BANTING, Sun: The 3rd Community Audio Fest this year showed a marked improvement in the quality and number of audio entries submitted and the range of topics that revealed the desire among women from the lower income group to share experiences on violence against women (VAW).

The Thai government announced on 14 May 2009 its plan to regulate the program content of radio stations and cable and satellite TV stations in the country, media reports said.

The Centre for Independent Journalism joined TakeBacktheTech last year to commemorate the 16-day Campaign to end Gender Violence by encouraging communities to make their own audio programmes. Here, S. Thanam reports on the women from Kg. Sungai Judah who uploaded their own programme on domestic violence.

Rights groups and the academic community in Thailand are up in arms over a government order to close down community radio operations in the kingdom.