But for many civil rights activists who had called for parliament to repeal the Telecommunications Act, lawmakers have failed to tackle the issue.

The freelancer allegedly posted a tongue-in-cheek comment on Facebook, but then called Khet Aung "the worst chief minister" in the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi is treating the press in Burma poorly, and that may impede her efforts to democratise the conflict-wrought country.

Critics have slammed the Telecommunications Act as a government and military tool used to crush dissent and silence the media.

A court in Rangoon this week added to the legal woes of the chief editor and a regular satire columnist for The Voice Daily newspaper, accepting a lawsuit brought against the pair under Burma’s News Media Law.

Three journalists arrested in Shan State are likely to be handed over to police “soon,” a senior government official says, as questions mount as to why the men were detained and pressure grows on the military to reveal their whereabouts nearly 48 hours after they were taken into custody.