• Burmese
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
30 °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

Govt Donation to Press Council Draw Criticism

Htet Naing Zaw by Htet Naing Zaw
September 4, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Govt Donation to Press Council Draw Criticism

Deputy Information Minister Pike Htwe (right) hands a $50

3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — A $50,000 donation by President Thein Sein to Burma’s interim Press Council on Wednesday has attracted criticism from local journalists. They said accepting the funds could affect the independence of Burmese media organizations and ongoing discussions about new media laws.

During a ceremony in Rangoon, the Deputy Minister for Information Pite Htwe presented a 50,000,000 kyats (around US$50,000) cheque to the press body. “Today, I’m assigned by the President’s Office to hand over the money to Press Council as a means of support,” he said, adding, “It will not interfere with the council’s independence.”

The financial assistance came two days after the first meeting between President Thein Sein and the council’s leading members in Naypyidaw. During the meeting the president offered the donation and agreed to renew the validity of the council.

RelatedPosts

Israel-Iran Conflict: Latest Developments

Israel-Iran Conflict: Latest Developments

June 17, 2025
21
China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

June 17, 2025
422
Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

June 16, 2025
1k

Thein Sein ordered the formation of the council on Sep 17 last year in order to help create a code of ethics for Burmese media and aid the creation of new media laws.

Kyaw Min Swe, the council’s secretary, said during the ceremony in Rangoon that Thein Sein had offered the $50,000-donation because he “felt sorry” to learn that the council had been self-funded since its inception.

“He recognized our council’s efforts and explained that he had a plan to support us — with no strings attached — through the government budget,” said Kyaw Min Swe, adding, “We didn’t mention a single word about wanting a donation from him.”

Since assuming office in 2011, Thein Sein’s reformist government has lifted many of the restrictions that curtailed Burma’s media during past decades of military rule. Media censorship was abolished and daily newspapers were allowed to start publication in April this year.

New laws concerning media freedom are currently being drafted and discussed, but disagreements have arisen between the government and the interim Press Council, with the latter claiming that the current draft laws could be used to restrict media freedoms.

The interim Press Council has been in talks with the Information Ministry about the new Press Law, but both sides disagree on a range of issues. The bill is due for a first discussion in the Upper House soon.

The Printing and Publishers Law has already been approved by the Lower House, but it has been criticized for giving the government broad powers to issue and revoke publication licenses. The council has threatened to resign if the law is passed in the Upper House.

The Public Service Media Bill, which would regulate Burma’s state-linked media, has been better received by media freedom organizations and local journalists. But it has been criticized for continuing state funding for government newspapers such as The New Light of Myanmar and for not giving sufficient independence to public broadcasters.

Some journalists questioned the council’s decision to accept government funding while it was holding important discussions with the Ministry of Information on these new media laws.

“I don’t understand why they accept this money from the president,” said Thiha Saw, editor-in-chief of English-language newspaper The Myanmar Freedom Daily and a council member. “Our Press Council has been self-funded since the beginning,” he said. “Why did they do this now, when the council is one year old?”

Thiha Thwe, a Burmese journalist working for Japan’s NHK news agency, said accepting the president’s donation would complicate the ongoing discussions between the government and journalists. “Given the situation that we have now with them, there could be misunderstandings,” he said, adding, “If he [Thein Sein] wants to be generous to us, he should have done this before.”

Dr Than Htut Aung, the CEO of the Eleven Media Group, said on the group’s website that the council should have turned down the government money. “Whether the government has a hidden agenda or not [in making the donation], the Press council shouldn’t take that much money from the government, especially during a time when the Press Law is still under debate,” he said.

However, Interim Press Council member Myint Kyaw defended the body’s decision to accept the large donation from the president, adding that it would not undermine the media’s independence.

“Everyone knows that we have financed the council from our own pockets, and that we have struggled. So that’s why we should accept the donation, as there’s no strings attached,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Htet Naing Zaw

Htet Naing Zaw

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

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

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

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.3k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.3k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

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

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.9k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.7k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann Meets Wa Rebels

Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann Meets Wa Rebels

Policeman Shoots Dead Superior in Mandalay Police Office

Policeman Shoots Dead Superior in Mandalay Police Office

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

4 days ago
1.2k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

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

6 days ago
1.2k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Defusing the Thai-Cambodian Border Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    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.