Bangkok (Mizzima) - Some indications of the international community's response to Burmese elections were evident election day as poll-watchers, many unable to get in to Burma, took refuge at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand. Given the restrictions imposed by the junta on international observers and monitors, journalists, diplomats, rights advocates and assorted political junkies assembled, the consensus seemed to be: "wait and see, but don't expect much change".

Millions of Burmese voted on Sunday in their first election in 20 years amid reports of fraud and intimidation. There was also strong criticism that the poll was a sham - neither free nor fair, and designed to entrench military rule in the country.

Bangkok (Mizzima) -" Some indications of the international community's response to Burmese elections were evident yesterday as poll-watchers, many unable to get in to Burma, took refuge at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand. Given the restrictions imposed by the junta on international observers and monitors, journalists, diplomats, rights advocates and assorted political junkies assembled, the consensus seemed to be: "wait and see, but don't expect much change"

Bangkok (Mizzima) Officially, the British government is taking a "wait-and-see" posture on the outcome of Burmese elections on Sunday, but, given the junta's failure to even nearly satisfy international norms, the polls' fairness was most unlikely, Britain's envoy to Burma told reporters in Bangkok last night.

BANGKOK: World governments have made "remarkable" progress in eliminating cluster bombs but millions of the deadly weapons stockpiled worldwide remain an urgent problem, experts said Monday.

BANGKOK - Burma's clandestine nuclear weapons are poorly managed but it could become a real threat if another rogue nation such as North Korea steps in to offer assistance, says a former director of the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In a technical briefing held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club Thailand in Bangkok last week, American nuclear scientist Robert Kelley said he believes the secret nuclear weapons program run by the Burmese military is not well developed and is being badly managed.

Robert Kelley, a former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), scrutinized the files smuggled out of Myanmar (Burma) by Sai Thein Win and said the evidence indicated "a clandestine nuclear programme" was in progress. Burma is carrying out a secret atomic weapons programme that could "really speed up" if the army-ruled country is aided by North Korea, according to top nuclear scientist. Kelly shared his views on the topic at Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok on 26 October.

Bangkok: Myanmar is carrying out a secret atomic weapons programme that could "really speed up" if the Army-ruled country is aided by North Korea, according to a top nuclear scientist.

A new report -" DIAGNOSIS: Critical Health and Human Rights in Eastern Burma - released today reveals that health of populations in conflict-affected areas of Eastern Burma, particularly among women and children, is amongst the world's worst war zones, the same as Africa's Sierra Leone, a result of official disinvestment in health, protracted conflict and abuse of civilians, non-governmental groups said during a press conference at Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, Bangkok.



IT WAS appropriate that the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) was chosen as the venue for presenting Thai pop star Tata Young with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Montreal Protocol award.

Thailand experienced a decline in press freedom for a third consecutive year in 2009 as a result of the country's ongoing political contest between the allies and enemies of Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 military coup. In addition to restrictions imposed during a state of emergency in April 2009 and direct attacks on media workers covering opposition protests, a significant increase in the use of long-standing lese majeste laws exacerbated the difficulties faced by the press during the year.

It´s the last award-winning film of the NETPAC-Asian Film Fest,at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) tomm, Thurs 30 SEP - the riotous Malaysian comedy SELL OUT.

BANGKOK - A United States State Department agent who escaped after being kidnapped and beaten for two weeks by Iraqis, and who interrogated an Islamist involved in beheading American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, is now advising Thailand's police, palace guards and prime minister.

Lekha Shankar has been programming the NETPAC-FCCT Asian Film Festival, a six-film series that has been running at Bangkok´s Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand since July. The series closes on Thursday night with a screening of Sell Out!, with director Yeo Joon Han and NETPAC founder and president Aruna Vasudev in attendance

The latest arrest of an editor demonstrates the government's growing threat to freedom of expression

THAILAND: No Evidence of Foreign Media Involvement in Payola Rumours

For a government that hasn't yet held anyone accountable for killing scores of pro-democracy protestors, backtracks from elections and silences opposition media, the best kind of press coverage is no coverage at all. Which makes Thailand's decision to curtail free speech at the nation's biggest foreign press club more than passing strange.

For a government that hasn't yet held anyone accountable for killing scores of pro-democracy protestors, backtracks from elections and silences opposition media, the best kind of press coverage is no coverage at all. Which makes Thailand's decision to curtail free speech at the nation's biggest foreign press club more than passing strange.

BANGKOK-Thailand's decision to block a press conference criticizing Vietnam's human rights record is a concern for human rights activists and freedom of speech advocates, including opponents of Burma's ruling military junta.

Russian arms dealer Victor Bout on Friday read a statement dictated earlier by her husband in Bangkwang Central Prison specifically rejecting US government allegations regarding his involvement in the arms trade.



Government clampdown on human rights press conference does not follow the Asean objective to promote discussion of the issue

Hanoi - The Vietnamese government on Wednesday thanked Thailand for preventing two activists from travelling to Bangkok to present a report on human rights in Vietnam.

BANGKOK - The Thai government blocked a planned news conference Monday on Vietnamese human rights because it feared the disclosures might insult the neighboring country

Thailand has refused two human rights advocates entry into the country to prevent them from holding a news conference about a report on conditions in Vietnam

On Sunday, a foreign ministry spokesman wrote to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), the host of the Vietnam event, asking the club to respect this policy. The FCCT refused to cancel the press conference, which had been ...

But, as he launched "Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant" at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok recently, he admitted to encountering limitations as well as challenges. Access to Than Shwe and his inner circle was out of the ...

BANGKOK - THAILAND has threatened to deny visas to activists attending a Vietnamese ... to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok . ...

Thailand's Foreign Ministry had on Friday urged the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT), which was to be used as a venue for the event, ...

The ministry pressed the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) to cancel the event scheduled for this morning, but it asked the government to reconsider its request, the club said in a note to members yesterday. ...

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand issued a statement yesterday: Approximately one month ago, the FCCT accepted a booking from the Paris-based ...

The Foreign Correspondents' Club, which hosts local and international news ... New York—based Human Rights Watch noted that Thailand is the current chair of ...

At the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), at least two phone calls were received from unknown people, asking for Dan Rivers' home address. ...

Paris, 12 September 2010: The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) announced today that it has been under pressure by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel a press conference on human rights in Vietnam, organized by ...


The FCCT has received the following statement:

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) regret to inform you that our organisations have decided to cancel the press conference planned for September 13th, 2010 at the FCCT to launch our report, "From vision to facts: HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM under its chairmanship of ASEAN", due to the fact that both of our speakers have been denied entry into Thailand by the Thai authorities. Please inform your members and others accordingly.

International Federation for Human Rights and Vietnam Committee on Human Rights.

Approximately one month ago, the FCCT accepted a booking from the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) for them to hold a press conference in the Clubhouse launching a new report, "From Rhetoric to Reality: HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM ", on Monday, September 13th.

The event has been publicised continuously in The Bulletin, our weekly e-newsletter, since August 16th.

However, this past Thursday evening, September 9th, we were contacted by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking that we cancel the press conference as it might contain information detrimental to a neighbouring country. We pointed out that this press conference was not sponsored by the FCCT but was a paid event, at which point the Ministry asked us to convey to the event organisers that it was Thailand's intention to deny visas to the scheduled speakers.

We declined to accept that responsibility, reasoning that it was improper for us to act as a messenger in what should be a confidential matter between individuals and a sovereign government, over which we had no control and in which we had no legal standing.

As for taking action to cancel the press conference, we asked the Ministry to explain its position in writing. On Friday evening, we received an e-mail from Khun Thani Thongphakdi, the Ministry's acting director general of the department of information.

It stated:

"I wish to refer to the press conference to be organized by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) to launch its report, 'From Rhetoric to Reality: HUMAN RIGHTS IN VIETNAM , Under its Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2010', which is scheduled to be held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) on Monday 13 September 2010.

"While the Royal Thai Government attaches great importance to the principles of freedom of expression and diversity of views, it also has a long-standing position of not allowing organizations and/or persons to use Thailand as a place to conduct activities detrimental to other countries. I therefore hope that the FCCT will respect this position and not allow its premises to be used for such activities.

"I thank you for your understanding and cooperation."

The FCCT attaches great importance to the principles of free expression and diversity of views. We also appreciate the importance the Thai government has placed in such principles, as stated in the Foreign Ministry's note.

We feel it is unfortunate that the Thai government has chosen to apply pressure on us in this way. We would appreciate if the government reconsiders the wisdom of such pressure.

The organisers informed the FCCT on Sunday evening that they have cancelled the press conference.

Executive Committee,
FCCT