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Following the announcement of big cuts to the BBC World Service, with many workers being requested to relocate abroad, journalists have mentioned plans to maneuver the Vietnamese service to Thailand will pose risks to press freedom.
The Guardian experiences a number of reporters elevating considerations that there’s historical past of the Vietnamese state abducting journalists from Thailand – and that the BBC had not recognised that Vietnamese individuals don’t routinely really feel at residence in Thailand, regardless of each being south-east Asian nations.
One World Service worker advised the Guardian: “Being a critic of the Vietnamese authorities, even once you’re in Thailand, will not be secure.”
Many of the BBC’s Vietnamese-language workers have beforehand operated out of London, as a result of oppression of press freedom in Vietnam.
A BBC spokesperson advised the Guardian: “The protection and safety of our journalists is paramount. We aren’t proposing to open any new operations in Bangkok – for quite a few years the Vietnamese service has been cut up between Bangkok and London, with half of the journalists primarily based in Bangkok and half in London, all producing glorious and neutral journalism.”
This anxiousness comes after the BBC introduced the transfer – first revealed on Deadline – as a part of a £30M ($32.7M) World Service financial savings drive, will see seven extra language providers shifting to digital solely, the closure of BBC Arabic radio and BBC Persian radio and the ending of some TV and radio applications.
Greater than half of the 41 language providers will turn out to be digital as soon as the proposals have been carried out, and the BBC has confirmed the relocation of a few of its World Service journalists away from the UK. Round 380 jobs will likely be misplaced.
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