Censorship by the government in Burma should
be eliminated, the Myanmar Journalists Association Organizing Committee (MJAOC)
said on World Press Freedom Day.
“Censorship
should not be imposed at every step of a publication from registration of news
media to distribution,” said a statement issued on Thursday.
Myo Min
Htike, a MJAOC secretary and chief editor of Venus News Journal, told Mizzima,
“Every journal must have the right to publish without censorship.”
Burmese
censorship rules are divided into two categories of newspapers and magazines:
Group 1 includes 178 publications that focus on education, economics,
international news, art, general knowledge, health, sports, children’s
literature, and technology, which are not required to pass articles through
censors prior to publication. Copies of articles must be submitted after
publication to the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) under the
Information Ministry.
Group 2
includes more than 180 publications that focuse on news, religion and crime.
All articles and photographs must pass through censors prior to publication.
For
example, currently the PSRD censors all articles about fighting between
government troops and the Kachin Independence Army in Kachin State, according
said Myo Min Htike.
The
government also restricts journalists from travel in foreign countries, he
said.
“When
journalists apply to attend a training class, they scrutinize the request very
carefully. For journalists, it’s very difficult to obtain a passport.
Journalists need to go through more processes to get passports in comparison
with ordinary people. Journalists need testimonials given by the relevant
publication or the Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association,” he said.
The
statement said the group supported The Voice newspaper, which is defending
itself against a suit by the Ministry of Mines. The paper reported information
from a government report that alleged financial transgressions. The case is
currently being heard in court.
The
Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday released a report listing the
world’s “most censored” countries. Burma is No. 7 on the list.
The
report said: “All privately run news publications in Burma are forced to
publish weekly rather than daily due to stifling pre-publication censorship
requirements.”
The
Myanmar Journalists Association Organizing Committee held a ceremony to mark
World Press Freedom Day on Thursday at Central Hotel in Rangoon. About 100
journalists attended. The committee was formed on April 5. Members include
editors, reporters, cartoonists, poets, graphic designers and artists from
newspapers, magazines, TV stations and electronic media.
UNESCO
and the Information Ministry jointly organized a ceremony to mark World Press
Freedom Day at The Strand Hotel in Rangoon on Thursday. World Press Freedom Day
was established by the U.N. in 1992.
Myo
Thant
Mizzima
News
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