11:46 AM
Waa Haa Haa
By TAKESHI FUJITANI / Correspondent, March 20, 2012 ...
Newspapers featuring U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Myanmar in December 2011 are stacked
at a news stand in Yangon. (Yusuke Murayama)
YANGON --Myanmar plans to end censorship on
newspapers that has been in place since 1964 and allow the private
sector to publish dailies, Information Minister Kyaw Hsan said March 19.
Those measures, conceived as part of Myanmar's democratization process, are expected to ensure freedom of speech to a broad extent.
The Information Ministry said it is drawing up a bill on media regulations to abolish censorship, deregulate the registration system for newspapers and magazines, and create a committee on freedom of speech and ethics.
The ministry said it hopes to have the bill discussed and approved by the Assembly of the Union during a session convened in June or later.
Only three daily newspapers are published in Myanmar, and all of them are state-run. All private newspapers and magazines are published either weekly or monthly.
Ye Htut, director-general of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Information Ministry, said the private sector will be able to start printing daily newspapers as soon as the censorship is lifted.
Ye Htut also said the visa requirement for foreign journalists visiting Myanmar will be maintained for the time being. He said it is difficult to modify that requirement because immigration control regulations and other issues are involved.
Those measures, conceived as part of Myanmar's democratization process, are expected to ensure freedom of speech to a broad extent.
The Information Ministry said it is drawing up a bill on media regulations to abolish censorship, deregulate the registration system for newspapers and magazines, and create a committee on freedom of speech and ethics.
The ministry said it hopes to have the bill discussed and approved by the Assembly of the Union during a session convened in June or later.
Only three daily newspapers are published in Myanmar, and all of them are state-run. All private newspapers and magazines are published either weekly or monthly.
Ye Htut, director-general of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Information Ministry, said the private sector will be able to start printing daily newspapers as soon as the censorship is lifted.
Ye Htut also said the visa requirement for foreign journalists visiting Myanmar will be maintained for the time being. He said it is difficult to modify that requirement because immigration control regulations and other issues are involved.
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