Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
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Individual Documents
Description:
''The Yangon Region High Court has rejected an appeal by two incarcerated Reuters journalists, Thet Oo Maung (a.k.a Wa Lone) and Kyaw Soe Oo, and upheld the original seven years prison sentence passed on them by the Yangon Northern District Court. The pair were arrested on 12 December 2017 and they were sentenced on 3 September last year. The journalists were arrested after their work exposed a massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Inn Din Village, which the military was then forced to admit occurred.
“These men have been imprisoned to intimidate the free press in Burma and punish those who expose the military. They should be celebrated for their work, but instead, they continue to suffer in prison unjustly for it. Burma has clearly shown the world that it will not stand for free speech if it is against their own interest,” said BHRN’s Executive Director, Kyaw Win.
After their arrest, the state-owned newspapers said the reporters had approached members of a battalion of the security force to obtain information and facts related to the Rakhine region. It said they illegally obtained the information with an intention to pass it on to foreign news agencies and that they were arrested along with the documents, which include confidential information.
In an interview with the NHK news agency last June, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said the two journalists were not arrested because of their reporting on the Rakhine issue but for a breach of the Official Secrets Act. Her comment came a month before the court decided to indict them on a charge under the same law...''
Source/publisher:
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) via Progressive Voice
Date of publication:
2019-01-14
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
83.09 KB
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Description:
''ARTICLE 19 condemns today’s decision by the Yangon High Court to uphold the conviction of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Reuters journalists who helped expose a 2017 massacre of Rohingya civilians in Rakhine State by Myanmar Army soldiers.
“The court’s decision to uphold the convictions of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo is a disgraceful act of repression and an assault on press freedom,” said Matthew Bugher, ARTICLE 19’s Head of Asia Programme. “By upholding the result of a sham trial, the court has surrendered its independence and aided the government in its crackdown on expression.”
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in December 2017 shortly after being handed a set of official documents by police officers in an apparent set-up operation aimed at obstructing their reporting on human rights violations in Rakhine State. On 3 September 2018, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted by a Yangon district court under section 3.1(c) of the colonial-era Official Secrets Act. The pair, who were jointly named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2018 alongside other journalists, were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment under the Act. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi later defended the judgment at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Hanoi, Viet Nam, to harsh criticism from over fifty human rights organizations.
On 5 November 2018, an appeal was filed in the Yangon High Court. The journalists’ lawyers argued that the conviction should be overturned because of due process violations, the lack of consideration given to evidence of a police set-up, and the failure by the prosecution to prove the key elements of the crime...''
Source/publisher:
Article 19 via Progressive Voice
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
more
Description:
''Any remaining shred of hope for the release of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo quickly vanished today when the court denied their appeal for an overturn of their conviction handed down in September last year. They were charged with violating the Official Secrets Act following entrapment by police who handed them documents that formed the basis of the charges laid against them.
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is deeply saddened by and aghast at today’s turnout of events. To say that the two reporters’ consequent conviction and seven-year sentence was a dark day for press freedom would be an understatement. The denial of their appeal is an appalling reaffirmation of Myanmar’s rejection of genuine democracy and sends an unmistakable signal that press freedom is in great peril in a country, once a pariah state, that had held out hope that it was making great strides toward democratic reform.
SEAPA appeals to the Myanmar government to reverse the conviction of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. It’s time to deliver on its promised reform, an essential component of which is upholding and protecting press freedom and freedom of expression.
Media should not be punished – jailed or killed – for reporting the truth. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo do not deserve to languish in prison for doing their job...''
Source/publisher:
Southeast Asian Press Alliance via Progressive Voice
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
English
more
Description:
“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were convicted on trumped-up charges. The massacre that they were investigating at the time of their arrest has been admitted to by the Myanmar military, and a senior police officer testified in court that the two journalists were set up by the police. That officer was subsequently jailed but is awaiting release.
“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have spent more than a year in prison since their arrest in December 2017, separated from their family and their young children.
“One day in prison was already an injustice. This appalling farce must end now. Myanmar authorities must release the two journalists immediately and unconditionally. They must also ensure that the people of Myanmar have the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, including by repealing or amending the oppressive laws that are used against journalists, activists and human rights defenders.”
Source/publisher:
Amnesty International
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
''A court in Myanmar has rejected an appeal by two reporters of the Reuters news agency, sentenced to seven years in jail for breaking the country's Official Secrets Act, in a case that rallied press freedom advocates.
Lawyers for Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, had filed the appeal in November against their conviction, citing evidence of a police set-up and lack of proof of a crime. The appeal argued that the original trial was conducted in an "unjust manner" and had called for the reporters' immediate release.
But High Court judge Aung Naing on Friday said the lawyers failed to submit enough evidence to prove the pair's innocence. He said "it was not acceptable" to say that the defendants had acted according to journalistic ethics...''
Source/publisher:
Aljazeera
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Thu Thu Aung, Poppy McPherson
Source/publisher:
Reuters
Date of publication:
2019-01-15
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
''Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in September in a case condemned around the world.
They exposed the summary execution of 10 Muslim Rohingyas by the security forces during the military's anti-Rohingya operation in 2017.
But the judge called their terms "suitable punishment" and said the defence had not proved their innocence.
Both were arrested carrying official documents handed to them by police officers. They maintain their innocence, saying the authorities set them up.
When arrested the two were investigating a mass execution of Rohingyas, hundreds of thousands of whom have been forced to flee destruction and persecution in the northern Rakhine province of Myanmar (also called Burma)...''
Source/publisher:
BBC News
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against Muslims in Burma/Myanmar, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
''Two Reuters journalists in Myanmar lost their appeal Friday against their conviction and seven-year jail sentences.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in December 2017 for violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act.
The judge who upheld the conviction said the journalists' lawyers did not provide sufficient evidence to prove their innocence. "It was a suitable punishment," High Court Judge Aung Naing said of the sentence.
The men say they were arrested in a setup by police intended to inhibit reporting on a massacre of Rohingya, a minority Muslim group...''
Source/publisher:
VOA
Date of publication:
2019-01-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-01-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
''It’s been one year since Myanmar police arrested Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo on December 12, 2017. Over the past year, Myanmar’s increasingly restricted state of press freedom has been laid bare for the world to see.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been imprisoned since their arrest while investigating a massacre by the military in the village of Inn Din in Rakhine State. On September 30, a court convicted them of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act and sentenced both to seven years in prison.
Their conviction in the face of strong evidence that the police handed them documents as part of a plan to trap and arrest them has sent a chill through the Myanmar media. “After the Reuters journalists were arrested, most journalists were asking ‘Who will be the next victim?’” said a local journalist. “We are always asking ourselves, ‘What if we print that story? Will there be a problem for us?’” Reporting on abuses by the military and Rohingya Muslims is considered particularly risky...''
Linda Lakhdhir
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2018-12-12
Date of entry/update:
2018-12-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Human rights policies of various actors in Burma/Myanmar, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
"On 12 December 2017, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on suspicion of violating the 1923 Official Secrets Act almost immediately after meeting police officers at a restaurant in Yangon and being handed documents allegedly linked to security operations in Rakhine State. One of the witnesses for the prosecution, a senior policeman, admitted in court that a senior officer had ordered his subordinates to ?trap” the journalists by handing them the classified documents. He was subsequently sentenced to a one-year prison term for violating police discipline. At the time of their arrest, the two had been working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys in September 2017 during military ?clearance operations? in Inn Din Village, Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State..."
Source/publisher:
Altsean-Burma, FIDH
Date of publication:
2018-09-03
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
33.84 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"In March 2018, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, expressed concern that the peace process was ?losing its momentum.” Ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) stated this was largely due to a lack of trust in the Tatmadaw - the Burmese military - who continue to impede peace talks, flout provisions of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), commit human rights abuses, and violate international law.1 Meanwhile, the government?s attacks on press freedom and human rights defenders who document these abuses ? see Attacks on the media section below ? ensures that a culture of impunity can continue to flourish.
The establishment of genuine justice mechanisms to achieve accountability for past and ongoing crimes against ethnic minorities, as well as security sector and constitutional reforms to prevent recurrence, are critical to achieving durable peace in Myanmar. Until then, the Tatmadaw will remain the single largest impediment to peace in Burma, and serious rights violations, atrocity crimes and conflict will continue..."
Source/publisher:
Altsean-Burma, FIDH, "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication:
2018-10-18
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
146.81 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"The Burmese government has consistently refused to cooperate
with independent and impartial investigations into atrocity
crimes in Rakhine State. More significantly, it has refused to
recognize these crimes and rejected measures to secure justice
and accountability at the domestic level ? including steps to
halt and prevent the recurrence of such crimes. In doing so, it
has dismissed evidence of crimes, including allegations of rape
and murder, as ?fake news”, participated in the destruction of
evidence, and justified crimes by categorizing unarmed
civilians as ?terrorists”.
Since the first wave of anti-Rohingya/anti-Muslim violence hit
Rakhine State in 2012, the government has overseen eight
investigations, most recently the Commission of Enquiry
(CoE) initiated by State Counsellor (SC) Aung San Suu Kyi in
August 2018. All investigations largely concluded that state
forces had not committed crimes or denied that crimes had
taken place at all..."
Source/publisher:
Altsean-Burma, FIDH, "Progressive Voice"
Date of publication:
2018-10-18
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
276.31 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"In addition to ongoing oppressive conditions in Arakan
State, the Tatmadaw continues to act with impunity in
Kachin and Shan states where crimes against ethnic
nationality civilians go unpunished. In recent months
serious crimes perpetrated by the military include:
Rohingya in Arakan State: Living under lockdown
In August, following a visit to Arakan State, a Bangladeshi
official delegation revealed the ongoing oppressive
conditions the Rohingya are enduring in Burma. ?The
houses of the Muslims were under barricade. The
commercial establishments of the Muslims were completely
shut. There is no livelihood opportunity for them,” said
Habibul Kabir Chowdhury. Another official speaking under
condition of anonymity said: ?People inside the houses have
practically been under house arrest?none of the residents is
allowed to go out or nobody is permitted to enter the
houses. Aid agencies have been providing food to the
people inside the houses.” While a third anonymous official
said he ?saw mosques burned while the pagodas of the
Buddhists were intact,” and that he saw no sustainable
livelihood opportunities for returning Rohingya in
Maungdaw or Buthidaung..."
Source/publisher:
Altsean-Burma
Date of publication:
2018-08-23
Date of entry/update:
2018-10-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
331.65 KB
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Description:
Status: Not Free..."Introduction:
"Higher rates of internet access and digital advocacy improved internet freedom, though the year also saw the highest number of prosecutions documented since liberalization began in 2011.1
Myanmar went through its second phase of political transition, shifting power from the military-backed government to the National League for Democracy (NLD) party chaired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in April 2016.2 Troublingly, internet users were tentative in their discussion about the new government, and continued to practice self-censorship after the November elections, fearing harassment and censure from the still-powerful military, and even supporters of the democratically elected leadership.
The unprecedented political dynamism of the general elections in November 2015 was marred by intimidation of internet users by supporters on both sides of the political divide. With the new NLD administration sworn in on March 30, 2016, rights groups expect reform. Dozens of political prisoners were pardoned and released in April.3 Another early step was to streamline bureaucracy with the creation of a new Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The government of former military leader President Thein Sein officially ended media censorship in 2012. Norway?s Telenor Group established the country?s first independent connection to the international internet, and Qatar?s Ooredoo launched mobile phone service across large parts of the country in 2014. The government passed a Telecommunications Law to facilitate this opening of the market.4 However, it was the basis of several arrests for online speech in 2015 and 2016. And the outgoing communications ministry issued its last mobile telecommunication operator license to a newly-formed consortium in a move that observers said advantaged the military?s financial interests.
Online mobilization was particularly dynamic. All major political parties engaged on social media, which was an influential platform in major cities, and internet usage nationwide was 12 percent higher than usual on election day, according to one report.5However, intolerance is also rampant online, aggravated by discriminatory policies against ethnic minorities like the Muslim Rohingya,6 who are denied citizenship under Myanmar?s laws. Religious nationalist movements negatively influenced public discourse on the internet, especially in the run-up to the elections and immediately after the new government took office. In a new development, some NLD supporters are showing intolerance for criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi..."
Source/publisher:
Freedom House
Date of publication:
2016-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2016-11-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Summary:
"While the country is more open than
before, the people?s rights are being
neglected. They can arrest you at any time under these laws. There is no
guarantee.
?Pang Long, attorney, Rangoon, January 2016
The past five years have been a time of liberalization and change in Burma. The abolition
of prior censorship and a loosening of licensing requirements has led to a vibrant press,
and the shift from formal military rule has emboldened civil society.
The change has not been without conflict, however, and, under President Thein Sein, those
who embraced the new freedoms to vocally criticize the government or military too often
found themselves arrested and in prison. The
backlash against critics was facilitated by a
range of overly broad and vaguely worded laws
that violate internationally protected rights
to expression and peaceful assembly, some dating from the British colonial era, some
enacted under successive military juntas, and others the products of reform efforts, or
ostensible reform efforts, by the Thein Sein government.
This report examines how Burmese governments have used and abused these laws and
the ways in which the laws themselves fall far short of international standards. It sets forth
a series of concrete recommendations to the new Burmese government, led by Aung San
Suu Kyi?s National League for Democracy (NLD), aimed at dismantling the inherited legal
infrastructure of repression..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2016-06-29
Date of entry/update:
2016-06-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar laws which have been used in political cases and are in need of amendment (commentary), Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to opinion and expression (commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to association and assembly (commentaries)
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
more
Description:
"Well-known Burmese blogger and activist Nay Phone Latt launched the Panzagar (flower speech) campaign last week, which aims to oppose hate speech, a practice of attacking a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Inter-communal violence has rocked Burma since 2012, giving rise to virulently anti-Muslim rhetoric among some Facebook users. Hate speech has been used online to increase pressure on international humanitarian groups, such as Médicine Sans Frontièrs, that provide aid to the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority. The nationalist 969 movement of Buddhist monk U Wirathu has been accused of spreading hate speech against Muslims.
Nay Phone Latt became a well-known free speech advocate in Burma after he was arrested for online activism in 2007 and sentenced to 20 years under the Electronic Transactions Law. He was released as part of a mass amnesty in January 2012. He is the current executive director of Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO) which provides local ICT training in rural areas. This week, he spoke to The Irrawaddy about his new campaign."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Nay Phone Latt: Former political prisoner and blogger, MIDO founder, PEN Myanmar secretary and campaigner against hate speech
Former political prisoner Nay Phone Latt, 34, is the secretary of PEN Myanmar and executive director of the advocacy group, Myanmar ICT Development Organization (MIDO), which he founded in February 2012. In April he launched the anti-hate speech movement panzagar (?flower speech”), which has campaigned on social media and in public using street theatre. He spoke to Mizzima Business Weekly?s Jessica Mudditt about his passion for information and communications technology and his efforts to create a more tolerant society."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of publication:
2014-09-21
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Description:
"The student movement has historically played a central role in the pro-democracy struggle in Burma. Sithu Maung, a 27-year-old university student is one of the many who have paid a heavy price for their involvement in the movement. Sithu Maung was arrested in 2007 for re-founding the outlawed All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), and for his role in leading the 2007 Saffron Revolution. In September 2007, Sithu Maung participated in the peaceful demonstrations with monks and other protestors, demanding to be allowed to form student unions and calling for democracy. Sithu Maung witnessed his fellow students being shot by the military, and although he escaped the crackdown, authorities soon found him. Sithu Maung was sentenced to 11 years in prison. After his release in the 2012 amnesty for political prisoners, Sithu Maung continued his political activities and founded the Confederation of University Students? Unions (CUSU), which has played an active role in the recent negotiations for democratic education and in promoting the students? rights in Burma. Sithu Maung applied to the NLD (National League for Democracy) to be a candidate in the upcoming 2015 general election, but his application, along with all Muslim candidates, was rejected. Sithu Maung now dreams of preparing himself to become a member of parliament one day and advocating for minority rights and dignity."
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of publication:
2015-10-02
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Muslims in Burma, Political prisoners and other violations in Burma - reports, Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
"n 1996, Chit Min Lay was a young university student full of dreams, wishing to become a literature man and a poet. He was about to finish his four-year degree at the University of Rangoon when the young student became interested in politics and activism. At 22 years of age, he was among the youngest to participate in the student demonstrations in December 1996, the biggest since the countrywide 8888 uprising, when thousands had been killed in a brutal military crackdown. In the 1996 demonstrations nearly a decade later, Chit Min Lay and hundreds of others were beaten and arrested by the police, taken to a Burmese army camp, and intimidated before their release. After another student demonstration a few days later, authorities closed all the universities ? Chit Min Lay and his fellow students went underground, and planned the next large scale demonstrations for August and September 1998. This time, Chit Min Lay was not released. He was sentenced for 31 years in prison."...
See the Alternate link for part 2
Source/publisher:
Burma Link
Date of publication:
2015-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2016-03-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Political prisoners and other violations in Burma - reports, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Introduction...
Hate Speech in Myanmar: Historical Context...
Research Methodology...
Key Findings on Social Media...
Key Findings on Print Media...
Key Findings on Songs and Movies...
Recommendations.
Source/publisher:
PEN Myanmar
Date of publication:
2016-01-05
Date of entry/update:
2016-01-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf pdf
Size:
3.9 MB 307.75 KB 5.99 MB
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Description:
နိဒါနး့ 3-7
ျမနးမာျပညးရွိအမုနး့စကာ့မ်ာ့- သမိုငး့ကြောငး့နောကးခဵ 7-9
သုတေသနနညး့လမး့ 10-12
လူမွု မီဒီယာတငြး အဓိကတြေ့ရွိခ်ကးမ်ာ့ 12-48
စာနယးဇငး့ မီဒီယာမ်ာ့တငြး အဓိကတြေ့ရွိခ်ကးမ်ာ့ 42-76
ရုပးရွငးမ်ာ့နွငးံ သီခ်ငး့မ်ာ့တငြး အဓိကတြေ့ရွိခ်ကးမ်ာ့ 76-85
အကြဵျပုခ်ကးမ်ာ့
Source/publisher:
PEN Myanmar
Date of publication:
2016-01-05
Date of entry/update:
2016-01-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
3.86 MB 5.89 MB
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Description:
"Unfinished Freedom: A Blueprint for the Future of Free Expression in Myanmar" surveys the rocky landscape for media and public discourse since the ruling military junta lifted the curtain on the southeast Asian nation in 2012 after five decades of isolation from the modern world. The report finds that, while the elimination of Myanmar?s notorious system of blanket pre-publication censorship has led many to believe that free expression constraints are a thing of the past, a series of weak protections, restrictive laws, and intrusive bureaucratic structures continue to chill expression and threaten the people of Myanmar?s newfound and fragile freedom.
As Aung San Suu Kyi?s National League for Democracy (NLD) prepares to take office with a strong majority next year, it must prioritize concrete steps to safeguard free expression as a fortifying pillar of Myanmar?s nascent democracy. Unfinished Freedom provides a road map for the new government to solidify protections, counter hate speech, and guarantee political space for peaceful dissent as a healthy component of any free society."
Source/publisher:
PEN America
Date of publication:
2015-12-02
Date of entry/update:
2015-12-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.06 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"...Internet freedom in Myanmar declined during the coverage period of this report in comparison with
the progress made since the country undertook liberalization in 2011.
The government and security
forces stepped up intimidation of internet users during social protests, intensifying conflict in ethnic
minority regions, and during preparation for the 2015 national elections..."
Source/publisher:
Freedom House
Date of publication:
2015-10-24
Date of entry/update:
2015-11-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Media - control of media in Burma, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
359.45 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Abstract: "The
genre
copy
thachin
or
?copy
song”
pervades
the
popular
mu
sic
scene
in
Myanmar.
These
songs
are
akin
to
cover
versions
of
existing
international
hits,
but
with
new
lyrics
in
the
Burmese
language,
and
performed
by
Burmese
musicians.
These
songs
can
have
incredible
genre-‐crossing
capabilities,
from
blues
to
rap,
heavy
metal
to
salsa.
The
current
situation
for
popular
music
production
in
Myanmar,
as
elsewhere,
is
connected
with
the
country?s
history
of
military
rule
and
years
of
censorship
and
economic
difficulties.
Advocates
for
the
genre
of
copy
thachin
argue
that
borrowing
international
songs
allowed
local
artists
to
learn
about
global
popular
music,
and
the
numerous
popular
musicians
and
songwriters
in
Myanmar
are
testament
to
this.
On
the
other
hand,
with
the
removal
of
the
stringent
censorship
regime
and
the
increasing
contact
with
international
consumer
culture,
groups
of
Myanmar
music
fans
are
increasingly
critical
of
copy
thachin,
seeing
the
practice
as
derivative
and
an
embarrassment.
This
article
will
explore
the
history
of
the
genre,
notions
of
authenticity,
and
dis
cuss
Myanmar?s
changing
relationship
with
the
symbolic
capital
of
its
own
culture
industry
and
its
relationship
with
international
popular
culture.".....Paper delivered at the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015.
Jane M Ferguson
Source/publisher:
International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-26 July 2015
Date of publication:
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update:
2015-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Music and musical instuments, Performance Art, Arts - general, The Art of Burma -- General studies, Multimedia, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) 23-26 July, 2015
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
788.13 KB
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Description:
"A new report published on 30 June 2015 finds that those women in Myanmar who speak out face harsher censorship and backlash from more sources than men.
?While censorship is already widespread in Myanmar, it is often worse for women as they not only face state barriers, but also cultural and social ones too., Many of these barriers remain either hidden or regarded as so normal that few think about them,” said Ye Htun Naung, ARTICLE 19 Myanmar Programme Manager.
?We found that broadcasters overwhelmingly stereotype Myanmar women as either mothers or weak, vulnerable and vain. We found that the information women need on sexual and reproductive health is denied to them because of ?culture?. We found that women?s voices are almost entirely absent from politics. We found that the so-called ?protectors? of women are often in fact perpetrators, and ?protection? is often actually the control of their voices,” Ye Htun Naung added. .."
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2015-06-30
Date of entry/update:
2015-07-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Burma, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Executive summary:
"Women in Myanmar have inspired political leadership, reported fearlessly on current events
and played a leading role in civil society. As a result, however, they have faced a multitude
of legal and policy restrictions and arbitrary punishments.
Women experience these restrictions, punishments and their effects differently to men. For
men, these restrictions and punishments tend to come from the government, whereas for
women they are reinforced and exacerbated by society in the form of gender-based
discrimination and gender-based violence. As a result, women and other gender-minorities
often experience restrictions and punishments more acutely than men.
This report sets out to answer several initial questions. How does the right to freedom of
expression and information apply to women in Myanmar? How are women represented in the
media? What information necessary for women is not easily available? Why are women?s
voices not heard at the highest levels of decision making? What gender-based violence do
women experience as a result of what they say?
It comes to a number of conclusions, including:
• Women journalists generally have more junior or gender-related roles than men.
• Women journalists have no gender-based support or voice within the media sector.
• Women journalists are ?protected? rather than empowered.
• Gender-based stereotyping is rife across the media, particularly in broadcasting.
• The government does not prioritise the provision of access to information for women.
• Women?s access to gender-specific information is hindered by cultural barriers.
• Women?s voices are excluded from decision making.
• Women included in decision making are selectively chosen by government.
• Women?s gender and sexual identity are used to exclude them from civic space.
• Women in Myanmar experience expression-related violence and its effects differently.
• The current remedies and protective measures that exist to protect women from
violence actually make it worse.
Understanding these issues has led to the following targeted recommendations. Most of
them would benefit not only women but other people in Myanmar, too. In addition, some of
them are already part of Myanmar?s little known National Strategic Plan for the
Advancement of Women adopted by the government in 2013..."
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2015-06-30
Date of entry/update:
2015-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format :
pdf
Size:
466.08 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"This short briefing explores the current context in which media workers are hampered in their professional activities and presents individual illustrative cases. In its recommendations to the Myanmar authorities and the international community, it underlines the need for the government to respect the right to freedom of expression and to ensure that all journalists are able to carry out their work free from intimidation, harassment and the threat of arrest..."... "Myanmar?s media landscape has seen a radical change since the country embarked on a
series of important political, economic and social reforms, announced by President Thein
Sein in March 2011. The lifting of pre-publication censorship, the release of imprisoned
journalists and greater space for freedom of expression have seen the development of an
increasingly vibrant and diverse media. These media reforms have been lauded by many in
the international community, who are keen to point to increased media freedoms as one of
the hallmarks ? and successes ? of Myanmar?s reform process. However, the story does not end there. Despite the media reforms, journalists and other
media workers in Myanmar face ongoing restrictions in carrying out their work. As these
critics become more vocal and the authorities feel more threatened, they have increasingly
resorted to tried and tested tactics to stifle dissent. In particular, those deemed critical of the government and the Myanmar Army or who report on subjects which the government or army
consider sensitive can face intimidation, harassment and at times arrest, detention,
prosecution and even imprisonment..."
Source/publisher:
Amnesty International (ASA 16/1743/2015)
Date of publication:
2015-06-16
Date of entry/update:
2015-06-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.04 MB
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Description:
"As the election looms for later this year, incidents in 2014 and in early 2015 involving the press raises serious questions on the genuineness of media freedom in Burma. The situation is alarming as the state seems to have heaped all the faults and fines on the media in the past year, which has seen a media worker being killed in October on the pretext of national security. International assistance has poured into the country to develop the media aimed at lifting and sustaining the state of media freedom. However, a viable press freedom environment seems unlikely to materialise in Burma before the end of this administration.
The media in Burma has been targeted for reporting on issues that have become irritants for the government. Departing from an earlier commitment to free the press, it appears lately that authorities are getting nervous about news reporting that may derail the outcome of their road map to democracy......The most palpable indication of reversals on media freedom in the country is the use of criminal laws to prosecute journalists doing their work. Legal threats against the media have spiraled upwards, and are being used by state authorities to put down growing criticism among the media...."
Source/publisher:
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
Date of publication:
2015-05-04
Date of entry/update:
2015-05-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Par Gyi, a 49-year-old freelance journalist, and former bodyguard of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, travelled to Kyaikmayaw town, Mon State, to reporting on recent conflicts between the Burmese army and Kayan rebels in the area. In end September 2014, he disappeared.
In time, other journalists in the area, discovered that Par Gyi had been arrested on 30 September 2014 by a group of military personnel, headed by Captain San Min Aung, of the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 208, which is based in the area from where the victim disappeared. The military claimed that Par Gyi had been arrested because he had been suspected to be an affiliate of Klohtoobaw Karen Organisation (KKO), part of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA).
On 19 October 2014, Par Gyi?s wife, Than Dar, along with four other people, went to LIB 208 to enquire about her husband. The group met with Captain San Min Aung. The Captain said that when the military arrested Par Gyi, Minister of Border Affairs was also present. However, the Captain stated that he had no idea about the whereabouts of Par Gyi.
Than Dar?s group contacted the Minister by telephone. But, the Minister only suggested that they contact the Army?s South Eastern Command for information. The group did just that. They requested permission to meet Staff Officer Grade 1 in the Army?s South Eastern Command. And, they were given an appointment for 20 October 2014 at 8 a.m.
However, when they returned to the area on the 20th, the Staff Officer was unable to meet with them..."
Source/publisher:
Asian Human Rights Commission
Date of publication:
2014-10-30
Date of entry/update:
2015-04-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Disappearences: reports of violations in Burma, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...News is a big part of the average Myanmar citizen?s daily life. Over 300 newspapers and journals feed the country?s seemingly insatiable appetite for news. Yet despite recent progress in press
freedoms, the country?s media landscape remains delicate, with previous reforms now dangling by a thread.
In July, the jailing on national security charges of five Unity Journal journalists, including the paper?s chief executive, sparked an international uproar. They each received a hefty 10-year sentence for violating the 1923 State Secrets Act for publishing a report exposing an alleged secret chemical weapons factory.
Fifty local journalists who protested their incarceration have since faced freedom of assembly-related charges. This followed the very public deportation of an Australian journalist working for the once exiled anti-government Democratic Voice of Burma.
A group of journalists at the Bi Mon Te Nay news journal are being held in pre-trial detention and face criminal charges that carry potential prison terms for publishing an activist group statement that said opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had formed an interim government. They were initially charged with violating the more severe 1950 Emergency Act..."
Elliot Brennan
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times Online"
Date of publication:
2014-08-18
Date of entry/update:
2014-08-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...On 10 July 2014, four Journalists and a Chief Executive Director of Unity weekly news journal were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour under Section 3(1)(a) the ?Burma Official Secrets Act 1923? because of article on an army own factory. The Asian Human Rights Commission has already issued an urgent appeal on this case (AHRC-UAC-066-2014). As the responsible officer of the factory said, in court, that the factory is not a chemical weapon factory, there is no evidence that the accused sent documents to other powerful country and there is no signboard or any gazette order which shows the place is prohibited, it is obvious that the journalists committed no crime under the law under which they were charged..."
Source/publisher:
Asian Human Rights Commission
Date of publication:
2014-00-21
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Police in Rangoon say they are planning to visit newspaper offices to confirm the identities of about 50 journalists who are accused of staging an unauthorized protest against President Thein Sein.
On Saturday, journalists taped over their mouths outside a meeting at the Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon attended by the president to register their opposition to the sentencing of five newspaper staffers last week. Four reporters and the CEO of the Unity journal were given 10 years with hard labor after the President?s Office sued them for reporting allegations that a military facility in Magwe Division is being used to manufacture chemical weapons.
After Saturday?s demonstration, police said the journalists named on a list of those present would be charged with Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Law, which requires prior permission for public gatherings. The list includes numerous reporters who were only there to cover the event..."
May Sitt Paing
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2014-07-15
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Journalists and media and human rights organisations in Myanmar and abroad have reacted with shock and dismay to the 10 years? jail with hard labour sentences handed down in the Unity journal case.
A court in Magway Region imposed the sentence on the weekly publication?s chief executive officer and four reporters on July 10, 2014 over a report the journal carried in January that a military-run factory was producing chemical weapons, a claim denied by the government..."
Source/publisher:
Mizzima News, Freedom House, WAN-IFRA, Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Aung San Suu Kyi, Amnesty International via IFEX
Date of publication:
2014-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that four journalists who wrote an investigative article about an army facility in Burma have been sentenced to ten years in jail, along with their editor. The conviction is clearly intended to intimidate the print media in Burma, or Myanmar, at a time that the country is supposedly democratizing..."
Source/publisher:
Asian Human Rights Commission (Urgent Appeals Programme)
Date of publication:
2014-07-14
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Today?s news that journalists from Unity Journal have been sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor on charges related to a report alleging the existence of a government chemical weapons factory is a sad reminder that press freedom in Burma is still far from assured..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication:
2014-07-10
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The Art of Transition Symposium took place in Yangon on March 30th – 31st 2013. It was the first public discussion of artist freedom of expression in Burma, looking in particular at the impact of the wave of political reforms, which started at the end of 2011, on artistic freedom of expression. Here is a short film directed by artist Htein Lin, who also was artistic advisor to the symposium with comedian and director Zarganar. The film reports briefly on the Symposium, and gives a snapshot of some of the performances and exhibitions that have taken place in Yangon during the year since the symposium. The Symposium was co-produced by HOME – Zarganar?s new company HOME (which stands for House of Media and Entertainment) and Index on Censorship. The Burmese team was led by journalist and former political prisoner Zaw Thet Htwe..."
Source/publisher:
Index on Censorship, Zargana, Htein Lin et al.
Date of publication:
2013-03-30
Date of entry/update:
2014-07-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
more
Description:
"Reporters seeking information from government ministries know that the task is fraught with ?ifs?. If they can find a phone number and if the phone call goes through and if someone does answer and if it is indeed the correct person, chances are they will get a gruff brush-off. All the ministries in Nay Pyi Taw have official spokespersons, as part of changes to improve transparency and media relations initiated by President U Thein Sein, but few, if any, actually speak to the press. Deputy Minister for Information U Ye Htut says attempts to encourage these spokespersons to engage with the media have largely failed due to a continued wariness of the press and a lack of access to high-level discussions."
Tim McLaughlin
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of publication:
2014-06-02
Date of entry/update:
2014-06-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.....The media landscape in Burma is more open than ever, as President Thein Sein releases imprisoned journalists and
abolishes the former censorship regime. But many threats and obstacles to truly unfettered reporting remain,
including restrictive laws held over from the previous military regime. The wider government?s commitment to a more
open reporting environment is in doubt..."
Shawn W. Crispin
Source/publisher:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Date of publication:
2013-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2014-02-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.7 MB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"The recent and relative opening of the Burmese regime has resulted in information being more freely circulated on the Internet, despite continued close monitoring. The international community and Burmese human rights activists need to remain vigilant and keep striving for more freedom. One priority is to reform the liberticidal legislative framework. While much progress is still needed, the reforms already underway would be difficult to reverse.
The Thein Sein era is off to a troubling start for Internet freedoms..." Updates to 23 December 2013 can be foundat the foot of the report
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders
Date of publication:
2012-03-12
Date of entry/update:
2014-01-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Introduction:
"Burma is at a crossroads. The period of transition since 2010 has opened up the space for freedom
of expression to an extent unpredicted by even the most optimistic in the country. Yet this space
is highly contingent on a number of volatile factors: the goodwill of the current President and his
associates in Parliament, the ability of Aung San Suu Kyi to assure the military that her potential
ascendency is not a threat to their economic interests and the on-going civil conflicts not flaring into
civil war. The restrictive apparatus of the former military state is still available for the government to
use to curtail freedom of expression – the most draconian laws are still on the statute book affecting
the media, the digital sphere and the arts; police and local authorities have significant discretion
when it comes to approving speech and performance, and the judiciary has a limited institutional
understanding of freedom of expression. In effect, the old state remains in the shadows – or as one
journalist told Index: ?the generals have only changed their suits?.
Yet Burma has changed. The country is freer than it was during Index?s mission in 2009, when
meetings were held in secret.
1
In March this year, Index co-produced a symposium on artistic
freedom of expression with local partners, the first public conversation of its kind in recent history
.
The abolition of pre-censorship of newspapers and literature, the return of daily newspapers, the
release of political prisoners and the open space given to political debate all signal real change.
The question for the government and the opposition is: will the transition be sustained with legal
and political reform to reinforce the space for freedom of expression and to dismantle the old state
apparatus that continues to pose a threat to freedom of expression?
This paper is divided into the following chapters: Burmese politics and society; media freedom;
artistic freedom of expression and digital freedom of expression. The report is based on research
conducted in the UK and 20 interviews (with individuals and groups) in March 2013 conducted in
Mandalay and Yangon. Due to the ongoing possibility of future prosecutions, the interviewees have
been kept anonymous.
Politics and society looks at the role of the President, United Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP), Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the student
movement and freedom of expression, ethnic conflict and the constitution and the need for reform,
freedom of association and freedom of assembly.
The media freedom chapter looks at the press council, existing impediments to media freedom,
the state of media plurality and self-censorship in the press. The artistic freedom of expression
chapter covers theatre and performance art, literature, music and film. Finally
, the digital freedom
of expression chapter looks at access issues, the impact of new technologies and state censorship
on the digital sphere. The report is based on a series of interviews conducted in Rangoon and
Mandalay in March 2013, with additional interviews conducted in April 2013 in the same cities."
Mike Harris
Source/publisher:
Index on Censorship
Date of publication:
2013-07-00
Date of entry/update:
2013-08-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Multimedia, Performance Art
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.12 MB
more
Description:
"The media landscape in Burma is more open than ever, as President Thein Sein releases imprisoned journalists and abolishes the former censorship regime. But many threats and obstacles to truly unfettered reporting remain, including restrictive laws held over from the previous military regime. The wider government?s commitment to a more open reporting environment is in doubt. A CPJ special report by Shawn W. Crispin..."
Shawn W. Crispin
Source/publisher:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Date of publication:
2013-06-13
Date of entry/update:
2013-06-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.7 MB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"In January 2013, the Burmese government announced plans to liberalize the country?s
telecommunications sector and invited bids for two nationwide telecommunications
licenses. Successful bidders will be allowed to provide a range of services, including mobile
and Internet services. The Burmese government has promised to significantly reduce the
cost of mobile phones and has set an ambitious goal of 50 percent mobile penetration by
2016, a remarkable increase from current penetration estimated at 5-10 percent.
Human Rights Watch has long believed that Internet and mobile technologies have an
enormous potential to advance human rights. Developing Burma?s information and
communications technology (ICT) and telecommunications sectors could enhance
economic growth and civic participation in a country that has been closed for decades.
Email, social media, and cell phones have become essential tools for journalists, human
rights defenders, and civil society groups worldwide because these technologies support
instant communication, access to information, and effective organization on the ground.
However, these benefits may be jeopardized unless governments and corporations
safeguard the ability of people to use new technologies freely and without fear of reprisal.
Improved telecommunications networks can become powerful tools for censorship and
illegal surveillance, absent protections for human rights and other critical measures.
Yet Burma?s democratic reforms remain incomplete and the government and its security
forces continue to commit serious human rights violations. Companies entering Burma face a significant risk of contributing to abuses, particularly in sectors, such as
telecommunications and the Internet, that have been linked with past abuses and where
rights-based reforms to date have been inadequate. Opening up these sectors to
international investment raises the risk that the government may seek to involve
technology companies in illegal surveillance, censorship, and other abuses.
In this report, Human Rights Watch has outlined several steps necessary to promote
adequate human rights protections for Internet and mobile phone users in Burma, and the
actions needed to foster responsible investment in Burma?s telecommunications and
Internet sectors. Telecommunications and ICT companies should not move forward in
Burma until such measures are in place, in view of the human rights risks. The analysis
and recommendations contained in this report are based on research conducted from
February to April 2013. The report?s analysis focuses on laws most relevant to Burma?s
telecommunications and ICT sectors, and does not provide a comprehensive treatment of
Burma?s laws, legal system or constitution...To respect the rights of the people of Burma, international telecommunications and ICT
companies should take meaningful steps at the outset to assess the human rights impact
and address any harm that may result from their operations. They should conduct what is
often referred to as ?human rights due diligence? and adopt robust safeguards to prevent
and address abuses, including with respect to the rights to freedom of expression, access
to information, and privacy..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2013-05-19
Date of entry/update:
2013-05-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Media - control of media in Burma, Business and Human Rights (Burma/Myanmar-related), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
294.78 KB
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Description:
(CNN) -- "It was "censorship day," the 20th of the month, the day Nyein Nyein Naing, executive director of Myanmar?s Seven Days News Journal, takes her stories to a government office for pre-publication scrutiny.
Normally, a report on refugees fleeing from the conflict-ravaged Kachin state would not be accepted. Its distribution would most likely result in jail time for the author and suspension of the journal.
But August 20 was a new day for Myanmar, the day the government rescinded repressive media censorship laws that had hindered and intimidated the country?s journalists for decades. Still, Naing had her concerns..."
Michelle Cohan
Source/publisher:
CNN
Date of publication:
2012-11-21
Date of entry/update:
2012-11-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"SEAPA initiated two ?town hall meetings? in Myanmar—one in Yangon on 23-24 September and one in Mandalay on 26 September—with the aim providing support for the media community to empower themselves in lobbying for a free media legal environment in Burma. These activities were organized within the context of the considerable expansion of press freedom in the country, including the end of pre-publication censorship, and the announcement of the drafting of a new press/media law.
The following document summarises the recommendations and inputs from the two Town Hall Meetings organized in Yangon and Mandalay and attended by 90 working journalists, discussing issues related to media law, self-regulation of the media and professional capacities of journalists.
Source/publisher:
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
Date of publication:
2012-11-08
Date of entry/update:
2012-11-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Note: For the latest OpenNet Initiative testing results please see the 2012 Update on Information Controls in Burma. The following country profile reports 2011 findings, which do not reflect current events in the country. A previous version of this profile is available at Burma, 2010 and Burma, 2006-2007.
Burma?s ruling military junta is attempting to expand Internet access in the country while maintaining a restrictive system of control. Although less than only 1 percent of the population has access to the Internet, the government maintains a tight grip over online content, and—as demonstrated by the shutdown of Internet access during the 2007 ?Saffron Revolution?—is willing to take drastic action to control the flow of information. Internet filtering in Burma is pervasive and extensively targets political and social content. Strict laws and regulations, along with surveillance, prohibit Internet users from freely accessing the Internet. Cyber attacks on the Web sites of opposition groups and media are frequent and typically occur on the anniversaries of significant political events, or during critical moments such as the 2010 election.
Source/publisher:
OpenNet Initiative
Date of publication:
2011-08-02
Date of entry/update:
2012-11-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Posted in Arrests and legal action, Asia, Burma, Internet tools filtering, Political filtering...
"After years spent as one of the world?s most strictly controlled information environments, the government of Burma (Myanmar) has recently begun to open up access to previously censored online content. Independent and foreign news sites, oppositional political content, and sites with content relating to human rights and political reform -- all previously blocked -- have recently become accessible. These developments have occurred as part of a broader process of political and economic liberalization currently underway in this historically strict authoritarian state.
This brief outlines the changes in information controls that have occurred during the past year and reports the results of recent OpenNet Initiative tests for Internet filtering in the country. While significant censorship of a number of types of online content persists in the country, the past year has seen a notable decrease in both the breadth and depth of filtered content..."
Irene Poetranto
Source/publisher:
OpenNet Initiative
Date of publication:
2012-10-23
Date of entry/update:
2012-11-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Executive Summary and Recommendations: In July 2012, "ARTICLE 19 analysed the Decree on the Right to Peaceful Assembly and
Peaceful Procession of Myanmar, adopted by the Government of the Republic of the Union of
Myanmar on 5 July 2012.
The provisions of the Decree were examined for their compliance with international standards
on human rights. Myanmar has neither signed nor ratified the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights or other principal human rights treaties. Nevertheless, ARTICLE 19
suggests that guarantees to the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, as
provided by Article 364 of the Constitution of Myanmar, allow a wide scope for interpretation
and that international standards regarding these rights should provide guidance to such an
interpretation.
In the analysis, ARTICLE 19 appreciates the Decree?s recognition of the state duty to protect
assembly participants. However, the requirement for permission to hold an assembly, the
grounds for denying permission, the lack of a court appeal and the absence of guarantees for
media access to assemblies are problematic and must be urgently revised. ARTICLE 19 also
calls on the Government of Myanmar ? in consultation with civil society - to review other
legislative measures in light of international standards and to make them compliant with
these standards.
Recommendations
ARTICLE 19 calls on the Government of Myanmar:
• To sign and ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
• To invite the UN special rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association
and the special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression to visit Myanmar;
• To ensure that the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of expression
are safeguarded in line with international standards;
• To revise the Decree on the Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession in
accordance with international standards on freedom of expression and freedom of
assembly, as recommended by ARTICLE 19;
• To initiate public discussion about the current legal framework on peaceful assemblies
and engage in consultation with civil society representatives on how to improve the
relevant legislation.
ARTICLE 19 calls on civil society in Myanmar:
• To engage in public debates and consultation with the government on how to improve
the domestic legislation on peaceful assembly;
• To form coalitions between civil society organisations and launch public education
campaigns on the right to peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of expression;
• To draft legislative proposals and advocate for specific changes in domestic legislation
aiming at the improvement of the protection of the right to peaceful assembly and the
right to freedom of expression;
• To seek partnerships with international organisations in a specific mandate on the
right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly."
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2012-09-20
Date of entry/update:
2012-09-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, violations of, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to association and assembly (commentaries), Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to opinion and expression (commentary)
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
more
Description:
"When it was first introduced in 2008, the new Constitution of the Republic of the Union
of Myanmar was deemed to be a great improvement over the previous constitution. An
important part of this was the more robust guarantees it included for human rights. And
an important part of the latter was its relatively strong guarantees for freedom of
expression.
At the same time, the guarantees for freedom of expression in the 2008 Constitution do
not fully meet international standards in this area. This Analysis outlines the key
attributes of international standards, and indicate how the guarantees of freedom of
expression in the 2008 Constitution fail to meet these standards..."
Source/publisher:
Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD); International Media Support (IMS)
Date of publication:
2012-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2012-09-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to opinion and expression (commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Arrests of Opposition Party Leaders and Candidates... The Ruling Against Aung San Suu Kyi... Restrictions on Freedom of Speech and Assembly... Forced Relocations of Civilians... Restrictions on Freedom of the Press... The Border Conflict... Forced Porterage... Student Refugees in Thailand... U.S. Policy... RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM ASIA WATCH
Source/publisher:
Human Right Watch/ Asia
Date of publication:
1990-03-11
Date of entry/update:
2012-07-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Political prisoners and other violations in Burma - reports, Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
88.87 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"On 28 May 2012, Ma Thida Htwe, a 27-year-old Burmese woman, was raped and killed by a group
of men in the town of Kyaukphyu in the western state of Arakan.
A few days after the murder, photographs of the victim were circulated on Facebook. In early June,
shots of three men named and identified as the perpetrators of the gang rape were also published.
Subsequently, these photos were widely shared on the social network before being published by a
Burmese media organization.
News about the crime circulated on the Web before being published and broadcast by the media.
The speed with which it spread illustrates the growth in Internet freedom in Burma.
From the start, however, details of the religious and ethnic backgrounds of the victim and the
perpetrators have influenced the way this tragic incident has been viewed, with the media
highlighting the fact that the victim was a Buddhist Rakhine and the alleged perpetrators were
Rohingya Muslims. This has had the effect of heightening ethnic tension, turning the Internet into a
virtual battleground.
In this tense atmosphere, a bus carrying 10 passengers identified as Rohingyas was stopped by an
angry crowd in the town of Taungup on 3 June. The occupants were killed and two days later photos
of their bodies were circulated in the public media. Some even branded them as "Kalar", a
pejorative term for Rohingyas and Bengalis living in the west of Burma..."
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders
Date of publication:
2012-06-00
Date of entry/update:
2012-07-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English, Francais, French
more
Description:
"Le 28 mai 2012, Ma Thida Htwe, une jeune birmane de 27 ans, a ?t? viol?e puis tu?e par plusieurs individus dans la ville de Kyaukphyu, dans l?Etat d?Arakan (ouest du pays).
Quelques jours apr?s le meurtre, des photos de la victime circulaient sur Facebook. Dans les premiers jours du mois de juin, des clich?s de trois individus, nomm?s et d?sign?s comme ?tant les auteurs du viol en r?union ont ?galement ?t? publi?es. Ces photos ont par la suite ?t? massivement partag?es sur le r?seau social, avant d??tre reprises par un m?dia birman.
L?information autour de ce crime de droit commun a dans un premier temps circul? sur la toile avant d??tre diffus?e par les m?dias. La rapidit? de circulation de l?information montre l?accroissement de la libert? sur Internet en Birmanie.
Toutefois d?s le d?part, les pr?cisions apport?es sur les origines ethniques et religieuses de la victime et des auteurs du crime ont appos? une grille de lecture biais?e sur ce fait divers dramatique, les m?dias mettant en avant le fait que la victime ?tait Rakhine/bouddhiste et que les auteurs pr?sum?s du viol ?taient quant ? eux Rohingyas/musulmans. Ceci n?a fait qu?exacerb? les tensions ethniques, transformant Internet en un v?ritable "champs de bataille" virtuel.
C?est dans ce climat de tensions que, le 3 juin, un bus transportant dix passagers identifi?s comme "Rohingyas" a ?t? intercept? pr?s de la ville de Taungup par une foule en col?re. Ses occupants on ?t? lynch?s. Deux jours plus tard, les clich?s des corps circulaient dans les m?dias publics. Sur certaines unes, on pouvait m?me lire "Kalar", terme p?joratif d?signant les Rohingyas et les Bengalis vivant dans l?ouest du pays..."
Benjamin Ismaïl
Source/publisher:
Reporters Sans Frontieres
Date of publication:
2012-06-00
Date of entry/update:
2012-07-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Francais, French
more
Description:
"On Thursday, the United States rolled back prohibitions against American companies doing business in Burma. The announcement marked the latest diplomatic reward given to President Thein Sein?s quasi-civilian government for initiating reforms in what has historically been a military-run country. In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the democratic changes initiated so far were "irreversible," but that is a characterization few of the country?s journalists would share.
The government has flip-flopped on media regulations in the past few days, a troubling indicator that there might be no media policy at all in place. First, the official version: The government-owned newspaper and website published by the Ministry of Information, New Light of Myanmar, reported that Information Minister Kyaw Hsan met with several journalists and writers? groups earlier in the week, pledging to "cooperate fully" with all the associations as the ministry drafts a "print media law, gradually but systematically releasing the grip over press in order that journalists can practice in harmony with that law after its ratification." The government has also said it plans to get a new media law through parliament in the coming months. But that doesn?t mean there will be no censorship. After the government forms a press council, publications will be allowed to go to press under what it calls a check-after-publish system, New Light of Myanmar reported. Under current conditions, all copy must be submitted to censors first, and then be printed and distributed..."
Bob Dietz
Source/publisher:
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Date of publication:
2012-05-18
Date of entry/update:
2012-05-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
World Press Freedom Day - May 3, 2012... Silence Kills Democracy
But a Free Press Talks...
Source/publisher:
"The Myanmar Times (Burmese)"
Date of publication:
2012-05-04
Date of entry/update:
2012-05-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
Format :
pdf
Size:
659.85 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
29 Mar 2012
Presentation to the Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, Organised by the Ministry of Information and UNESCO Rangoon, Myanmar, March 19-20, 2012.....CONCLUSION:
"...At the outset I emphasised that law is the essential business of government and noted the critical part to be played by the tripartite system of law making, law enacting and law protection. The legislators, executive and judiciary fulfil critical functions without which the rule of law fails and the fabric of sustainable society falls.
To set solid foundations for sustainable society, there are important laws, which should be drafted according to international standard and enacted accordingly. Critical are those that protect and uphold the rights to freedoms of expression, assembly and information and freedom of the press. They are a stable society?s backbone and shoulder blades.
Robust legal frameworks for freedoms of expression, information and the media are critical and irrevocable human rights in their own right. They are also powerful social goods in that they enable government to fulfil its tri-partite functions, to maintain its responsibilities to the law and to uphold the best practices of good governance. The transparency provided by freedom of information, the scrutiny provided by freedom of the press and the critique provided by freedom of expression create the environment in which high quality accountability government can flourish and deepen.
In other words if law is the skeletal framework on which stands and falls the strength and sustainability of a society, then the rights to freedoms of expression, information and the press is also a government?s personal trainer! A challenge, a goal, an encouragement and a motivator: without which no government can perform to the highest standard or achieve the best possible for those who give governments its raison d?etre: the people."
Agnes Callamard
Source/publisher:
Article 19
Date of publication:
2012-03-29
Date of entry/update:
2012-04-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to opinion and expression (commentary), Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...Earlier this month, the government unblocked several foreign news websites, including Reuters, the Guardian, CNN, and the Bangkok Post. Some of the newly accessible sites - Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and the BBC - have Burmese language sections. The websites of exiled Burmese news organisations such as the Democratic Voice of Burma and Irrawaddy can now be accessed, as well as social networking and streaming sites Hotmail, Blogger, and Youtube.
This step toward liberalisation, however welcome, is inconsistent with the government?s overall monitoring policy. Not only do a large number of websites remain off-limits, but internet usage is still restricted to the country?s public internet caf?s. Since November 2010, internet cafes in in Rangoon were required by the government to install closed-circuit cameras, screen-capture and keystroke-logging software so that online activities could be recorded and traced back to individuals. Flash drives have also been banned since May of this year..."
Anna Saunders
Source/publisher:
SEAPA Network
Date of publication:
2011-09-30
Date of entry/update:
2011-10-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
73.89 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Burma took drastic measures in 2010 to reorganise the country?s Internet and to arm itself with the means, at the next sign
of a crisis, to cut off its population?s Web access without affecting official connections. Prior to the November 2010 elections
– the first in twenty years – censors resorted to massive crackdowns, intimidation and cyberattacks to reduce the risk of any
negative coverage. Tampering is now at its height..."...Widespread Net censorship
in Burma...Outstanding bloggers...Three netizens are still
languishing in prison...Reconfiguring the Burmese
Internet behind a smokescreen...Unreliable Internet connections
in the run up to the 7
November 2010: Slowdowns,
cyberattac ks and tampering...Da w Aung Sa n Suu Kyi:
Free and connected?
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Date of publication:
2011-03-12
Date of entry/update:
2011-09-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Media - control of media in Burma, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English (French available)
Format :
pdf
Size:
63.49 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Despite very low connectivity, Internet
users in Burma have managed to
communicate valuable information
to the outside world during explosive
political events. The Burmese military
government continues to enforce
stringent overall access restrictions,
the most extreme of which occurred
during the complete shutdown of the
Internet in Burma in September and
October 2007. On top of these barriers to access, the government also polices Internet
content through one of the most severe regimes of information control in the
world..."
Source/publisher:
OpenNet Initiative
Date of publication:
2010-12-22
Date of entry/update:
2011-09-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Media - control of media in Burma, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage): Myanmar TV, Myawaddy TV, August 4-31, 2010
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage): Democratic Voice of Burma TV, radio, website; "Eleven" newspaper; "Myanmar Times" and "Voice" Journal
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage): MYANMAR TV, MYAWADDY TV... Political subjects and politicians (Space & Tone of the Coverage): KYAYMON (The Mirror), MYANMAR AHLIN (New Light of Myanmar)
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects, politicians (Space/Time & Tone of the Coverage): "Voice Journal" newspaper (also 1 September-25 October, 2010); Democratic Voice of Burma TV, radio & website; "The Irrawaddy" website, "Mizzima" website;
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-02-22
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage): MYANMAR TV, MYAWADDY TV... Political subjects and politicians (Space & Tone of the Coverage): KYAYMON (The Mirror), MYANMAR AHLIN (New Light of Myanmar)
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-02-22
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage): Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB TV); "The Irrawaddy", "Mizzima", "Myanmar Times" and "Voice" Journal
Charts of Burmese State-sponsored media coverage of political subjects and politicians in the period April-June 2011
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage) by MYANMAR TV, MYAWADDY TV... (Space & Tone of the Coverage) by KYAYMON (The Mirror), MYANMAR AHLIN (New Light of Myanmar)Charts of Burmese State-sponsored media coverage
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians: Coveraqe by the Democratic Voice of Burma (TV, Radio, Website)
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Political subjects and politicians (Time & Tone of the Coverage) by KYAYMON (The Mirror), MYANMAR AHLIN (New Light of Myanmar)
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
CONCLUSION: "The results of monitoring in 2011 (which was conducted after the appointment of a new civilian government with the aim to assess if there was any change in the state policy revealed the opposite and confirmed the previous trends and patterns observed during the previous monitoring periods. It is thus possible to conclude that the monitored state-controlled media in Burma do not follow any journalistic standards, but serve only as a mouthpiece of the ruling powers. With more than a half a year after the flawed 2010 parliamentary elections, condemned by the United Nations and the whole international community, the main news programs of state-controlled TV channels once again showed only the top state officials and completely ignored any other stakeholders..."
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
Burmese
more
Description:
Conclusion:
"Data from the first month of monitoring reveal that monitored state-controlled media in Burma
do not follow any journalistic standards, but only serve as a mouthpiece of the ruling powers.
With less than two months before elections, the main news programs of state-controlled TV
channels have only shown the three top state officials and completely ignored any other
stakeholders. This is an exceptionally limited range of diversity of political actors, with all other
political forces having virtually no access to the country?s most important sources of information.
It is also of concern that these disturbing trends in the way the Burmese state-controlled media
cover political entities are not result of short-term anomalies, but genuine trends in the Burmese
media. These negative trends are to some extent meliorated by the exile media which do offer a
diverse range of views, with the main opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party
National League for Democracy, getting the most significant coverage.
However, the potential geographical coverage of the exile media is much less than that of the
state-controlled media in Burma. As such, it is highly questionable whether citizens will receive
ample information to be able to make a qualified choice at the ballot box."
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-10-15
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
Conclusion:
"The three months of monitoring revealed that monitored state-controlled media in Burma do not
follow any professional journalistic standards, but only serve as a mouthpiece of the ruling
powers. Plain bias in favor of state officials and incumbents and no reflection of opposing or
critical views in state-controlled media was observed during the entire three-month monitoring
period. In the period preceding the elections, the main news programs of the state-controlled TV
channels were showing only the top state officials and completely ignored any other stakeholders.
They offered an exceptionally limited range of diversity of political actors, with any other
political subjects having virtually no access to the country?s most important sources of
information.
It is also of concern that these disturbing trends in the way the Burmese state-controlled media
cover political entities are not result of short-term anomalies, but genuine trends in the Burmese
media. These negative trends are to some extent meliorated by the exile media which do offer a
diverse range of views, with the main opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party
National League for Democracy getting the most significant coverage. However, the potential
geographical coverage of the exile media, and thus their accessibility to Burmese population is
much lower than that of the state-controlled media in Burma.
Overall, election contestants were allowed only very restricted access to the media and were
prevented from fully enjoying their right of freedom of expression. The complete lack by the
media in Burma of any independent and objective reporting limited the voters? access to a broad
range of information which would enable them to make an informed choice at the ballot box."
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2010-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
Conclusion: "The previous monitoring reports reflecting the period prior to the elections noted that the statecontrolled
media in Burma act as a mouthpiece of the ruling powers and do not follow any
professional journalistic standards. This report which covers the the period of two weeks after the
e-day showed that the general trends in the state media coverage identified in the previous reports
remain unchanged.
While the media coverage in state controlled outlets focused on election, its coverage was narrow
and lacked any analytical or critical views of the process. Clear bias in favor of state officials and
incumbents, compounded by a complete lack of any critical coverage of authorities and a lack of
coverage of opposition views characterized the coverage offered by the Burmese state media. The coverage which the release of NLD leader got in state media was extremely limited and
insignificant in comparison with the extent of presentation of the authorities.
The exile media offered diverse picture of political actors and gave large attention to the NLD
leader after she was released from her house arrest; the NLD was a dominant political subject
presented in the exile media. In this regards the elections were overshadowed by the sudden
presence of the NLD leader in Burmese political life and the NLD, while actively boycotting
elections, dominated the post election coverage of exile media"
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-02-22
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
CONCLUSION:
"The results of monitoring in 2011 (which was conducted after the appointment of a new civilian
government with the aim to assess if there was any change in the state policy revealed the
opposite and confirmed the previous trends and patterns observed during the previous monitoring
periods. It is thus possible to conclude that the monitored state-controlled media in Burma do not
follow any journalistic standards, but serve only as a mouthpiece of the ruling powers. With more
than a half a year after the flawed 2010 parliamentary elections, condemned by the United
Nations and the whole international community, the main news programs of state-controlled TV
channels once again showed only the top state officials and completely ignored any other
stakeholders..."
Source/publisher:
Memo98
Date of publication:
2011-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2011-07-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
7-Step Roadmap (Step 5): Holding of free and fair elections for Pyithu Hluttaws (Legislative bodies) according to the new constitution (news and commentary), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Press freedom and online freedom of information are still being flouted in Burma, three months after Thein Sein?s election as a civilian president. He promised to ?respect the role of the media” but heavy jail sentences for journalists, suspension of newspapers and police raids on Internet cafés show that there has been no let-up in controls and intimidation. And now a string of new measures have just tightened control over Internet use...".....
Renforcement de la surveillance des médias et d?Internet sous l?ère Thein Sein ..."Trois mois après l?élection de Thein Sein à la tête de la Birmanie, la liberté de la presse et la liberté de l?information sur Internet sont toujours bafoués. Alors que le Président a déclaré qu?il respectait "le rôle des médias en tant que quatrième pouvoir", les condamnations de journalistes à de lourdes peines, les suspensions de journaux et les descentes de police dans les cybercafés illustrent l?inflexibilité du régime qui reste constant dans sa politique d?intimidation et de contrôle. Surtout, tout un train de mesures vient durcir le contrôle de la junte dans l?utilisation du Net..."
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders, Reporters Sans Frontieres
Date of publication:
2011-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2011-05-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
Francais, French, English
Format :
pdf
Size:
399.18 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Conclusion: "It is expected that the Yatanarpon Myanmar National Web Portal will provide faster bandwidth and improved Web services to Burmese Internet users. However, according to the current setup, only users from the government ministries, especially those from the Ministry of Defence, will enjoy faster Internet connection and consequently better Web services.
The FTTH high-tech communication system is an impressive development compared with the previous system. It can also be assumed that the new system will cost more. However, given the low per capita income in Burma, only a tiny fraction of the public will be able to enjoy the FTTH system.
The segregated nature of the new ISP system would also allow the authorities to shut down the civilian ISP without affecting the two other ISPs that serve the government and the military. The authorities are likely to use that opportunity to stifle freedom of press and expression.
The new system also grants the military exclusive control over the Hantharwaddy National Gateway. The military is therefore now in a position to spy on all Burmese citizens – civilians, soldiers and government service personnel."
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders, Burma Media Association
Date of publication:
2010-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2011-05-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
643.64 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
Introduction: "While the Burmese military junta is interested in expanding and exploiting information and
communication technologies (ICTs) for business and propaganda purposes, it makes
aggressive attempts to regulate access to the internet and digital media, control content, and
punish citizens for any online activity that is seen as detrimental to regime security. The
government uses a wide range of means to restrict internet freedom, including legal and
regulatory barriers, infrastructural and technical constraints, and coercive measures such as
intimidation and lengthy prison sentences. Although the authorities lack the capacity to
pervasively enforce all restrictions, the impact of sporadic implementation and the ensuing
chilling effect is profound.
There has been gradual improvement in access to ICTs over the past three years, but
the junta has also aggressively targeted users who are involved in antigovernment activities
or have contact with foreign news media. Since its crackdown on a wave of September 2007
protests led by Buddhist monks, the military regime has more strictly enforced licensing
rules that require the owners of cybercafes, where most Burmese users obtain access, to
monitor users? screens and cooperate with criminal investigations. Both online and offline
censorship and information controls were increased surrounding the November 7, 2010
national elections,
which secured a sweeping victory for the military-backed party and were
widely condemned as flawed.
The state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunications (MPT) company launched
the first official e-mail service in November 1997. The 2002 establishment of the first
private internet-service provider (ISP), Bagan Cybertech, helped to increase the number of
users in the country, though the company was later taken over by the junta. By 2010, there
were over 520 registered cybercafes in Burma, located mainly in a few major cities.
Censorship was further reinforced after the release of prodemocracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest on November 13.
The
government?s first attempt to restrict internet freedom was the 1996 Myanmar Computer
Science Development Law, which made possession of an unregistered computer modem
and connection to unauthorized computer networks punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Other laws and actions since then have furthered the government?s efforts to clamp down
on unsupervised internet use."
Source/publisher:
Freedom House
Date of publication:
2011-04-18
Date of entry/update:
2011-05-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
263.88 KB 4.09 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Despite many difficulties,
Burmese journalists inside
Burma and abroad have in
recent weeks covered two
events of great importance for the
country: the 7 November general elections
and Aung San Suu Kyi?s release
six days later. The military authorities
sent contradictory signals about their
intentions as regards media freedom.
The undemocratic elections were marked
by censorship, arrests of journalists
and other obstacles, but Burmese
newspapers were able to interview the
various candidates during the campaign.
The privately-owned media and
foreign correspondents were initially
allowed to talk about Suu Kyi?s release,
until more than 10 publications were
disciplined by the Press Scrutiny Board
and the surveillance of foreign reporters
was stepped up.
The military junta and the members of
the newly-elected parliament can now
choose either to pursue the repressive
policies or to initiate a process in which
more space is given to basic freedoms.
We urge the Burmese authorities to
seize the opportunity to respond to the
various calls from neighbouring countries
and ASEAN ?s secretary general for
more freedom of expression. The international
community must also press
the authorities to show more tolerance
and must support the media inside and
outside the country that are trying to
push back censorship.
With the help of its partner organization,
the Burma Media Association,
Reporters Without Borders followed
the work of the Burmese press and
foreign reporters during this historic
month of November. A Reporters Without
Borders representative went to
Burma before the elections to evaluate
the situation. Despite the censorship,
surveillance and obstruction, the Burmese
media managed to offer their
readers, listeners and viewers a variety
of reports and analyses that has been
without precedent since the 1990 elections.
Reporters Without Borders also
wanted to learn more about the impact
in Burma of the so-called exile media
such as Democratic Voice of Burma. A
poll and a survey recently carried out
in Burma confirm the popularity of the
radio and TV stations that broadcast in
Burmese from abroad. In the poll, 2,950
people in eight provinces were questioned
about how they get their news..."
Source/publisher:
Reporters Without Borders
Date of publication:
2010-12-22
Date of entry/update:
2010-12-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - use of media by Burmese
Language:
English, Francais, French
more
Description:
Burmese journalists came under heavy assault in August and September when covering pro-democracy street protests and the military government?s retaliatory crackdown, marking significant deterioration in what was already one of the world?s most repressive media environments. The government banned coverage of the uprising and sought to isolate the nation by impeding Internet and phone service. Local and citizen journalists, however, proved innovative and persistent in circumventing the government?s electronic blockade.
Source/publisher:
Committee to Protect Journalists
Date of publication:
2008-02-05
Date of entry/update:
2010-12-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Military Intelligence, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Reporting from Burma can be hazardeous for your reputation, as a growing number of foreign journalists is discovering... Burma has a well-deserved reputation as
one of the most mediaphobic nations on earth. But do foreign journalists have anything to fear by dipping into these
unfriendly waters? While the greatest risks are borne by Burmese who dare to report the truth, unwitting foreign correspondents face a danger of their own: a loss of
credibility. Aung Zaw reports on the perils of "parachute journalism"..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy", Vol. 9, No. 7, August-September 2001
Date of publication:
2001-09-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-11-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Japanese
more
Description:
Bribery is a part of everyday life for Burma?s press... "From the outside, the three-story building at number six is as nondescript as the other houses and businesses on Wingabar Road just outside downtown Rangoon. Inside, however, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division headquarters stands out from the majority of the capital?s Spartan offices and government departments because of its abundant furniture and electrical appliances.
?The PSRD office is lavishly decorated, even the toilet,” said one regular visitor, a journalist who requested anonymity.
A closer look at the DVD players, televisions, stereos and furniture that fill the building reveals small identification tags, each with the name of a leading Burma publication. The labels allow Burma?s censorship board to keep track of the journals that have paid up in full—each appliance and piece of furniture is a mandatory bribe..."
Clive Parker
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 8
Date of publication:
2005-08-17
Date of entry/update:
2010-09-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Corruption
Language:
English
more
Description:
Burma section plus full report (see Alternate link)
http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=19603
Source/publisher:
Reporters Sans Frontieres - Reporters Without Borders
Date of publication:
2010-03-12
Date of entry/update:
2010-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
62 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
The Burmese generals are moving to take control of the information superhighway as they gear up for a cyber war with dissidents
WAI MOE, David Paquette
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 3
Date of publication:
2010-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2010-03-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
84 MINUTES RUNNING TIME. TRAILER PLUS 9 PARTS. FOR PARTS 1-9, CLICK ON ALTERNATE LINKS, BELOW, OR IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN OF YOUTUBE PAGE..."Armed with small handycams undercover Video Journalists in Burma keep up the flow of news from their closed country despite risking torture and life in jail. Their material is smuggled out of Burma and broadcast back via satellite.
Joshua, age 27, becomes tactical leader of a group of reporters, as Buddhist monks in September 2007 lead a massive uprising. Foreign TV crews are banned from the country, so its left to Joshua and his crew to keep the revolution alive on TV screens all over. As government intelligence understands the power of the camera, the VJs become their prime target."
ANDERS OËœSTERGAARD, Khin Maung Win et al
Source/publisher:
Magic Hour Films
Date of publication:
2008-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2009-12-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Events of 2007 and their consequences: "The Saffron Revolution" and its aftermath, Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma, Media - use of media by Burmese
Language:
Burmese, English
more
Description:
"...
As in years past, freedom of expression in the arts was met with stringent censorship. The
regime imprisoned poet Saw Wai for publishing a Valentine?s Day poem with a hidden
message denouncing General Than Shwe. The editor of the magazine Cherry, Htay Aung,
was dismissed for publishing a poem about the ancient history of Depayin that could have
been construed as a reference to the 2003 Depayin Massacre, which targeted National
League for Democracy (NLD) leaders and supporters. The State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) censorship board also banned popular American film, Rambo, which
denounced the violence of the regime.
The Internet, televised media, and printed press also continued to be strictly censored
throughout 2008. During Cyclone Nargis and in its aftermath, the regime prevented the
unaffected regions of the country from obtaining accurate information on the destruction and
humanitarian crisis. The SPDC not only restricted access to the cyclone hit regions, banning
the use of cameras or video recorders, but they also limited the print media to releasing
positive images of the regime handing out food and supplies and providing shelter. While
the regime has always censored access to the Internet, for the first time in 2008, authorities
arrested blogger Nay Phone Latt for his reporting on the September 2007 Saffron
Revolution. In November of 2008, he received a sentence of 20 and half years in prison.
All media continued to be subject to the publishing guidelines of the Press Scrutiny Board.
Publishers and artists must submit their work to the censorship board in advance of
dissemination and then wait for comments and exclusions. Once it has been reworked, the
final product must be approved a second time by the board, before it goes to the public.
Such a lengthy process has made self-censorship the more convenient option amongst
weekly news journals. It has also prevented the immediate release of relevant information,
as was the case with delayed coverage of the cyclone and referendum. Understandably, the
Burmese public have turned to the internet and international media sources for information
on what is happening inside Burma as an alternative to junta mouthpieces such as the
Myanmarhlaing, and the Mirror.
Politically, the regime forced the entire eligible voting population of Burma to participate in a
tightly controlled and engineered referendum to approve a draft constitution that was the
product of a 14-year long, undemocratic National Convention. None of the requirements for
free and fair voting, including freedom to vote in privacy; availability of information related to
the issues, freedom from intimidation or bribery, and independent monitoring, were ensured
by the regime during the referendum process. Instead, individuals met with forced advance
voting, threats, and a new Referendum Law for the Approval of the Draft Constitution of the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar (issued on 26 February 2008), which prevented any
speech against the referendum or dissemination of political information.3 The end of the
year saw the regime preparing for the next step in the seven-step roadmap to democracy,
national elections in 2010. Evidence to date suggests that the campaigns and election will
be conducted under similarly repressive conditions as those that marred the referendum on
the draft constitution, eventually leading to the SPDC's goal of a transition to a disciplined
democracy?..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU)
Date of publication:
2009-11-23
Date of entry/update:
2009-12-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
858.82 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Myanmar?s authoritarian military junta is slowly expanding access to the Internet while maintaining one of the world?s most restrictive systems of control. Despite the fact that less than 1 percent of Myanmar access the Internet, the government has targeted online independent media and dissent with the same commitment it has demonstrated to stifling traditional media and voices for reform.
Source/publisher:
Opennet Initiative
Date of publication:
2007-05-10
Date of entry/update:
2009-12-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Intimidation, arrests and draconian prison sentences reached new heights in a media crackdown in Burma last year...
JOURNALISTS in Burma faced Orwellian-type scrutiny and were subjected to imprisonment and intimidation throughout 2008, while exiled Burmese media groups were also attacked—via their computers...."
Saw Yan Naing
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 17, No. 1
Date of publication:
2009-02-00
Date of entry/update:
2009-02-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
It is often assumed that censorship was not used to any great
degree by British authorities in Burma. Yet, by looking at the
way the British colonial government reacted to a variety of
media including traditional Burmese drama, western
blockbuster movies, and Burmese political pamphlets agitating
against colonial rule, it is possible to see that censorship was
very much a part of the British administration. British
authorities censored pamphlets, books, dramas, and movies not
only to contain political thought contrary to colonialism, but
also to control the image of British officials as seen in the eyes
of the Burmese.
Emma Larkin
Source/publisher:
"Journal of Burma Studies" Vol. 8, 2003
Date of publication:
2003-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2009-01-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
British colonial period : Commentary (non-official books, academic papers, articles and reports), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations
Language:
English
more
Description:
A Burmese journalist who works for The Associated Press has received the 2008 Journalism and Courage Award from the International Women?s Media Foundation...
"The journalist, Aye Aye Win, has worked as a reporter in Burma for nearly 20 years—a ?risky business,? she said in a written acceptance speech. Only a free press could guarantee a free society, she said..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 11
Date of publication:
2008-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-11-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma?s scribes use old ruses and new technology to stay true to their word and dodge the junta?s efforts to censor freedom of expression...
Burma?s censorship board, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, continues to face new challenges in its never-ending efforts to sanitize the country?s print media. Armed with magnifying glasses and mirrors, the censors are on a mission to root out hidden political messages in poems, novels, stories and advertisements.
Burma has a well-earned reputation as ?an enemy of the press,? but Burmese writers say they are undaunted by the ruling regime?s efforts to muzzle free expression. Censors or no censors, they say, writers of real mettle will always find creative ways to give voice to their true feelings..."
Yeni
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 3
Date of publication:
2008-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma?s generals may have underestimated the power of the Internet during the 2007 uprising, but they are now playing catch-up...
The Burmese military government has found a new enemy—the growing number of ?cyber dissidents? who are gaining popularity both inside and outside the country. The bad news is that the junta usually finds a way of defeating each new enemy..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy", Vol. 16, No. 3
Date of publication:
2008-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - use of media by Burmese, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"...When monks took to the streets in September, our editor—who also owned the publication—allowed us to go and cover the events, but we were never able to write about them. I noticed that many Burmese reporters established contacts with international and exile media groups.
There was no satellite TV receiver in our office, either.
When we originally asked the editor to install one, so that we could watch coverage of the demonstrations, he surprisingly agreed. But when the shooting began he changed his mind and banned us from going into the streets or having any contact with the demonstrating monks.
?You really don?t want to see the news, that?s why I won?t install a receiver,? he said.
?The uprising will be over in two or three days, anyway,? he said. He was right—the uprising was short-lived. The satellite dish never was installed.
In our newsroom, only the management desk and the copy-typists worked with computers. We reporters and editors had to write our stories by hand. They were then edited and passed on to the typists. The printouts were given back to us to be checked for spelling.
Frequent power cuts interrupted the work routine. We had our own generator, but it sat outside our office and when it was running the heat and noise were unbearable..."
Aye Chan Myate
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy", Vol. 16, No. 3
Date of publication:
2008-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma?s exiled media took center stage during the September uprising. Now they must not rest on their laurels...
If the Burmese people are ready for change, then we must ask whether the exiled Burmese media is ready for change. The answer, I believe, should be a resounding ?Yes!?
Burma enjoyed perhaps the liveliest free press in Southeast Asia in the 1950s and 60s. Burma?s first constitution in 1947 guaranteed citizens the right to express their opinions and convictions.
Unfortunately, the freedoms of expression and media were short-lived in Burma.
The first assault on journalism came soon after the military coup in 1962. Press freedom gradually disintegrated thereafter, truncated by Gen Ne Win?s socialist regime.
Newspapers were nationalized and many foreign news agencies were asked to pack their bags. Journalists and editors found themselves in prison.
During the 1980s, all forms of public expression and publications had to pass through Burma?s notorious censorhip board, now known as the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, even though Burma?s second constitution, drawn up in 1974, guaranteed freedom of expression..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 3
Date of publication:
2008-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma, Media - use of media by Burmese
Language:
English
more
Description:
"BURMA?S rulers and democratic opposition forces have limited experience with a free and independent media. And this is definitely a concern when contemplating a future democratic Burma..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 4
Date of publication:
2008-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
Englsh
more
Description:
Executive Summary:
"This bulletin examines the role of information technology, citizen journalists, and bloggers in Burma and presents a technical analysis of the abrupt shutdown of Internet connectivity by the Burmese government on September 29, 2007, following its violent crackdown on protesters there. Completely cutting international Internet links is rare. Nepal, which severed all international Internet connections when the King declared martial law in February 2005, is the only other state to take such drastic action. Although extreme, the measures taken by the Burmese government to limit citizens' use of the Internet during this crisis are consistent with previous OpenNet Initiative (ONI) findings in Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, where authorities controlled access to communication technologies as a way to limit social mobilization around key political events. What makes the Burmese junta stand out, however, is its apparent goal of also preventing information from reaching a wider international audience.
The shutdown of Internet connectivity was precipitated by its use by citizens to send photographs, updates and videos that documented the violent suppression of protests in Burma, information that contributed to widespread international condemnation of the Burmese military rulers' gross violations of human rights.
We examine the impact of communication technology in shaping these key political events in Burma, the limitations of these tools, and the prospects for the next round of information wars".
Source/publisher:
"OpenNet Initiative Bulletin"
Date of publication:
2007-10-23
Date of entry/update:
2007-10-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Media - control of media in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
623.32 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Censors fail to gag popular Burmese comedian...
"Zarganar, the former dental surgery student who became one of Burma?s best-loved comedians and a mordant satirist, has had his teeth pulled by the censors. ?No more public performances,? they told him last month, prompting threats by his colleagues—including well-known actors and directors—to cease production work in a display of sympathy.
The ban extends to all news about Zarganar in the Burmese press. The Orwellian regime has effectively made him a ?non-person.?
Zarganar?s gag slipped, however, when The Irrawaddy contacted him by telephone at his Rangoon home. The irrepressible comedian chuckled as he talked about the regime?s latest attempt to silence him.
It was an interview in April with the BBC?s Burmese service that sparked the latest ban, Zarganar said. He had criticized official regulations that he said robbed Burma?s water festival of much of its traditions..."
Ko Thet
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 6
Date of publication:
2006-06-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-12-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Reading between the lines of Burmaâ?s censored press...
"Power shortages and blackouts are nothing new in Burma. Nor are news blackouts...
In early February, authorities detected bird flu in Sagaing and Mandalay divisions but the news didn?t appear in state-run newspapers or privately-run journals until the middle of March. The government?s mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar, waited until March 16 to report the outbreak.
Why do the authorities wait so long to inform the public of such an important development that directly affects them? The reason for this particularly cynical form of censorship has to be the official fear of causing a panic. Yet fears of a serious health hazard aren?t the only reason for Burmese to stay glued to the broadcasts of shortwave radio stations beamed from overseas. The plain fact is that most Burmese have no clue what is happening in their own country.
Ironically, the latest clampdown occurs as optimism surfaces in Rangoon media circles about what some editors and journalists see as a relaxation of censorship regulations..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 4
Date of publication:
2006-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-12-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Burmese Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan may appear outwardly to be a friend of the local press. But he also carries a big stick...
"Burmese Minister of Information Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan seems to have a very busy schedule these days. But helping to channel real information to the Burmese masses doesn?t seem to be his main concern. If anything, it is to coax Burma?s tame media to wean readers and viewers away from news and onto entertainment, sport and soap operas..."
Yeni
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 4
Date of publication:
2006-04-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-12-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
SPDC Laws Restricting Freedom of Opinion, Expression, and the Press:- The Official Secrets Act 1923; The Burma Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933; Section 122, Penal Code of Burma; The Law Protecting the Peaceful and Systematic Transfer of State Responsibility and the Successful Performance of the Functions of the National Convention against Disturbances and Oppositions; Emergency Provisions Act 1950; The Printers and Publishers Registration Law 1962; State Protection Law 1975 (also known as the "Law to Safeguard the State from the Dangers of Destructive Elements"); The Television and Video Law; The Motion Picture Law; The Computer Science Development Law...
The National Convention: Increased Control Over Expression... State of Freedom of the Press in 2004:- Khin Nyunt?s arrest and freedom of the press; Hiding the impact of the tsunami; Delay in reporting on Arakan cyclone; Arrested for reporting on Myitkyina flood; Journalists forced to report on Min Ko Naing?s release; Media informants fear reprisal; Sports editor?s death sentence commuted...
The State of Publications in 2004... Journalists Freed in 2004... Continuing Detention of Journalists:- U Win Tin; Sein Hla Oo; Aung Htun and Tha Ban; Aung Pwint and Thaung Tun; Khin Maung Win; Monywa Aung-Shin...
Academic Freedom; Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression:- Students imprisoned for leaflets; Arrested for peaceful political demonstration; NLD members arrested for distributing pamphlets; Continued detention of monks and nuns; Teashop fined for playing BBC; SPDC infiltration of websites...
Freedom of Expression in the Arts:- Artists forced to perform in support of the SPD; Censorship of Film and Television and Restrictions on Actors; Censorship of Music and Musicians; Censorship of Painting, Photography, Sculpture, other Visual Arts, and Performance Art...
Control of Computer Technology and Communications:-Telecommunications in Burma; The Internet and Electronic Mail in Burma.
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Documentation Unit, NCGUB
Date of publication:
2005-08-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-05-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
htm
Size:
144.09 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Overseas IT firms offer Burma?s government added protection against online activism...
"Of the 1,100 prisoners of conscience currently languishing in jails throughout Burma, not one is a cyber-dissident. No organization contacted by The Irrawaddy has any record of Burma?s military government detaining or sentencing a single Burmese citizen because of their activities on the worldwide web.
Given Burma?s recent efforts to get its hands on the most advanced security and spying software available, however, that statistic may be about to change.
Companies and IT specialists from the US, Canada, Britain, Thailand and Singapore are now offering their wares to the Burmese government as it strives to further secure the net, meaning those that have been bypassing the country?s filtering system thus far may be in for a nasty surprise..."
Clive Parker
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 11
Date of publication:
2005-11-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-05-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
Latest Myanmar Times setback highlights increased junta interference...
"One year ago the Myanmar Times might have been forgiven for feeling optimistic. The paper was about to relocate to bigger premises in downtown Rangoon to accommodate a swelling team of reporters, while a printing press was making its way from New Zealand that would allow Editor-in-Chief Ross Dunkley and his team to publish in-house for the first time.
That was, however, before Monday, October 18, 2004—the day former prime minister and head of Military Intelligence Gen Khin Nyunt was arrested for corruption.
Dunkley?s comment to Asiaweek shortly after he launched his English-language weekly in 2001 that ?in some ways we are a litmus test to an opening up process? has this year proven to be prophetic.
The sentencing of Deputy CEO Sonny Swe and his father Brig-Gen Thein Swe—formerly of MI and the Myanmar Times? chief censor until Khin Nyunt?s ouster—to 14 and 152 years in prison respectively for corruption and bypassing the official censorship process—was merely the first setback.
Whereas the newspaper could occasionally print articles and even pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2002 when the political situation was less tense, in the past 12 months the Myanmar Times has been ?asked? to run stories provided by the Ministry of Information almost every week..."
Clive Parker
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 10
Date of publication:
2005-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2006-04-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"Burma, also known as Myanmar, implements one of the world?s most restrictive regimes
of Internet control. These on-line restrictions buttress off-line regulation of speech
implemented by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), a group of military officials
who maintain authoritarian rule over the state. Burma?s system combines broad, vague laws of
long standing with harsh penalties. Internet access is costly and the state uses software-based
filtering techniques to limit significantly the materials Burma?s citizens can access on-line. Most
dial-up Internet accounts provide access only to the limited Myanmar Internet, not to the global
network that most people around the world can access. The state maintains the capability to
conduct surveillance of communication methods such as e-mail, and to block users from viewing
Web sites of political opposition groups, organizations working for democratic change in Burma,
and pornographic material. As compared to states elsewhere around the world, Burma?s
censorship regime is among the most extensive.
The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) tested its global list of Web sites and a high-impact list of
sites with material known to be sensitive to the Burmese state. On the global list, we found
nearly 11% of pages tested blocked, with a high level of filtering of e-mail service provider sites
(85%) and pornographic sites (65%). The state also blocked significant numbers of gambling
(24%), group Web sites (18%), and free Web space sites (18%). On our high impact list of sites
with content known to be sensitive to the Burmese state, we found 84% of sites blocked,
including nearly all political opposition and pro-democracy pages tested. These findings align
with Burma?s well-documented efforts to monitor e-mail communication by its citizens and to
control political dissent and opposition movements.
Burma?s commitment to regulating Internet content through technical methods is
demonstrated by its purchase and ongoing implementation of filtering software from the U.S.
company Fortinet. Our research suggests that Burma continues to seek to refine its censorship
regime. Burma?s system of Internet control shows no signs of lessening, and may worsen as it
moves to a more sophisticated software product and as the state moves to tighten on-line
restrictions."
Source/publisher:
OpenNet Initiative
Date of publication:
2005-10-12
Date of entry/update:
2005-10-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Description:
"The popular Burmese lifestyle magazine Han Thit is missing from the newsstands this month. Nor will it appear in April.
The magazine was suspended by the authorities for two months. The reason? It carried a restaurant?s advertisement of a St. Valentine?s Day celebration.
No Valentine cards or red roses then for the regime bureaucrats responsible for such daft decisions. Journalists, editors and publishers are braced for even more inexplicable actions against the media as a new censorship policy takes shape following last October?s purge.
Burma?s police chief Brig-Gen Khin Yi being mobbed by reporters
Media issues surfaced at the National Convention in March, although the discussions yielded no hope for possible relaxation of restrictions on press freedom.
According to a report by the official mouthpiece The New Light of Myanmar, it was agreed at the National Convention session that ?NGO- and privately-owned media? would emerge ?sooner or later.? So far so good, but then came the crunch: ?Permission will be granted to the media that keep their dignity. Therefore, action will have to be taken against those who breach the rules. And consequently, it is necessary to enact laws in connection with the media.?..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No.3
Date of publication:
2005-03-00
Date of entry/update:
2005-08-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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