Asia's Community Media Struggle to be Heard

This article considers trends in community media development in Asia. First, the piece examines the state of community radio stations in Thailand. It begins with the story of Satien Chantorn, a fruit farmer in Thailand who was due to be arrested for broadcasting a community radio programme. Parliament has not passed laws overturning feudal arrangements that give government authorities control over them, despite official recognition of a community sector separate from the government and commercial sectors. Officials have not yet acted on Satien's arrest order, perhaps in response to the outpouring of support from some academics and media reform activists. Satien's most significant backing, according to the article, is community stations like Kanchanaburi in western Thailand, which went on the air in December 2001. Many feel that the mainstream media, which focusses mostly on Bangkok, does not serve local needs. The author notes that "an increasing number of communities in the region are struggling to assert their right to gain space, a voice and recognition by establishing their own media, be it via radio or on the Internet."

The piece also provides information on the community media situation in countries like South Korea, where a gay and lesbian website was discontinued by the country's Information Communication Ethics Committee. In India, according the the article, communities who wish to set up radio stations are prohibited from doing so despite a Supreme Court decision in the mid-1990s declaring that the airwaves are owned by the public. In this climate, community media development in the remainder of South Asia has been squashed, according to the article. The few community stations that exist include one in Sri Lanka and two in Nepal. In response, many South Asians are asserting their right to communicate through small newspapers, Internet sites, and videos.

One notable exception to this pattern is The Philippines, where a free-media tradition has proved supportive of community media. But on the whole, according to Bruce Girard of the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society Campaign, Latin America is a model for community media development. This model has shaped community radio development in countries like Afghanistan, where the two community radio stations have plans to grow. Apprarently, though, analysts like Girard and Thomas do not expect community media to dent the monopoly on information held by the mainstream media.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which will be held in Geneva in December 2003, may a role in helping communities establish their right to have their own media.