• Burmese
Saturday, June 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Burma’s Journalists Chip Away at Restrictive Publishing Bill

Samantha Michaels by Samantha Michaels
May 2, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Burma’s Journalists Chip Away at Restrictive Publishing Bill

Burmese journals covering news of the Arakan conflict in western Burma. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

3.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — After public outcry over a proposed law that critics warn could reverse fragile gains in Burma’s press freedoms, journalists say they are making inroads in negotiations with the government to safeguard their right to report.

Journalists from Burma’s Press Council say the Ministry of Information is responding to concerns about the draft Printers and Publishers Registration Law, which caused an uproar in March after the government submitted it to lawmakers without consulting local media or press advocacy groups.

“We’ve talked a couple times with officials from the ministry,” Thiha Saw, a member of the Press Council and deputy chief of the Myanmar Journalists Association, told The Irrawaddy earlier this week, adding that the government pledged to revise articles of the bill that gave the ministry broad powers to grant and revoke publication licenses.

RelatedPosts

Nowhere Are the Threats Facing Journalism More Real Than in Myanmar

Nowhere Are the Threats Facing Journalism More Real Than in Myanmar

May 3, 2025
746
From Resistance to Survival: Myanmar’s Free Press Battles US Aid Cuts

From Resistance to Survival: Myanmar’s Free Press Battles US Aid Cuts

April 28, 2025
1.2k
We Need Your Support—Your $5 Helps Keep The Irrawaddy’s Mission Alive

We Need Your Support—Your $5 Helps Keep The Irrawaddy’s Mission Alive

March 27, 2025
604

He said the Press Council, a 29-member committee comprised of mostly journalists and 10 government representatives, was talking with the ministry to ensure the bill did not “overlap or conflict with” articles of a separate press law the council is drafting to boost media freedom.

“In fact, it can change, anything we want to change in the draft, so there is no overlap,” said the Press Council member, who is also the editor of Myanmar Dhana business magazine and the newsweekly Open News.

State-run newspapers first revealed the draft Printers and Publishers Registration Law to the public in late February. Days later the ministry submitted the bill to Parliament, although lawmakers have not yet formally considered whether to pass it.

If enacted, the unamended bill would require news agencies to register with a “registration officer” from the ministry’s department for copyrights and registration, and it would also allow the Ministry of Information to revoke or terminate their publication licenses for offenses including “disturbing the rule of law,” “inciting unrest” or “violating the Constitution.”

Critics say that by giving the ministry such broad powers, the proposed law would effectively reinstate media censorship.

“We say registration should not be controlled by the Ministry of Information. They will change that—they have promised to change that,” said Thiha Saw, adding that the assurances were made by the ministry’s director-general, Tint Swe, who once ran Burma’s recently disbanded censorship board.

“Registration should just be business registration, not anything the Ministry [of Information] would control,” he added, suggesting that publications could instead register with the Ministry of Commerce or local authorities. “We’re working on it. That’s what we want.”

Tint Swe could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Ye Htut, the deputy minister of information and a government spokesman, also did not respond to requests for comment about the ministry’s negotiations with the Press Council. Earlier in the week, however, he said Parliament would discuss the bill in July after reconvening from its recess.

“The draft was not discussed during the earlier [parliamentary] session because it was submitted late,” he told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday in an e-mail.

Responding to criticism that the proposed law would restrict media freedom, he said: “The draft bill is not about journalists or the press. It’s about registering printing presses and publishers. It’s to prevent hate speech, pornography and [to protect] public safety.”

‘Mixed Picture’

Thiha Saw said the Press Council would meet again with the ministry to discuss the bill on Sunday, two days after World Press Freedom Day on Friday.

He said the bill would likely be considered in Parliament at the same time as the Press Council’s own draft Press Law, which aims to define reporters’ rights, promote media ethics and boost overall press freedoms for journalists and journal publishers.

“We will submit the draft to Parliament and the Ministry of Information in May,” said Myint Kyaw, another member of the Press Council and secretary of the Myanmar Journalist Network.

Thiha Saw added that before Parliament considers the draft Press Law in July, Press Council members would make their case before lawmakers in the capital.

“Likely in the middle of May, a team from the Press Council will go to Naypyidaw and explain to members of Parliament what we have done so far,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday the government announced that it would allow the publication of 10 more private dailies, bumping the total number to 26.

Private dailies, which were banned under the former regime, were granted licenses to hit newsstands last month, in one of the latest moves by Burma’s nominally civilian government to ease media restrictions. President Thein Sein’s administration has also abolished pre-publication censorship, allowing news agencies to print articles without first submitting them to a censorship board.

Thiha Saw said news coverage of highly sensitive issues—such as recent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims—had improved since pre-publication censorship was dropped in August, with more frequent reporting on the anti-Muslim riots in central Burma last month than the clashes in western Burma that began last June.

“There was more censorship in June,” he said. “But now without so much restriction, we have more coverage.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international press watchdog based in the United States, said it was also closely monitoring the riots in central Burma, which have cast a shadow over the country’s political and economic reforms, and was not aware of any government restrictions on local media there.

“We contacted reporters and asked what restrictions they faced in covering the story, and we haven’t heard anything of people being denied access or of post-publication censorship,” Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s representative on Southeast Asia, told The Irrawaddy this week.

Still, local journalists and activists say media reform is far from over.

“We have gone quite far, but we still need to go a long way before becoming a free press,” Thiha Saw said.

Crispin, who met with more than 30 journalists and editors during a recent visit to Rangoon, criticized the government’s decision to initially send its printers and publishers bill to Parliament without first consulting local journalists.

“The fact that the Ministry of Information was drafting this law, pretty much in the dark without the knowledge of local press groups, shows there is still resistance at the ministry to these liberalizing reforms,” he said.

“It’s a mixed picture, to be sure, but those who have hailed Burma as a media freedom on par with the Philippines and Thailand aren’t looking at the whole picture. We have an incomplete reform story in Burma.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Media
Samantha Michaels

Samantha Michaels

Reuters

Similar Picks:

Elon Musk Calls for Closure of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America
World

Elon Musk Calls for Closure of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America

by Naung Naung
February 10, 2025
7.1k

The billionaire’s call to shut down the US-funded media organizations, which reach hundreds of millions of people globally, follows his...

Read moreDetails
Illustration entitled ‘Rebellious Reporters’ by Harn Lay for The Irrawaddy.
Specials

Our Fight For Press Freedom

by The Irrawaddy
May 3, 2024
103.4k

To mark World Press Freedom Day, The Irrawaddy presents a compendium of its articles on press freedom and the repression...

Read moreDetails
Burma

Myanmar Junta Rages Against E. Timor President After Defection Call

by The Irrawaddy
December 14, 2023
5.2k

The regime’s newspapers were filled with tirades against José Ramos-Horta after he urged junta troops to defect, and its backers...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Football Field Dreams Amid Battlefield Disasters; Regime Propaganda’s Parallel Reality; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Football Field Dreams Amid Battlefield Disasters; Regime Propaganda’s Parallel Reality; and More

by The Irrawaddy
January 20, 2024
4.5k

Also this week, China appeased after Taiwan election, forced recruitment as resistance threatens to decouple main cities, power plea for...

Read moreDetails
Reclaiming Autonomy: Challenging the Narrative of Fragmentation in Myanmar
Guest Column

Reclaiming Autonomy: Challenging the Narrative of Fragmentation in Myanmar

by Zung Ring
June 18, 2024
2.6k

The media’s increasing obsession with ‘national disintegration’ is playing into the junta’s hands and threatening progress toward peaceful federalism.

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Propaganda Boosted to Drown Out Military Defeats; Drone Phobia Grips Regime; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Propaganda Boosted to Drown Out Military Defeats; Drone Phobia Grips Regime; and More

by The Irrawaddy
November 25, 2023
2.3k

Also over the past seven days, Min Aung Hlaing failed to boost morale in battered army, while the junta tried...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Activist Sentenced to 3 Months in Prison for Defaming Police

Activist Sentenced to 3 Months in Prison for Defaming Police

The Dictators: Part 10—Than Shwe Enjoys Absolute Power

The Dictators: Part 9—Than Shwe Becomes King

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Will Myanmar’s Military Replace Its Embattled Leader?

Will Myanmar’s Military Replace Its Embattled Leader?

1 week ago
2.5k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
935

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.