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June 11, 2021
By Karen Lee and Andreyka Natalegawa
Since the start of the pandemic, governments around the world have used emergency measures to remove negative media coverage related to Covid-19. Southeast Asia is no exception. This alarming trend is in line with the recent conclusions of Reporters Without Borders, whose World Press Freedom Index 2021 noted that press freedom has greatly diminished in the region. While Southeast Asia has long experienced press freedom challenges, censorship of journalism regarding Covid-19 poses a unique threat as it undermines public confidence in government responses to the pandemic and limits the availability of the information citizens need to make informed decisions about their health. and security during this crisis.
Several governments in the region have taken advantage of disinformation laws to suppress reports and criticism related to Covid. The Cambodian government on May 4 banned reports from its Covid-19 red zones, where residents banned from leaving their homes were experiencing food shortages. In July 2020, the Malaysian authorities deported a Bangladeshi man for criticizing the government’s treatment of migrant workers during the pandemic in an Al Jazeera documentary. In March 2021, Malaysia also past a fake news ordinance that makes publishing false information related to Covid-19 punishable by up to three years in prison. Unsurprisingly, Malaysia tear down 18 places at 119th place in the annual World Press Freedom Index, the biggest drop of any country.
In neighboring Singapore, the government has also used disinformation laws to crack down on negative press related to the pandemic. The Law on Protection against Lies and Online Manipulation (POFMA) adopted in 2019 allows government ministers to order the removal of any online information they believe to be false or misleading. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong used POFMA in February 2020 to publish a rectification order to the owner of a Facebook page who claimed the government was unable to trace the source of the Covid-19 cases in the country. Facebook and Twitter in May 2021 were also ordered to post a warning on their platforms after an Indian government official claimed there was a dangerous variant of Covid-19 that originated in Singapore. The city-state dropped two places to 160th in the world press freedom rankings, the second-lowest in Southeast Asia ahead of Vietnam.
Governments in Southeast Asia have justified their actions by highlighting the threat posed by disinformation related to Covid-19, arguing that the fight against fake news is necessary to maintain public order. Some concerns about disinformation are undoubtedly well founded. However, recent events indicate the flexibility of efforts to combat fake news, as well as the extent to which they may be appropriate to achieve political rather than public health goals.
Additionally, the continued targeting of journalists and others who critically report on the Covid-19 situation has important implications for public confidence. It could also limit the ability of Southeast Asians to make informed decisions about their own health and safety amid the pandemic. Beyond signifying a major press freedom crisis, crackdown on Covid-19 coverage could exacerbate vaccine hesitation, a lack of public cooperation with contact tracing efforts and non-compliance with measures public health.
Thailand seems to be an example. In March 2021, the Thai police accused former Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit with lse-majest for criticizing governments over-reliance on King-owned Siam Bioscience to manufacture and supply AstraZeneca vaccines for Thailand and the region in the broad sense, although the company has no previous experience in vaccine production. These accusations against Thanathorn appear intended to quell wider criticism of vaccines produced in Thailand that Thai authorities have started deliver in the domestic market and are expected to start exporting in July.
Thai citizens have accused the short-sighted government for not procuring enough vaccines from other sources amid a third wave of infections. Although Thailand Goals To immunize 70 percent of its population by the end of 2021, less than 2 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, casting doubt on the recovery of the tourism-dependent economy. Reluctance to vaccination has increases rapidly in anticipation of national government roll-out of the vaccine, willingness to be vaccinated rising from 83 percent to 63 percent between January and May. This represents the highest rate of hesitation among countries in Southeast Asia. Public mistrust of the Thai government has exacerbated this vaccine hesitation, especially with regard to vaccines purchased by the government in China.
Thailand’s botched vaccination campaign further demonstrates how restrictions on press freedom, especially around reporting related to Covid-19, can limit citizens’ access to accurate information and diminish public trust. On June 2, Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society ordered internet service providers to To close eight Facebook accounts accused of posting fake news on social media, all run by pro-democracy activists or political commentators. Since June 11, these pages are still accessible in Thailand. The Thai government’s efforts to crack down on false news related to the pandemic in this case appear to be a thinly veiled attempt to cover up the government’s vaccination shortcomings by silencing political dissidents.
Achieving collective immunity and eradicating the coronavirus must be a group effort. Given serious shortcomings In pandemic-related data collected and disseminated by governments, citizens of Southeast Asia have turned to the media and civil society as critical sources of information. Openness and freedom of the press will go a long way in building trust and could prove essential to ensure compliance with public health responses and minimize vaccine hesitation. However, if attacks on press freedom continue, the confidence gap in the region will widen and citizens will be left in the dark about the scale and nature of the crisis, crippling recovery efforts in the region. pandemic case.
Karen Lee is a Research Intern in the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC Andreyka Natalegawa is a Research Assistant in the Southeast Asia Program at CSIS.
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