laws and issues of defamation, censorship and national security in Southeast Asia. He will also talk about the role of the Internet and new media in promoting free expression and a recent conference in Makati, Philippines called, “Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace: A Conference of Asian Bloggers, Podcasters and Online Media.”

The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that fights for press freedom and journalists' rights in Southeast Asia. The organization was established in Bangkok in November, 1998 with the goal of uniting journalists and media organizations to actively protect the rights of the press in the region and develop an independent and responsible media. The establishment of SEAPA was considered a landmark development in the history of the Southeast Asian press.

Alampay is one of many authors who have contributed original material to AsiaMedia.