ID :
210961
Tue, 10/04/2011 - 06:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/210961
The shortlink copeid
MEDIA NEED TO HAVE COMPREHENSIVE REPORTING ON PEOPLE TRAFFICKING
KOTA KINABALU (Bernama) - Malaysian journalists, especially in the mainstream media, will have to realise the pressing need for more comprehensive reporting on people trafficking as any attempts to suppress such reports might be perceived as a cover-up, Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) chief executive officer Chamil Wariya said on Monday.
He said they had a duty to report the good and bad on the real problem of people smuggling and trafficking in the country as such unsavory incidents should not be found out through the foreign media or other external sources.
"It is very embarrassing for us to find out that Malaysia's shortcomings in dealing with human tafficking have been picked up by the independent and foreign media and we just become bystanders," he said in his welcoming remarks at the workshop on Reporting on Trafficking in Persons, organised by MPI here.
Among those present were Sabah Journalists Asscoiation president Joniston Bangkau and United States Embassy Public Affairs Officer Scott M.Rauland.
Chamil said he was happy to see that the government via the Council of Anti-Traficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO) had done its level best to create awareness about the issue.
It was encouraging to know that Malaysia's standing among various human rights non-governmental organisations and the United States Department had improved to the watch list of Tier Two of the State Department's People Trafficking Chart in its 2011 report, he said.
Despite the United States government's perception that seemed to have improved from Tier Three last year, he said it was high time for the government to improve on its standing on the matter before it could play a serious role in fighting human trafficking, which was a worldwide problem.
At present Malaysia had not signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of refugess and the 1967 Protocol, a move that could help curb the problem in the country, he said.
As the fourth estate, he said, journalists should try to encourage civil society which meant brushing up their knowledge of relevant immigration and refugees laws.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Attorney General's Chambers Prosecution division showed that Perlis recorded the highest cases of offenders charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act up to Sept this year while East Malaysia state of Sabah and Sarawak had 44 and 24 cases respectively.
He said they had a duty to report the good and bad on the real problem of people smuggling and trafficking in the country as such unsavory incidents should not be found out through the foreign media or other external sources.
"It is very embarrassing for us to find out that Malaysia's shortcomings in dealing with human tafficking have been picked up by the independent and foreign media and we just become bystanders," he said in his welcoming remarks at the workshop on Reporting on Trafficking in Persons, organised by MPI here.
Among those present were Sabah Journalists Asscoiation president Joniston Bangkau and United States Embassy Public Affairs Officer Scott M.Rauland.
Chamil said he was happy to see that the government via the Council of Anti-Traficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO) had done its level best to create awareness about the issue.
It was encouraging to know that Malaysia's standing among various human rights non-governmental organisations and the United States Department had improved to the watch list of Tier Two of the State Department's People Trafficking Chart in its 2011 report, he said.
Despite the United States government's perception that seemed to have improved from Tier Three last year, he said it was high time for the government to improve on its standing on the matter before it could play a serious role in fighting human trafficking, which was a worldwide problem.
At present Malaysia had not signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of refugess and the 1967 Protocol, a move that could help curb the problem in the country, he said.
As the fourth estate, he said, journalists should try to encourage civil society which meant brushing up their knowledge of relevant immigration and refugees laws.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Attorney General's Chambers Prosecution division showed that Perlis recorded the highest cases of offenders charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act up to Sept this year while East Malaysia state of Sabah and Sarawak had 44 and 24 cases respectively.
