Asia
Country Profile: India
Background
With a population of over one billion, India is the world’s second most populous nation. The Indian government, a constitutional republic and representative democracy, generally respects the right to free speech and allows a wide array of political, social, and economic beliefs...
Country Profile: China
Background
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a one-party state ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since the opening of its economy under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, the country has undergone drastic changes. These changes are...
Country Profile: Vietnam
Background
Vietnam is a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The party does not maintain a strict adherence to ideological orthodoxy.U.S. Department of State, Background Note: Vietnam, November 30, 2010, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4130.htm. Today, Vietnam is making a transition from a centrally...
Country Profile: Malaysia
Background
In 1998, the Malaysian government pledged to refrain from censorship of the Internet as part of a financial calculation to attract foreign investment. This pledge was statutorily enshrined in Section 3(3) of the Communications and Multimedia Act of 1998 (CMA), which regulates...
Country Profile: Thailand
Background
Thai politics, long famous for coups and military dominance, shifted course in 2001 with the emergence of a single-party civilian government led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party. The TRT Party won landslide victories in two...
Country Profile: Pakistan
Background
Under General Pervez Musharraf’s leadership (1999 – 2008), print and electronic media were often censored in cases where content was deemed to be antigovernment or anti-Islam. Government repression of media was particularly acute with regard to Baluchi and Sindhi political autonomy, as...
Country Profile: South Korea
Background
The Republic of Korea (commonly referred to as South Korea) was established in 1948 and spent most of its first four decades under authoritarian rule. In response to massive protests in 1987, the government eventually enacted a democratic constitution that has...
- Posted on 06/Aug/2012; tagged in South Korea, Asia
Regional Overview: Asia
Note: previous versions of this profile are available at Asia, 2009 and Asia, 2006-2007.
Overview
Asian cyberspace is the setting for a diverse range of information controls, contestations, and resistance. Governments across the region struggle to balance the rapid growth of information...
- Posted on 06/Aug/2012; tagged in Asia
Country Profile: Burma (Myanmar)
Background
The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military government that rules the Union of Myanmar, maintains a tight stranglehold on the country’s economic and political developments. The government polices Internet content through one of the most severe regimes of information...
Country Profile: Singapore
Background
Singapore’s government uses restrictive laws, political ties to the judiciary, and ownership and intimidation of the media to suppress dissenting opinion and opposition to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). Provisions of the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions)...
