Reporting on Diversity in ASEAN

But the region is so diverse that disputes between ASEAN country members are likely to continue.

Next year, the 10 member states of ASEAN will unite as one borderless region – the ASEAN community. But the region is so diverse that disputes between ASEAN country members are likely to continue. With Buddhists attacking Muslims in Burma... or Malaysians abusing Indonesian migrant workers... to government land-grabbing in Cambodia... 

The United Nations human rights chief recently called on Burma to investigate reports that dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed in attacks by Buddhists in Rakhine state. The country has seen several widespread outbreaks of violence targeting Muslim minorities since June 2012. Aye Chan Naing, chief editor of the independent media outlet, Democratic Voice of Burma, says it’s not easy for them to report the incidents. 

“Our journalists were threatened not to report about religious conflicts. For example religious clash between the western side of Burma, between the Muslim and Buddhist, Rohingnya minority group, they are pushed out of the country. The villages, their villages were burnt down.  But, whenever we report these issues, we were being attacked. 20 years ago, it’s easy to know who dislike our report – that’s the government. But today, the situation is different. We don’t know who dislike our news.”

And it’s not just local journalists who face problems in reporting the conflict. As news of the conflict spread, journalists from across the region were faced with similar issues. 

Sharaad Kuttan, a radio producer from BFM Malaysia says this lies in what he calls ‘the culture of politeness’ in the region. “The other problem for diversity in Malaysia and I think the region is the culture politeness or the policy of non-intervention and the question of who has the right to speak about somebody else’s problems. Do I have the right to speak about your problem? You might be very articulate about this, but when my boss in Malaysia said to you in Myanmar,  ‘What are you doing to your Muslim minority?’ You might think, well, who are you to talk about this? That you don’t know enough. You don’t have the context and you may not actually give me the right to speak.” 

The discussions brought together both state and independent media representatives to talk about how to ensure balanced reporting on issues affecting the region. 

All agree that high levels of professionalism could help overcome the challenge. Deputy Director of Vietnam’s state radio, Cam Hoa Pho, says the media must stand above all groups.  “In Vietnam we have 54 ethnics, and one ethnic majority, they are Viet. Media has a very important role in preserving cultural diversity. And in the office we have many representations of those groups. This way we can understand the position of ethnic minorities and to relate our news with them.”

By next year, the 10 countries of ASEAN will become one huge common market. People will be able to travel more easily between countries and the region will become more dynamic. And the media plays an important role in creating a common understanding between countries says Danny Lee, Director of Community Affairs Development for the ASEAN Secretariat. 

He says diversity runs both ways. “Officially ASEAN governments do not intervene into the face of other government. But media is different thing. It is also no different of today. In that diversity, some will agree and some will disagree. This is also part of the landscape. This is the reason why there is no one answer. You have no one uniform answer, not everyone will be happy. You have many, many answers; each will take one they like.”