New Media and Human Rights in Southeast Asia

The rapid development of human rights standards and protection mechanisms in South East Asia for the past decade has caused a number of tensions. Among the most significant of these is in the area of new media, where many governments have had to reassess, or even invent, new controls in a medium widely recognized as almost uncontrollable. While there have been historic battles between the media and government in many South East Asian countries, this book concentrates on the new sites where these battles take place, and further, the new actors involved. It analyzes the democratizing capabilities by looking past state-citizen relationships to the roles of the private sector, and to the control mechanisms in place in the new media. It examines the ways in which the new media is challenging views of democracy and human rights, how it both enables and violates human rights standards and how it is being used by organizations and individuals to support human rights and democracy. By bringing together key issues from human rights and alternative media organizations in Asia, the book will stimulate discussion, exchange ideas, and inspire further research in the area of new media and human rights in Asia.

Mike Hayes is the Director of the PhD in Human Rights and Peace at the Mahidol University, Thailand

James Gomez is Deputy Associate Dean (International) and Head of Public Relations, Monash University, Australia