<p>Reporters Without Borders condemns the closure of a dozen community radio stations linked to the opposition &ldquo;Red Shirts&rdquo; in a major police operation yesterday in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces. An exact list of the radio stations raided by the police is not yet available.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders deplores Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit&rsquo;s suggestion that the investigation into Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto&rsquo;s death could be delegated to his employer, the Reuters news agency.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders regards the findings from the official investigation into Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto&rsquo;s death during clashes between government forces and anti-government &ldquo;Red Shirts&rdquo; in Bangkok on 10 April 2010 as &ldquo;utterly unsatisfactory.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders has carried out a new survey of online freedom of expression for World Day Against Cyber-Censorship on 12 March.</p>

<p>To mark International Women&rsquo;s Day today, Reporters Without Borders is releasing a report on the problems of women who work as journalists. It reaffirms several important principles, contains interviews with women journalists throughout the world and describes all the different problems they encounter, ranging from everyday discrimination to the most tragic forms of violence.</p>

<p>Almost a year after Reuters cameraman <a href="http://en.rsf.org/thailand-japanese-cameraman-fatally-shot-in-10-04-2010,36987.html">Hiroyuki Muramoto</a> was shot dead during violent demonstrations between anti-government Red Shirts and the Thai armed forces in Bangkok, it seems the authorities are little closer to finding those responsible for his death.</p>

<p><strong>Figures in 2010</strong><br /> 57 journalists killed (25% fewer than in 2009)<br /> 51 journalists kidnapped<br /> 535 journalists arrested<br /> 1374 physically attacked or threatened<br /> 504 media censored<br /> 127 journalists fled their country<br /> 152 bloggers and netizens arrested<br /> 52 physically attacked<br /> 62 countries affected by Internet censorship</p>

<p>Despite many difficulties, Burmese journalists inside Burma and abroad have in recent weeks covered two events of great importance for the country: the 7 November general elections and Aung San Suu Kyi&rsquo;s release six days later. The military authorities sent contradictory signals about their intentions as regards media freedom. The undemocratic elections were marked by censorship, arrests of journalists and other obstacles, but Burmese newspapers were able to interview the various candidates during the campaign.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders calls on the Thai authorities to release Sun Shucai, an 87-year-old refugee activist and journalist who was arrested in Bangkok on 8 December. He is now in a Bangkok immigration detention centre after a judge fined him 3,000 Baht (75 euros) on 9 December and ordered the authorities to examine the possibility of deporting him.</p>

<p>Exactly one year ago, on 23 November 2009, 32 media professionals were massacred in Maguindanao province, on the southern island of Mindanao, by a private militia controlled by the local governor&rsquo;s family.</p>

<p>Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association call for the release of Japanese journalist Toru Yamaji, the head of the Tokyo-based news agency APF, who was arrested in the eastern border town of Myawaddy on 7 Nov after apparently entering from Thailand. He was reportedly taken by helicopter to the Burmese capital, Naypyitaw, for questioning by military intelligence.</p>

<p>Asia&rsquo;s four Communist regimes, North Korea (177th place), China (171st), Vietnam (165th) Laos (168th), are among the fifteen lowest-ranked countries of the 2010 World Press Freedom Index. Ranked just one place behind Eritrea, hellish totalitarian North Korea has shown no improvement. To the contrary: in a succession framework set up by Kim Jong-il in favour of his son, crackdowns have become even harsher. China, despite its dynamic media and Internet, remains in a low position because of non-stop censorship and repression, notably in Tibet and Xinjiang.</p>