The interesting "cultural sovereignty" variation on the usual "national sovereignty" excuse for censorship and other such unethical actions. I'm reminded of another Asian state that used it... after Tianenmin Square. At least one member (the Phillipines) is making, at the minimum, lip service for freedom of speech. US control over them does appear to have done some good. -Allen
_________________________________________________________________ The Peanut Roaster _________________________________________________________________ ASEAN FORUM AGREES ON NEED TO POLICE THE NET __________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 1996 Nando.net Copyright © 1996 Reuter Information Service
SINGAPORE (Sep 4, 1996 11:41 a.m. EDT) - Southeast Asian broadcasters and officials agreed on Wednesday to police the Internet and block off sites that run counter to Asian values.
A statement issued at the close of the three-day Internet forum in Singapore also said there was a need for nations in the West to understand concerns about the Internet in the region.
It said the meeting "affirmed the importance of having safeguards against easy access to sites which ran counter to our cherished values, traditions and culture. ASEAN would encourage other nations, especially the West to understand its concern."
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Earlier this year, ASEAN information ministers met in Singapore to discuss the darker side of the information technology revolution and agreed to set up a regulatory body to oversee the Internet invasion.
[...]
But the statement suggested there was no agreement on a uniform approach to policing the Internet.
The ASEAN officials had agreed that regulatory frameworks would depend on each country, and said they would continue to meet regularly "to help each country formulate and fine tune its regulatory approaches," it said.
Policing of the Net in ASEAN varies from Singapore's stance of strict controls by licensing only three Internet service providers who have to screen all material accessed by clients.
Other ASEAN members encourage more self-regulation, and the Philippines says freedom of speech is a critical factor.
"Political control would not be on the Philippines' agenda," Glenn Sipin, deputy executive director of the Philippines Council for Advanced Science and Technology, told Reuters at the start of the conference.
Copyright © 1996 Nando.net