The Herald Tribune, February 6, 2007

Philippines, Afghanistan listed as Asia's worst for journalists

55 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2006

HONG KONG: The Philippines and Afghanistan were the most dangerous places for journalists in Asia in 2006, while Thai media suffered under a new military government and dozens of reporters remained behind bars in China, a U.S. media rights group said Tuesday in its annual report.

"We look at most countries in Asia, and we see a real step backward," said Robert Dietz, Asia coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Things don't look good. We don't see any positive trends."

The Philippines and Afghanistan had the most journalist deaths in the region last year, the New York-based group said. With three deaths each, the two countries ranked globally only behind Iraq, which the group counts in its Middle East-North Africa region. Thirty-two journalists were killed there last year.

Worldwide, 55 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2006, Dietz said. Another 30 deaths were being investigated for any links to the journalists' work.

Meanwhile, the total number of journalists jailed worldwide rose to 134 in 2006 — nine more than a year earlier.

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