• Burmese
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °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
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • 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
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Burmese President Opens Online Postbox

by The Irrawaddy
September 11, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Burmese President Opens Online Postbox

The icon on the President's Office website which invites the public to voice their opinions.

3.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Over the past few months President Thein Sein has gone out on a limb to appear PR-savvy, media-friendly and all-inclusive.

Now his office has gone one step further in opening an online postbox, allowing ordinary citizens to vent their opinions, criticize the government, ask questions, make appeals, and even accuse officials of bribery and corruption.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Force Sagaing Resistance Retreat

Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Force Sagaing Resistance Retreat

November 29, 2023
330
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

November 29, 2023
2.6k
FACT CHECK: Exposing the Myanmar Junta’s Lies on Operation 1027 

FACT CHECK: Exposing the Myanmar Junta’s Lies on Operation 1027 

November 29, 2023
621

The interactive move began on Friday and the official website has already received more than 50 messages, according to the director-general of the President’s Office, Maj Zaw Htay, who himself posted comments on Facebook encouraging a public response.

Zaw Htay noted, however, that the majority of the messages received to date had been sent anonymously despite the requirement for all users to list their names, email addresses, phone numbers, ID card numbers and places of residence—an indication, perhaps, that an air of distrust still pervades Burmese cyberspace.

Zaw Htay also stated on his page that the President welcomes the public’s suggestions about reform, that they should express their concerns, and report cases of corruption, abuse of power or other complaints.

Over the past year since Thein Sein took power, a culture of submitting written letters of complaint and petitions to the President’s Office has become popular culture in Burma, especially among farmers who claim their lands have been seized, factory workers and other low-paid laborers, and victims of corrupt administrators.

The most popular case was overwhelmingly the outpouring of opposition to the construction of the Myitsone Dam project at the confluence of the Irrawaddy River. The campaign was ultimately proved successful a year ago when the president ordered a postponement of the project.

“The public can never know whether their letters of complaint are taken seriously,” said the general-secretary No. 1 of the Unity and Diversity Party (UDP), Aung Myo Oo, who met with Thein Sein in August at his office in Naypyidaw.

Aung Myo Oo said he and his party colleagues are also working to help farmers with land issues. UDP leader Nay Myo Wai is currently facing trial after being sued by the Zaykabar Company for defamation. The company, owned by parliamentarian Khin Shwe, allegedly confiscated farmland in Rangoon’s Mingaladon Township.

Aung Myo Oo said the president appears to be taking the matter of public affairs seriously and had raised the issue of letters of complaint during their meeting.

Observers have roundly applauded the president for his reformist moves, and say he is moving with the times. Until now, most commentators say, it has been widely perceived among the public that any disputes or social issues are not dealt with seriously unless they are publicized in the media.

President Thein Sein last week appointed four new ministers to the President’s Office, despite some objections by MPs at the recent parliamentary session which ended on Friday. The president said these four new ministers will help improve efficiency within the administration as it deals with issues of reform and the peace process.

Pe Myint, the editor of the weekly People’s Age journal based in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that “The government should create a mechanism to collaborate with the representatives of abused people in order to solve their problems.”

Maung Lwin, a farmer at the Bawnetgyi village in the Pegu region told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the township authorities have just begun an investigation into their letter of complaint about a corrupt village administrator. “We submitted the letter two weeks ago and now all 54 villagers have been summoned by the Pegu township administrator to testify about the village administrator’s wrongdoing,” he said.

Nay Win, a resident of Pegu, said this incident marks the first time he has heard of the authorities taking public action against one of their own.

Thein Sein welcomed all the new ministers on Monday, referring to them as public servants who are to “take the initiative without awaiting directives from their superiors or for criticism of the media to shape the government response.”

But Burma still lacks “information-transparency,” said Pe Myint. “The government should regularly release information by holding press conferences on each relevant sector,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Previous Post

Burmese Lawyers Push to Save Colonial Buildings

Next Post

Indonesian Men are World’s Top Smokers

The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

November 28, 2023
53.5k
Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

November 27, 2023
27.8k
Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

November 25, 2023
26k
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

September 14, 2023
23.2k
Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta

Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta

August 18, 2023
21.1k
Has China Lost Control of Ethnic Armies in Myanmar’s War-Torn Borderland?

Has China Lost Control of Ethnic Armies in Myanmar’s War-Torn Borderland?

November 6, 2023
18.3k
Load More
Next Post
Indonesian Men are World’s Top Smokers

Indonesian Men are World’s Top Smokers

China Sends Patrol Ships to Islands Held by Japan

China Sends Patrol Ships to Islands Held by Japan

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Echoes of 2017 Genocide as Myanmar Junta Imposes ‘Four Cuts’ on Rakhine

Echoes of 2017 Genocide as Myanmar Junta Imposes ‘Four Cuts’ on Rakhine

6 days ago
6.9k
Illusion of Myanmar Military’s Indispensability Has Been Shattered

Illusion of Myanmar Military’s Indispensability Has Been Shattered

1 day ago
4.2k

Most Read

  • Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

    Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Continues to Suffer Defeats a Month Into Operation 1027

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Illusion of Myanmar Military’s Indispensability Has Been Shattered

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

    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

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
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • 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.