Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace

I’m spending the rest of the week at the “Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace” conference organized by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).  Delegates from at least 15 countries in the region are speaking about a range of issues affecting press freedom across Asian nations and the Internet.  For a good blow-by-blow coverage, visit the PCIJ blog here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) or the Conference Blog. 

Presenters from different countries spoke of government-sanctioned restrictions on their press freedom ranging from harrasment to arrests to disappearances.  It makes me realize just how much we take for granted our press freedom here (despite the government’s best efforts).  But for some of the participants, the dialogue at the conference had some more ominous consequences.  I understand that some delegates were unable to attend because they were detained at the airport long enough to miss their flights.  One has apparently been arrested.  Yet another (a presenter here) pleaded this morning for the bloggers present to take down erroneous information identifying the delegate with an underground press freedom organization — this in the wake of an AP article that just hit the wires this morning.  As the delegate stood up and addressed the bloggers, it dawned on me that our freedoms can cause real harm to other people in places where repression is the norm.  It was a sobering thought and I think a major lesson we all learned in this conference.

On a lighter note, I spotted Rebecca Mackinnon wearing in iBlog2 t-shirt.  I wanted to take her pic for my blog, but The Filipino Librarian beat me to it (a lawyer scooped by a librarian! Only in the blogosphere!).

The other thing is that I ran into Gerry Kaimo sporting a tight haircut.  I went up to him and said “I never thought I’d see the day where my hair would be longer than yours!” You may not agree but I think Gerry was one of the original Pinoy bloggers — posting this thoughts in dated entries years before blogging software came into the fore. 
 
This morning, I learned that Gerry settled his case with PLDT over pldt.com.  He’s denied having been paid anything.  It seems they sued themselves to a stalemate with both wanting out just to save on attorney’s fees.  That’s quite a testament to our judicial system that’s so crazy, it forces rational people to opt-out of it, years after the case was filed.  What was once a David-and-Goliath fight fizzled out with as much excitement as a jack-en-poy contest.  So much for what would have been a landmark case for Free Expression online.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions on blogging anonymously — not because I want to do this. But then again . . .