Media is litmus test for Nay Pyi Taw reform

• Published: 28/03/2012 at 02:17 AM ...

Media freedom, or lack thereof, during Myanmar's by-elections this weekend will be a key measure of the military-backed government's commitment to democratisation in the country.

Sunday's vote will see the participation of the National League for Democracy's (NLD) leader and opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi in the first elections of post-reform Myanmar.

Thiha Saw, a journalist with more than three decades of experience in Myanmar, said domestic and ''exile'' media have done different jobs but they complement one another in portraying changes in Myanmar.

What could not be explicitly reported inside the country could be told by the exile media, said Thiha Saw.

The challenge for domestic journalists is finding ways to tell something to their readers despite censorship.

Thiha Saw sat on a panel addressing the by-elections and media reform in Myanmar at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand on Monday.

Aung Zaw, another panellist who is a founder and editor of the exile Irrawaddy online magazine, said he has seen both optimism and scepticism among members of the media inside the country.

''We have yet to see how long and how far the press can enjoy the [limited] freedom. It's perhaps a longer leash, just to show to the world that [Myanmar] is changing and the media here is having certain freedoms,'' said Aung Zaw, who recently made his first trip back home in 24 years. While Myanmar authorities are evidently trying to woo the exile media to return home and do their job within sight of Nay Pyi Taw, the journalists remain cautious.

Toe Zaw Latt, the Democratic Voice of Burma's (DVB) Thailand bureau chief, said his visit to Yangon last week to attend a Unesco-organised conference on media development was emotional.

Toe Zaw Latt said he was told to return home now that the country was opening up and media law was being enacted. He was also told there would be no further censorship by the authorities.

''But there is no legal and technical infrastructure for [media] operations, particularly for electronic media. The media business is expensive, and we need to have a conducive environment to operate in,'' he said.

Even though the country is opening up, there remains at least seven laws that curb freedom of expression.

Thiha Saw said any changes will provide both opportunities and challenges for media operators.

''[With the new media law provision] more private media will emerge but it's likely to be an investment or ownership deal for military cronies as they have connections and financial resources,'' said Thiha Saw. Toe Zaw Latt added that it is still unclear how licences for media outlets would be granted.

''There's a lot to be done as to how the media, from within the country and outside, could operate in the coming years with the SEA Games in 2013, Asean Chairmanship in 2014 and national election in 2015,'' said Toe Zaw Latt.

Thiha Saw said Sunday's by-elections would offer proof on how sincere the government is about the democratisation process. A free and fair election could be measured by whether the media is allowed a broad coverage and access to polling booths and vote counting activities, he said.

Ahead of the vote the Ministry of Information and Culture met with Unesco to discuss the importance of new media laws, journalists' morality and ethics.

Minister Kyaw Hsan told a two-day conference held during March 19-20 that the new media law was intended to facilitate a proper use of press freedom for the long-term progress of Myanmar's media sector. Ye Htut, director-general of the Information and Public Relations Department, said that a new print media law would be launched first. After that, a gradual relaxation would follow.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/286293/media-is-litmus-test-for-nay-pyi-taw-reform