Has Burma's Glasnost Begun?
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Thursday, March 28, 2024
Burma

Has Burma's Glasnost Begun?


By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY Thursday, February 16, 2012


Press freedom, as illustrated by The Irrawaddy's resident cartoonist Harn Lay.
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He said that the degree of press freedom is greater than before, but that the censorship board will still reject any articles that touch upon selectively sensitive issues—such as corruption, federalism, ethnic issues, military affairs and cronyism.

However, Burma’s press freedom should not be compared to neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, he said, as those states have authoritarian governments. “It should instead be measured by universal standards of press freedom,” he said.

But although Rangoon-based journals still have to pass through the process of censorship, the government announced in June 2011 that publications and articles focusing on sports, technology, entertainment, health and children’s issues on longer had to be submitted for censorship.

A new media law titled “Printing Press and Publication Law,” which involves 10 chapters dealing with “rights, duties, and ethical codes for writers and journalists, and penalties” will be submitted to the Attorney General’s Office for comments, before going to the Cabinet and to Parliament for approval.

Many bloggers and citizen journalists prefer to use social networks for updating their readers. Many Rangoon-based websites and independent writers share information through Facebook, Blog, Wordpress, and Googleplus.

Although there are no official statistics concerning Facebook users, the social network is hugely popular with thousands of users and is very often the key source of information-sharing among people in Burma and in spreading news to the international community.

On the radio—for so long the rural person's only conduit with the outside world—Burma’s state-run channels have now agreed to air some of Washington-based VOA’s programs, albeit selectively.

After his trip to Burma in late 2011, Than Lwin Tun, the head of the VOA Burmese Service, said that Information Minister Kyaw Hsan had agreed to selectively broadcast some of his organization's products, such as international news, English education, health, science and technology programs.

Despite the practical concessions, however, several voices in the media remain skeptical.

A freelance journalist who works for foreign media organizations said, “It looks like the whole process is to please the West in order to get sanctions lifted. I really don't know how genuine they [new government] are.”

Maung Wun Tha, the editor of Pyithu Khit, a Rangoon-based journal, said that sensitive issues such as the conflict with ethnic rebels were still taboo.

Reporting on the ongoing armed conflict in Kachin State was also off limits, he said.

Several observers say they see the stumbling block as Information Minister Kyaw Hsan—known to be a hardliner and an advocate of a strict censorship policy—who remains a key figure at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Nonetheless, nine Burmese journalists including Zaw Thet Htwe and blogger Nay Phone Latt were freed in a government amnesty in January.

“I will keep writing even if it means I get arrested again,” said Nay Phone Latt. “Then we will know whether or not we have real [press] freedom.”



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COMMENTS (11)
 
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Tom Tun Wrote:
21/02/2012
What is the purpose of the censorship board in Burma? Is it to serve stability and security of Burmese people or is it to serve Burmese regime interests? If the board is to serve for Burmese people, they should be the brightest mind and resourceful people to make the decision of whether something should be allow to press. If the board block out a news out of fear, for instance Federalism and ethnic problem, is it ethical? Fear is taking place in one mind because of lack of knowledge. If we don't know something, should we study or simply kill the subject and dictate the journalism rights to press? Silencing individual for his or her different opinion is not ethical. Public should decide their subjects of reading, not the censorship board. Censorship board is simply for tyranny country.

Moe Aung Wrote:
20/02/2012
Burmese do not believe in untested democratic freedoms. They'll stick a foot in once the door is ajar and push it open, and rightly so.

Not quite 'let a hundred flowers blossom' as in the China of 1957 that lasted all of six weeks, though proving to be more durable a window of opportunity thanks to the West sticking to their guns over relaxation/lifting of the sanctions.

Will the regime find patience a virtue in keeping up the elaborate charade for as long as it takes or will it soon snap when push comes to shove?

Shah Arkani Wrote:
18/02/2012
Although I am fan of The Irrawaddy, this article contains some major flaws and geared towards favoring the government exaggerating the "press freedom" and having access to "social network". The truth is the press freedom in Burma is far from real. Yes, the gov't has let loose some press, perhaps for the time being to have the sanction lifted; however, until and unless every news-worthy item is publised uncensored (ex. ethnic issue, religious discrimination, offensive in ethnic areas, etc) it cannot be called a "press freedom".

Concerned Buddhist Wrote:
17/02/2012
What about Ashin Gambira? After his re-arrest we read nothing about the follow-up.

Marty Myanmar Wrote:
17/02/2012
How could you write such stuff as 'millions of users'??? without anything to back it up with, even common sense.
Even with all the Myanmar overseas it would barely break a million users.
The Irrawaddy should exercise greater care with concern to articles like this one loaded with such statements.
We would like to read the Irrawaddy because of its reasonable accuracy amid such information confusion out of Myanmar.
Please keep the 'good work' up and maintained.

kkloveburma Wrote:
17/02/2012
How about quality of journalism inside and exile?

Just critizing the government and other is just nothing. Just supporting the governement and other is just nothing.

Make sure readers think with your critical analysis.

I haven't seen that much on this type both exile and inside. Wihtout that, there is no press freedom, and will like MRTV, MRTV-4 or BBC Burmese, always saying the same things.

Altsean-Burma Wrote:
17/02/2012
"Although there are no official statistics concerning Facebook users, the social network is hugely popular with millions of users [...] in Burma"

In fact, there are statistics on the number of people in Burma who have internet access: 0.2% of the population, (just over 100,000 people). And that's just "internet" access, not even "facebook" access. So it's unclear how the author comes up with the estimate of "millions of users in Burma" sharing information via facebook.

Dave Wrote:
17/02/2012
Cracking illustration - pls print a load of t-shirts. Bit of revenue generation for the Irrawaddy.

KML Wrote:
17/02/2012
Orwellian fashion = Of, relating to, or evocative of the works of George Orwell, especially the satirical novel 1984, which depicts a futuristic totalitarian state./Frightening and over controlled by a government that interferes in nearly every aspect of personal life
http://www.wordnik.com/words/Orwellian

George Orwell ( Animal Farm)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm

KML Wrote:
17/02/2012
Glasnost= was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost
Perestroika = literal meaning is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika

Oo Maung Gyi Wrote:
17/02/2012
Media freedom is still needed in Burma compared to international standards. Responsibilities lie on both sides - the media and the authorities. The authorities should not disturb the media, if media side violates regulations and existing rule of law, then the media should be taken to the court and face the case and settle within the rule of law, that's called freedom of expression. Not nece3ssary to keep censor board which is kept only in undemocratic countries such as communist china and other dictatorship contries of the world.

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