Special Report on Radio Free Asia B

[MMAung@xxxxxxx]

INTRODUCTION
==============
Maybe I am a new comer to Burmanet debates.  But I have been observing the
writings that matter pro-democracy movement of Burma from other media sources,
including RFA, DVB, VOA, BBC, SPDC radios and other printed newspapers and
magazines.  In this fast-growing information age, you may have experienced how
important it is that disinformation by such resources can mislead a listener
or reader in understanding and evaluating a country's real situation.
Reliability and relevance become the most important rules which the public
media must follow.  Along with people who have common interest in this issue,
I have developed a report on Radio Free Asia's Burmese Section based on
electronic surveys, interactive discussions and substantiated evidences that
we obtained during past three months.

PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
=========================
*     To inform both Burma watchers and the US taxpayers who funded RFA that
Burmese section of RFA is violating media ethic and also deviating from the
main goals of RFA: "to deliver 'accurate and timely' news, information and
commentary and to provide a forum for a variety of opinions and voices from
within Asian countries; to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and
expression?including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through  any medium regardless of frontiers."

*   To involve more Burma-netters in the ongoing debate on this issue and seek
their timely  intervention for ending the rampant violation of media ethic by
RFA Burmese section in a democratic and civilized way.

RFA Burmese section vs Media Rules of Broadcasting Accurate and Timely News
===========================================================
Recent RFA Burmese Section's airing of news and articles on Burma are found in
violation of the existing media rules.  Some of its inaccurate and untimely
broadcasts are recorded as below:

January 21 1998:	
	RFA broadcast Daw Aung San Suu Kyi having an affair with her young NLD
associate.
February 26, 1988:  	
	RFA broadcast Nai Shwe Kyin's interview with a foreign journalist accusing
that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Dr. Sein Win  and General Bo Mya (KNU) are the
puppets of CIA.
April 18, 1998: (p.m)  
	RFA broadcast Ma Thein Gi (SPDC's anonymous writer)'s article commenting US
sanction's ineffectiveness, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's inability to lead the
country.

In this case, one should remember how Washington Post executive editors
delayed its printing of their own reporters' investigative news-coverage about
WaterGate until they were sure of their sources were accurate and reliable.
It was also because Washington Post always protected its good image as an
impartial and fair newspaper.  It was also aware of the fact its coverage was
politically sensitive and can damage Nixon's popularity if the their
investigations were proven unfounded and untrue. In the end, its strict
practicing of media rules has made Washington Post a people's most reliable
and authentic newspaper.  

Unaware or negligent of such essential practices in journalism, RFA Burmese
section has used the sources which are not only unreliable but biased in its
daily broadcasting.  How reliable are these three sources? The sources of news
about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi having an affair with her associate cannot be
traced.  Who said that?  All were rumours, possibly originating from SPDC's
office of psychological warfare which always attempts to suppress Burmese
population's desire for democratic rights and to delink their leader Aung San
Suu Kyi from her mass.  The same is Ma Thein Gi.  Ma Thein Gi might be a hired
person from the same office.  Finally, about Naing Shwe Kyin.  Everyone knows
he is now a mercurial man, changed his side from democracy and ethic rights to
military dictatorship and meritocracy.  Though his past can be honored, his
present must be highly denounced.  Before broadcasting his allegations about
Gen Bo Mya and Daw Suu, RFA must first confirm if they are true or not.  They
can't just record his voices and aired.  A journalism requires every reporters
and broadcasters to confirm the sources before they write and voice.

The impact on people's psychology left by such violation of media ethic by RFA
Burmese section is immeasurable.  Burma population is in need of having
absolute trust in their leaders for continuing their strife for democratic and
human rights.  RFA's airing of "sided and unfounded" accusations against Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and Gen Bo Mya equal to "character assassination" against the
public leaders.  It is a crime committed in the name of "impartiality and
fairness."

WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE? : IDENTIFICATION OF VIOLATORS OF MEDIA ETHICS
==============================================================

It is clear that one cannot hold every staff of RFA Burmese section
accountable for such crime and its damages.  Its director, U Soe Thin must be
held responsible for this because he is the final authority to judge whatever
news and articles broadcast by his staff-members.  Who else if it is not him?
U Soe Thin alone is responsible for RFA Burmese Section's violation of media
ethics and its subsequent damages caused to the popularity and images of the
public most trusted leaders of Burma.

WHY U SOE THIN DID IT: AN UNBIASED ANALYSIS
=======================================

Here, one should focus asking questions on the cause-and-effect of U Soe
Thin's character assassination against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Gen Bo Mya.
In this typical case, one has to question who he really is and why he did it.
Though this method of analysis might seem to be subjective, we have to use it
to make this report objective.  
The reason is that RFA is free from managerial interference from policy-makers
as long as it does its job in accordance with rules.  However every last-
minute decision for airing a news or an article is at the hand of its
director. Thus,  personal background of the head of RFA Burmese Section must
be carefully checked in order for us to fairly conclude if his violation of
media ethics is whether accidental or intentional.



A.  WHO IS U SOE THIN?
====================  

Early Carreer Achievement
===================  
U Soe Thin was a former BSPP diplomat who defected to "democratic movement" at
the peak of 1988 uprising in Burma.  According to the people who knew well
about him, he was initially assigned by Gen Ne Win as his bearer of royal or
official umbrella (Htee-Daw-Moe) while receiving foreign dignitaries at the
Mingladon airport.  His obedient mannerism for New Win and his blood-
relationship with top-ranking officials like SPDC's Deputy Director of Defense
Service Intelligence Colonel Kyaw Win (his uncle) had possibly promoted him to
work as a diplomat in overseas.  His father himself was a former colonel of
Burma Navy.  Some rivals of him claimed that he defected to democracy group
because he was anticipating that he would become a full ambassador if
political system were to change from dictatorial to democratic rule overnight.

One should question what made U Soe Thin a diplomat: his professional
qualification or his political and social contacts with the former BSPP.  Such
opportunity during the age of BSPP can be achieved only by the people who had
close relationship with BSPP officials.   In BSPP age, it is who you are that
counts but not what you are.

Present Career Achievement
================== == 
Before becoming the director of the RFA Burmese Section, U Soe Thin got a
position in Voice of America (VOA) Burmese Section.  

"His childhood acquaintances U Khin Maung Win (VOA-BUR) and U Tin Maung Win
(DAB-Vice President) and his cousin U Tun Aung (VOA-BUR) were the persons who
brought him into this honourable career.  They even bought a car for him when
he first came to the United States." said a former VOA staff-member.  Again U
Soe Thin made it in his own way: clinging to the higher positions through
"contacts."

Now U Soe Thin is the director of RFA Burmese Section.  How did he get that
position?  We know there are certain people who are highly qualified to head
RFA.  In the early days of the formation of RFA Burmese Section, every
democratic activist of Burma expected that U Aung Myint Tun, the most
respected Burmese journalist who retired from BBC Burmese Section, would be
the one in the team.  

We will explore more about it and come back to this question.

B. U SOE THIN AS DIRECTOR OF RFA BURMESE SECTION AND HIS ACTIVITIES
==============================================================
Method of Recruiting His Team
======================= 
There are two different teams: residential and overseas.  One in newsroom and
another in neighbouring countries and Japan.

With limited knowledge about journalism, U Soe Thin recruited the people who
could consolidate his position rather than who could do the job.  Win Maung
Maung (Account Section), Khin Myo Htwe, Khin Maung Nyein, Daw Tin Htar Swe and
Nyi Nyi became his handpicked and trusted team members in this way.  The same
selection method was employed in recruiting Nyi Nyi as his stringers in Tokyo
become U Soe Thin brought him into the US.  In Daw Tin Htar Swe's case, she is
an old friend of U Soe Thin with similar family background and her father too
was a former navy colonel of Burma. To her, U Soe Thin seems to be a savior
because she was saved from being a jobless person for BBC Burmese section
won't extend its contract with her.  U Soe Thin's intention of keeping Daw Tin
Htar Swe, a highly qualified journalist, next to him is to shield himself from
being contended by other qualified people in the Burmese media.

Before the present time, RFA Burmese Section did offer internship programme
funded by the Soros foundation to Burmese youths with an objective to train
them in journalism.  Interestingly, Khin Myo Htwe started as an departmental
intern.  It means U Soe Thin brought her into RFA parameter by extending
direct RFA intership to her because she is not a student and not qualified to
get funded by Soros foundation in this regard.  After he got "trusted" Khin
Myo Htwe after having support from Daw Nyein Shwe (former VOA-Bur), U Soe Thin
abruptly stopped this internship program in order to prevent the people with
quality from getting into his well-fenced RFA Burmese Section even though
Soros Foundation still wanted to extend its financial assistance to keep the
programme going.  Several Burmese youth in the US definitely lost the
opportunity to explore their talent and experience in broadcast journalism
because of the untimely termination of this internship.

Running the Business
============== 
Credibility is the important requirement for the journalists to fulfill in
order to get public acceptance for and trust in their reports.  To achieve
that, every reliable newspaper and radio business  require their reporters to
use their real names.  Surprisingly, U Soe Thin dropped this basic requirement
and even encourages his team members to use "fake" names for announcing the
news. Consequently, U Win Pe (aka Director Win Pe) became known as Zaw Weight,
Nyi Nyi as Ba Aung and Khin Maung Nyein as Moe Kyaw. All three staffs once
worked for years as high ranking officials in Burma under Ne Win.  Why?

Are they afraid of SPDC ?  Or, is U Soe Thin indirectly informing his former
master Ne Win that they are working in RFA just to earn their livings?
(Note: Ko Khin Maung Nyein quit using fake name after he realized it is not
right.)

(U Soe Tin net salary (take-home money) is US $45000.00.  Surprisingly, one
can find his bank accounts never have more than one thousand dollars.  Where
did the money go? Known as a stingy man, people believed that U Soe Thin
abused his power as the boss against Ko Myint Thein (RFA-Bur)  to share his
one-bedroom apartment to Win Aung Tin, his brother-in-law, while he is
enjoying his three-bedroom luxury apartment.  His sister in Rangoon has been
running a successful joint-venture [corporation] with military officials in
Burma.  Perhaps, he has invested thousands of shares in that corporation.
This might have forced him to air pro-military leadership stories in exchange
of protecting his business inside Burma.)

It is quite outrageous for one to learn that they are encouraging Burmese
population under oppression to fight bravely for freedom and democracy while
they are covering their faces with such masks.

U Soe Thin's Manipulation
===================  
Sadly, Burmese people cannot hear the democratic songs from RFA Burmese
Section because U Soe Thin personally prohibited broadcasting lyrics that
mention democracy and human rights.  Only melodies are aired. Only DVB
broadcast such songs.  Why?

He made stories that expressed sympathy for Gen Ne Win and Gen Khin Nyunt.
These stories portrayed these two men as "sincere and uncorrupt" personnel and
informed the listeners that bad consequences are generated by the bad people
surrounding these two men.  On what basis U Soe Thin is making such
sympathetic comments on these two murderers?  Based on Okkar's and Military
Intelligence reports?  
By comparing these typical stories with the ones he let RFA broadcast against
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Gen Bo Mya, readers can conclude why U Soe Thin
 ............

RECOMMENDATIONS
================== 
1. 	U Soe Thin must be removed from or demoted in the RFA Burmese section.
2.	RFA authorities must reform and restrengthen RFA by including quality
journalists like U Aung Myint Tun, Dr Aung Khin as the senior advisors of RFA
Burmese Section.
3. 	Internship Program for the Burmese youth in USA must be reinstated so that
new talented generation of broadcast journalism is available for the RFA's
future employment.
4. 	Reinforce the media ethic of reliability, impartiality, credibility and
relevancy in the RFA Burmese section.

CONCLUSIONS
============ 
Every Burma-lovers must actively participate in correcting the runaway media
called RFA Burmese Section if they do want the Burmese population to get
accurate and relevant news, which will help themselves educate in freedom of
expression. By correcting RFA Burmese Section's management, we can together
promote our expected image of RFA as pro-democracy and pro-human rights media.
We still hope that to happen.  Every willful assault on public leaders without
substantiated proofs and evidences should be retaliated in every way possible.
No one can insult anyone in the name of freedom of expression.  Freedom of
expression without discipline and reliable proofs should be treated as crime
against democratic societies.


REFERENCES

1.  Recorded Tapes on RFA's programmes
2.  Organizations and Individuals who have special interest in RFA in USA,
Thailand, India, Japan, Norway, New Zealand and South Africa.
3.  Recent postings by individuals and organizations on RFA.



For any further information and comments on this issue, please email me.
MMAung@xxxxxxx
(For security reasons, I excluded my address and phone numbers at Bangkok.)

Myo Myint Aung
Independent Media & Research Center of Burma (IMRCB)
In Support of All Truth Lovers.