Burma’s notorious online defamation law remains the tool of choice for powerful people in the country who seek to punish those who are trying to hold them accountable, and the amendment of the law in August has had “no discernible impact” on this, says a new report by the rights groups Free Expression Myanmar.
A lawsuit against the Eleven Media Group should be dropped immediately, according to right groups calling on Burma’s government to reform restrictive media laws.
Hla Phone, who was accused of posting insulting images and comments on Facebook, was found guilty of violating Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law.
Speaking at a conference on media development in Naypyidaw, Information Minister Pe Myint urges the media to use caution when reporting sensitive news.
The case against Hla Phone, who is accused of posting insulting images of Burma’s military chief and former president Thein Sein on Facebook, is based on a controversial telecommunications law.
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A new report by Human Rights Watch notes that lawsuits and arrests aimed at curtailing free speech have continued under the NLD government.
“Our mission is a society of dignity, but I feel that our mission has failed,” said Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who established the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival in 2013.
Burma’s media community is divided over whether to back the country’s government-sponsored Press Council or to push for further reforms.
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Burma’s private media operators, arguing that state-owned outlets have an unfair advantage, call for an end to government control.
“Now, artists have started moving on,” said Min Lwin, who opened Gallery 65 in Rangoon in 2010. “They are looking more into culturally subversive matters.”
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Observers of press freedom in Burma have slammed the government for implementing a total ban on members of the media from entering the country’s parliament.
In a letter sent on World Press Freedom Day by the military, the country’s media have been warned against covering statements from the Kokang militia.
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Politicians still view free press “as a threat that must be contained,” says Shawn Crispin of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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Groups ready to perform the traditional art of Thangyat – a mix of comedy and satire – have been warned off certain issues.
Burmese journalists take to the streets in Rangoon to mark the UN International Day to End Impunity For Crimes Against Journalists.
Burmese official defends a recent government decision to reintroduce the old censorship system for direct-to-video films.
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A President Office’s official claimed on Wednesday that the government has reached an agreement with Facebook to monitor hate speech.
A controversial book of “adult fiction” by writer Aung Yin Nyein has been pulled from the shelves of Burma’s bookstores after critics complained that the erotic novel is “obscene”.
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The jailing of Zaw Pe, a journalist for the DVB, and the imprisonment of several journalists from Unity journal is a typical example of government doubletalk on press freedom and political reforms. This is the real nature of the still military controlled “civilian” government. It fears transparency.
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Panellists on DVB Debate discuss whether the government is trying to remain in control of the press by invoking current laws that actually stop journalists from doing their jobs.
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Lu Min, actor and chairman of Myanmar [Burma] Motion Picture Association (MMPA), told DVB that he will not seek reappointment for the coming year.
Legislation intended to transform current State media into a Public Service Media was introduced to Parliament on Monday, despite continuing censorship and budgetary concerns.
The trial of four journalists and the CEO of Unity Weekly journal, charged with violating the State Secrets Act, began on Monday at Pakokku district court.
Press bodies across Burma are united in their condemnation of the continuing detention of five journalists, saying it is reminiscent of the previous military regime.
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World Bank support for the fledgling Burmese telecommunications market may well exacerbate civil society concerns.
The publisher of The Sunlight weekly news journal, Yu Naing, has confirmed that the publication has been permanently closed down following a dispute over its editorial integrity.
A draft of Burma’s highly-anticipated broadcasting law, which will pave the way for private enterprises including DVB to broadcast legally in the country for the first time, contains several troubling provisions that could restrict press freedom, media analysts have warned.
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There has been an explosion of artistic expression across Burma, and artists and comedians are using the country’s reform process as inspiration.
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At a time when Burma is navigating its way through a democratic transition, is it appropriate to give the press free reign or should the media be regulated until the country is more stable?
Filmmakers in Burma are slowly producing movies again, in a country once under strict military rule and government censorship. Since the quasi-civilian government started to introduce sweeping reforms, there has[…]
