“It is evident that Michael Kyaw Myint used a telecommunications network to post libellous writings about the chief minister of Yangon.”

Burma’s lower house of parliament today approved a bill granting the government power to oversee public misuse of the Internet.

Hundreds of party faithful rallied at a staging grounds in Taungoo on Saturday morning in a show of support for beleaguered State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy’s longtime figurehead.

The decision marks the end of a four-month ordeal that began when The Voice Daily duo were arrested for a satirical column lampooning Burma’s military.

In a surprise Friday announcement, the Tatmadaw said that it will be dropping charges it had brought against six journalists, including a high-profile “unlawful association” case it had brought against two reporters from DVB and one from The Irrawaddy news outlet.

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