7 Oct
2011
7 Oct
'11
9:29 p.m.
Burma's Censorship Czar Wants Press Controls Abolished
October 7, 2011 -The head of Burma's powerful state censorship body called Friday for
press freedom in the country, saying his own department should be closed down as part of
reforms being pursued by the new nominally civilian government.
"Press censorship is non-existent in most other countries as well as among our
neighbors and as it is not in harmony with democratic practices, press censorship should
be abolished in the near future," Tint Swe, Director of the Press Scrutiny and
Registration Department, told RFA in an interview.
But, he said, newspaper and other publications should accept press freedom with
responsibilities.
Tint Swe's department, set up more than four decades ago when the military took over
the country, has eased restrictions on certain media coverage since the new government of
President Thein Sein took power early this year after elections called by the then-ruling
military junta, which had been accused of blatant human rights abuses.
Previously, all media publications had to send drafts of their reports to the censorship
department.
Since June 10, the department allowed publications dealing with entertainment, sports,
technology, health and children's issues to practice "self censorship,"
whereby editors themselves were given the task of omitting materials that may be deemed as
sensitive instead of sending their draft reports to the department.
Publications that covered politics and other issues viewed sensitive by the authorities,
however, have to continue sending drafts of their reports to the department.
A matter of time
Tint Swe said it was just a matter of time before all publications are free from any kind
of censorship and for the first time, private groups would be allowed to establish daily
newspapers under a new media law, a draft of which is before parliament.
He also said that newspapers were being allowed to publish reports on pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi without restrictions previously imposed under military rule.
Last month, Burmese magazine The Messenger was suspended for two weeks for carrying a full
cover picture of Aung San Suu Kyi.
"There are no restrictions now on coverage for Aung San Suu Kyi's activities and
more freedom is expected in the near future as the country undergoes democratic
change," he said.
Burmese authorities also last month lifted a longstanding ban on international news
websites, exiled Burmese news websites and YouTube.
Still, foreign media watchdogs say Burma's heavily censored media remains among the
most restricted in the world.
The government has made virtually no progress on press freedom, said an analysis last
month by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
State censors are still actively spiking news stories and there is pervasive state
surveillance of reporters' communications and movements, with at least 14 journalists
and media support workers behind bars, the group said.
Authorities continue to "systematically harass, sanction, and imprison journalists,
particularly those who report undercover for exile-run media groups," it said.
Still controlled
CPJ said interviews with seven Burma-based journalists and six journalists working for
exile media revealed that President Thein Sein's government has not dismantled the
extensive mechanisms of control and repression that the previous military regime employed
to stifle independent reporting and critical commentary.
Since last year's elections, two journalists have been sentenced to long prison terms
and more than a dozen publications have been suspended for their news reporting, it said.
News publications that are privately owned and run have proliferated in recent years, with
around 200 journals, magazines, and newspapers currently in circulation, CPJ said. Those
publications, however, are heavily censored and are often forced to publish state-prepared
news and commentaries that present the government and its policies in a glowing light.
Burma ranked second to last in Internet freedom in a report called "Freedom on the
Net 2011," released by Washington-based information watchdog Freedom House.
Win Tin, a former journalist who is now a leader in Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy, said there were speculations that groups close to retired military generals
may get permission to publish daily newspapers when the new press law is introduced.
The Burmese government has launched talks with Aung San Suu Kyi and invited armed ethnic
groups to hold peace negotiations as part of a program of reform initiatives but is under
pressure to release about 2,000 political prisoners to underline its seriousness toward
achieving democracy and freedom.
Reported by Kyaw Kyaw Aung for RFA's Burmese service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane.
Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online
news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not
have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights
of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is
funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
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