HOG KONG, Feb 6: The Philippines and Afghanistan were the most dangerous places for journalists in Asia in 2006, while Thai media suffered under a new military government and dozens of reporters remained behind bars in China, a US media rights group said on Tuesday in its annual report.

''We look at most countries in Asia, and we see a real step backward,'' said Robert Dietz, Asia coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. ''Things don't look good. We don't see any positive trends.''

The Philippines and Afghanistan had the highest journalist deaths in the region last year, the New York-based group said. With three deaths each, the two countries ranked globally only behind Iraq, where 32 journalists were killed that year.

Other Asian flashpoints were Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where an escalating civil conflict continued to threaten the lives of reporters, the group said. Two journalists were killed in Pakistan last year, while Sri Lanka recorded one such death, it said.Thailand saw a great setback in press freedom in 2006, when a military coup immediately increased pressure on journalists, Dietz said.

Shortly after the military took power in September, it shut down hundreds of community radio stations and censored foreign broadcasts about the coup.

''A year of political turmoil climaxed in a military coup that accelerated the deterioration of Thailand's press freedom climate,'' the group's report said.

Worldwide, 55 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2006, Dietz said. Another 30 deaths were being investigated to determine whether they also were linked to the journalists' work. Meanwhile, the total number of journalists jailed worldwide rose to 134 in 2006 — nine more than a year earlier.

In China — where more journalists are jailed than any other nation — reporters are less frequently faced with physical threats, but they're consistently under pressure of heavy-handed censorship, the group said.

At least 31 journalists were jailed in China, just one less compared to the 32 in jail in 2005.—AP