News
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13 September 2003
JAMAICA: Access to Information Access Law Will Have Major Impact
The Jamaican Observer reports on the Access to Information Act which goes into effect on October 1. According to members of The Carter Centre, “the rules of the game” in government have changed by giving Jamaicans access to official documents that previously were inaccessible. “This is a law that can change lives, and it can […]
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25 August 2003
THAILAND: Deputy PM Discusses Official Information Act
The Bangkok Post reports on the Thai Deputy Prime Minister Visanu Krue-ngam’s recent remarks at the at the United Nations building on the Official Information Act. Kruengam stated that when the act was first introduced, state agencies had complied strictly with the law requiring them to disclose official information on public demand. But as time […]
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14 July 2003
China’s Pioneering Foray Into Open Government: A Tale of Two Cities
By Jamie P. Horsley Guangzhou Municipal Provisions on Open Government Information (Decree No. 8 of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government dated November 6, 2002) (PDF – 158 KB) China’s initial reticence in sharing information about the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic highlighted anew the culture of secrecy that has for centuries shrouded the Chinese […]
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9 June 2003
JAMAICA: Information Act on Target
The Jamaican Observer reports that the first phase of the Access to Information Act is still on target for its October deadline, according to Information Minister Burchell Whiteman. We have a hard-working and effective unit, within the archives division of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), working overtime to provide the co-ordination, direction and […]
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9 May 2003
JAPAN: Public Highway Corporation Spends Over 1 million Yen to Treat Politicians
The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the Japan Public Highway Corporation spent a total of 1.47 million yen to wine and dine 11 lawmakers on 17 different occasions between fiscal 2001 and 2002. Documents, obtained under the Japanese Information Disclosure law, show that the public corporation spent about 77 million yen on entertainment, including the meetings […]
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22 April 2003
JAPAN: Open Archives Scare Ministries
The Asahi Shimbun (Japan) reports that government officials in Japan, hesitant to release files to public scrutiny, have been hoarding documents by extending their supposed “preservation periods,’ since an information disclosure law made archive records more open to the public Experts view this as a less than auspicious response by bureaucrats to the vaunted disclosure […]
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3 April 2003
SOUTH KOREA: Government to Release Portions of Cabinet Meetings
The Seoul Yonha, a Semi-official news agency in in the Republic of Korea, reports that the Government Administration and Home Affairs Ministry will begin to make sections of the minutes of Cabinet meetings available to the public. According to Kim Doo-kwan, the Home Affairs Minister, “We will open the minutes of Cabinet meetings to the […]
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7 February 2003
UZBEKISTAN: New FOIA Comes Into Force
CAFSCEN.org reports that a new law on freedom of information has come into effect in Uzbekistan recently. The law “On Principles and Guarantees of Freedom of Information” which was accepted by Parliament in December, 2002 has become operational. UPDATE 2/10/03 CAFSCEN.org now reports that the Uzbekistan Government has officially declared its intentions to “Counteract” any […]
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21 January 2003
BULGARIA: Dispute Erupts over Andreev Archive
The Bulgarian online news resource, novinite.com reports that the Sofia police, on orders of the district governor, have helped the newly formed State Commission on Information Security take over the offices of the so-called Andreev Commission, which was set up after the fall of communism to look into the dossiers compiled by the communist special […]
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18 January 2003
JAMAICA Government Officials Go Back to School
In advance of the actual implementation of the Jamaican Access to Information Act, the Jamaica Observer reports that over 400 government officials will partake in the initial leg of a four-month-long training program. “This process of formal training of public sector workers seeks to prepare them to effectively and efficiently handle requests for government information […]
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17 January 2003
PHILIPPINES: Access to Information
A case study published today on Freedominfo.org reveals that the Philippines, despite its lack of actual freedom of information legislation, is amongst the most open democracies in Southeast Asia. In a 2001 survey on the accessibility to the public of 43 government-held records, it fared even better than Thailand, which passed an Official Information Act […]
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15 December 2002
Freedom of Information Law Approved in India
The Freedom of Information Bill 2002 By Prashant Bhushan National Campaign Committee for the People’s Right to Information Text of India’s Freedom of Information law (as passed by Lok Sabha): Word – PDF More than 5 years ago, the Shourie committee set up by the government had recommended the enactment of a legislation to effectuate […]
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8 August 2002
PERU: New freedom of information law approved
On August 2, 2002 Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo formally promulgated the Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information, which was then published on August 3, 2002 in the official government daily El Peruano. Only minor changes had been made to the second draft of the law, which had been approved by the Peruvian Congress […]
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29 June 2002
JAMAICA: New Disclosure Law Passes
While the regulations still have to be drafted and approved, and the Civil Service still needs to be adequately trained, the Jamaican Senate yesterday passed the Access to Information Bill. According to a news report in the Jamaican Observer, the passage of the information bill by the Senate concludes a 10-year process to provide the […]
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29 May 2002
JAPAN: Official Compiles Data on Information-Seekers
The Japan Times reports that a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) officer compiled personal data on individuals requesting disclosure of Defense Agency information and passed it along to other agency officials. According to the Defense Agency, the MSDF officer compiled personal data on 142 individuals who requested agency-related information between April 2001, when the information disclosure […]