The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

Maj Aye Htun, a military intelligence officer who headed the notorious press censorship department, was forced to retire. His boss, Brig-Gen Than Htun, who oversaw periodicals, was arrested and is now under detention.

The press censorship board, previously part of the home affairs ministry, is now under the control of ministry of information, headed by Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan. Aye Htun’s successor will come from the army’s public relations department, it’s thought.

About two dozen “scrutinizers” remain on the board, buried in their task of paging through Burma’s many publications.

The press conferences previously handled by Khin Nyunt’s intelligence officers are still being held, but with some changes.

Interestingly, after the tsunami hit the region, Burmese officials held a rare press briefing informing journalists about what had happened in the coastal areas, with detailed information. In the past, the junta would usually keep tight-lipped on natural disasters and issue heavily censored reports.

Local journalists are now invited to join official briefings which used to be given for a handful of “foreign journalists”—Burmese working for wire services such as AP, Reuters and AFP. Strangely enough, journalists in Rangoon say if they receive an invitation from officials to attend a press conference, they have to show up and publish reports on it.

“If we don’t, they keep calling us, asking why we haven’t reported,” said one senior editor in Rangoon.

The local journalists keep a low profile, though, clearly reluctant to ask awkward questions. At the close of the press conferences, they can be seen hurrying to put their questions to officials they believe might be reticent about speaking openly. But a journalist who recently attended a press conference said that high ranking officials were happy to answer some sensitive questions and allow themselves to be mobbed by reporters with microphones.

One veteran journalist said junta officials didn’t know how to handle the press and resented questions. Journalists felt intimidated and complained of bugged telephones and lost emails.