Cyberactivists cannot be effective without using old-style activism - meeting each other face to face and doing work on the ground.

That was the central idea that came out of the book launch of Asian Cyberactivism in Singapore last Saturday, which drew a crowd of about 60 people who jam-packed the ballroom of Hotel Rendezvous.

Dr Russell Heng from The Working Committee 2 (TWC2), a group advocating the humane treatment of foreign domestic workers, described how members of his group had to go door to door, and talked to residents about how to better treat their maids.

Although TWC2 has an online presence, the group's advocacy work required its members to go to the ground and meet people face to face.

Steven Gan, editor of malaysiakini and co-editor of Asian Cyberactivism, drew laughter from the crowd when he described how the Malaysian police "detained" his computers during a raid last year.

He chronicled the story behind his online news website and highlighted that when word of the raid got out, about 200 supporters staged a protest outside the malaysiakini office, proving that old-school activism still works hand-in-hand with new technology.

Focus on activists, not technology

Asian Cyberactivism

is a new book which focuses on the human actors rather than on the technology.

The 664-page book records political activism on the Internet and takes stock of some of the successes and failures of cyberactivists as they try to beat the various censorship regimes in Asia .

Said co-editor James Gomez, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation regional communications manager, a cyberactivist is someone who uses a variety of online and mobile communications tools to mobilise people for action around a cause or issue.

He noted that this was often employed side-by-side with regular activism tools that use traditional methods of communication, such as the print and electronic media, pamphleteering, and books.

Cyberactivists, like other activists, know that they are in a minority in the struggle for civil society space, said Dr Cherian George, a post-doctoral fellow at the National University of Singapore's Asian Research Institute.

But he said, "their actions highlight that some things are wrong with the world system."

Book launch in KL

The book launch was officiated by Dr Ang Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University's dean of the school of communication and information.

In his opening remarks, Ang said a very important aspect of the book is the word "Asian" in its title.

He stressed that it is important that Asian perspectives are recorded, as it seems that only the West has the monopoly over the truth.

Others among the panelists included Arun Mahizhnan, deputy director of the Institute of Policy Studies; Jonathan Woodier, a journalist and public relations consultant; and Sinapan Samydorai, president of Singaporean online NGO Think Centre.

The event was hosted by Dr Indrajit Banerjee of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre.

Asian Cyberactivism

will be launched in Malaysia this Saturday.

Among the speakers at the Kuala Lumpur launch are News Straits Times associate editor Rehman Rashid, renowned blogger Jeff Ooi , Sisters in Islam's Masjaliza Hamzah and malaysiakini columnist Fathi Aris Omar.