Jun 16, 2014 | Annual Conference
CANCELLATION OF AMIC 23RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN BANGKOK
Dear AMIC members and friends,
It is with sincere regret that we must bring to you the news that AMIC’s 23rd International Conference has been cancelled. This decision has been taken jointly by the AMIC Board of Directors, the AMIC Secretariat and the conference hosts.
As you will recall, AMIC planned its 2014 conference to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from the 9th-12th July. Our gracious host was to be the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University. Arrangements were fully in hand, with the ‘call for papers’ completed, sponsorship promotion underway and even a hotel venue organised. The AMIC Secretariat had received close to 300 abstracts which had been put out for peer-review. In the end, over 270 papers had been accepted for the conference.
The political climate in Thailand deteriorated to the extent that martial law was eventually declared. Although the prevailing situation in Bangkok was difficult, in close consultation with the conference hosts and other authorities on security and safety issues, AMIC proceeded with its plans. However, when the Thai military declared a coup late last month and various restrictions, including a curfew, were imposed, the situation became increasingly untenable.
AMIC’s ‘duty of care’ to conference delegates and staff members is such that we are unwilling to expose colleagues from the region and beyond to potential injury or harm in a situation which is impossible to predict. Also, we took note that, once the coup was announced, all major travel insurance companies advised their clients that coverage for Thailand was negated. In addition, Governments worldwide issued travel advisories warning their citizens about travel to Thailand.
The AMIC Board and Secretariat held urgent discussions and the Chairman issued a conference postponement notice. In the meantime, extensive negotiations continued with potential hosts for a possible relocation to another venue within the region. In the end, these proved inconclusive and it was decided, with time against us and increasing concern from conference delegates about their travel and leave arrangements, to cancel the conference this year.
AMIC is hugely aware that this decision has caused considerable inconvenience and disappointment and this is deeply regretted. All previously paid conference registration fees will be fully refunded. We also know that several delegates had booked air tickets which carry penalties for cancellation. The AMIC Secretariat is now issuing letters to those delegates which they can use to approach the airlines concerned to seek possible financial redress under force majeure provisions. Please contact us at conference@amic.org.sg for such a letter. We are also prepared to make direct approaches to airlines and travel agents upon request. In some cases, it may be possible to transfer funds expended on air fares to Bangkok to travel to next year’s AMIC conference instead.
Thank you for your understanding in this unprecedented situation. On behalf of the AMIC Board, the Secretariat and our good friends at Chulalongkorn University, we apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused. We are now planning for the AMIC 2015 international conference and, once a host is chosen, we will announce a venue and dates. It is also possible that the 2014 conference theme and papers (with updating by the authors) may go forward to AMIC 2015. However, this matter will be discussed in the months ahead. We will keep you informed as soon and as frequently as possible on further developments.
May 30, 2014 | Annual Conference, Events
POSTPONEMENT OF AMIC 23RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN BANGKOK
Dear AMIC Members and Conference Participants:
Given the extraordinarily difficult and uncertain situation in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, the Board of Directors of AMIC has decided today to postpone the AMIC annual Conference scheduled for July 9-12, 2014 in Bangkok.
The Board deeply regrets the disruption and the inconvenience this change of plans might cause. It was an extremely difficult decision to make as the local organisers had put in much effort to raise sponsorship, invite a Cabinet member as a keynote speaker, and make other arrangements for us to enjoy their Thai hospitality.
But after consultation with our Thai Board Member and other relevant authorities, the Board had to conclude that in the interests of conference participants’ safety and security, the event must be postponed.
The Board has started exploring other dates and, if necessary, other venues to hold the conference later this year. If nothing suitable emerges by July, the Board may cancel this year’s conference and proceed with next year’s conference.
The AMIC Board and Secretariat seek your understanding and patience. We will contact you as soon as new decisions are made.
Apr 10, 2014 | Annual Conference
We received a last-minute rush of abstracts, papers and panel proposals prior to the closing date for the Call for Papers. However, several potential presenters have asked if we can extend the deadline for them to complete their documentation. To enable those conference delegates, and others, to submit their abstracts and papers to AMIC, we have extended the deadline by two weeks to the 21st April, 2014. Please send your submission to us as soon as possible at conference@amic.org.sg Abstracts already received are now being peer-reviewed and presenters will be advised of the outcomes of the selection process shortly.
Mar 20, 2014 | Annual Conference
Preparations for AMIC’s 2014 conference in Bangkok (9th-12th July) have taken a significant step forward with the naming of the Chaophya Park Hotel as the venue for the prestigious annual event.
The Chaophya Park Hotel is located in Ratchadapisek, close to major shopping complexes and entertainment centres. It boasts a range of restaurants, conference rooms and a major ballroom. The hotel is easily accessible through the newly opened subway system, which is also linked with Bangkok’s Sky Train. The nearest MRT station, Rachdapisek, is only a 5-minute walk from the hotel. The city’s two major airports are also readily reachable by taxi or train. http://www.chaophyapark.com
Hotel room bookings at the special AMIC conference rate will be open shortly and an exclusive AMIC conference accommodation booking code will soon be made available.
In addition to the Chaophya Park Hotel, several other budget hotels close to the main venue will also be available for AMIC conference attendees. Details of these hotels will also be provided shortly.
AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow, thanked the conference hosts, Chulalongkorn University, for choosing such an excellent venue for the AMIC 2014 event. He also called on prospective delegates considering attending AMIC 2014 to get their abstracts to the AMIC Secretariat as soon as possible. “The clock is ticking” he said, “and we look forward to receiving a flood of abstracts and paper proposals before the 4th April deadline.”
This year’s conference theme is Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies and challenges. The Call for Papers is available at www.amic.org.sg.
Dec 10, 2013 | Annual Conference, Member Updates
Globally, the last decade has seen exponential growth in the use of mobile technologies and the Internet. From e-mail to e-governance, e-commerce to e-learning, Internet usage has changed the way the world communicates.
At the forefront of the electronic and digital revolution in Asia has been the mobile phone. Recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) statistics indicate that in the period from 2005 to 2013, mobile (cellular) phone subscriber numbers in the Asia-Pacific region have soared from 833 million to 3,547 million users. The era of an e-Asia has dawned.
The benefits of instant, intranational and trans-border communication have impacted upon almost every aspect of life, with mobile phones and the Internet providing new pathways for inter-personal communication, business and commercial enterprise, community development, educational opportunity, governance and democratic reform. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an enabling factor in supporting marginalized societies to more beneficially interact with a broader citizenry, while the convergence of computers, media and telecommunications has created new platforms for entrepreneurship, education and political inclusion.
However, in the Asia-Pacific region, where cultural traditions and family values are hugely respected and deeply ingrained, the influences of a new ‘e-Asia literacy’ are impacting on social conventions, etiquette, language and community structures. In a homogenized international ‘knowledge society’ where communication processes transcend national boundaries, the retention of traditional values and ways of life are increasingly challenged.
AMIC Secretary-General, Martin Hadlow, said that next year’s AMIC international conference theme Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies and challenges recognised the huge changes now in progress in the Asian communication landscape.
“At last year’s Yogyakarta conference, we heard of the astonishing growth of new media technologies and the huge numbers of Indonesians now accessing the Internet” he said. “At next year’s conference, to be held in Bangkok, we look again at the field from a scholarly perspective. Our range of conference streams should satisfy all scholars with an interest in communication in Asia and the Pacific”.
Please download the call for papers by clicking here.
Sep 12, 2013 | Annual Conference, News
In a video presentation for the UNESCO Emeritus Dialogue session on development communication, UNESCO’s global Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development, Guy Berger, has said that AMIC is “one of the most esteemed research partners of UNESCO”.
He talked of “new paradigms in development communication” and said that “since the early behaviourists’ concepts and practices of ‘devcom’, there has been dynamic and, indeed, pluralistic development of paradigms in this field.” Dr. Berger said that “these reflect the changing contexts nationally, internationally and technologically”.
The AMIC conference UNESCO Emeritus Dialogue brought together five international experts to look at whether development communication still has a place in the ‘New Asia’.
