Translated : Important stage in the political reform: After almost 50 years of state control there the first time free, privately funded newspapers in Burma. Also the party of opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi has one of the new leaves.
Rangoon - "Now we have a chance to open our eyes and ears", the citizen of Win Maw said Monday in Burma's largest city Rangoon when buying a freshly printed newspaper. "When we had only state-run newspapers, I have only read the obituaries." On 1 April, four new, privately funded newspapers were on the newsstands the Southeast Asian country. These are the first non-state-controlled print media for almost 50 years.
As part of its reform program, the successor civilian government by the military junta has 16 publishers issues licenses to newspapers, since Monday they are effective. Among the approved newspapers are also publications of the ruling party USDP by President Thein Sein as well as the opposition party NLD to resistance icon Aung San Suu Kyi. One of the new leaves on Monday reported on the front page about the clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in the country, a taboo subject.
This ends nearly a half century of government censorship of the media.During the dictatorship, the state had a monopoly on news media, private publishers could bring out only censored weeklies. The time of the military junta from 1962 to 2010 Burma's media landscape was recognized as one of the most oppressed. The new civilian government is mostly from retired generals, however, President Thein Sein, also an ex-general, embarked on a course of reform and pushing ahead with the opening of the country.
Media pressure from abroad
Without pitfalls made another move toward freedom of the press is not.The government had not yet used it in March, bringing a press law in the way that would regulate the new publications. The bill looked to ban the reporting of the constitution drafted by the military command in 2008. In addition, messages should be prohibited, which could "disturb law and order", "inciting riots" or "violating the Constitution and other applicable laws." After heavy criticism from journalists from home and abroad, the project was postponed. It is anticipated that the new draft law fails liberal and is approved by the Parliament soon.
It is doubtful whether the market in Burma is large enough to hold long term so many different newspapers."The audience is not particularly large, and it is questionable whether there is enough advertising to cover your costs of all these new papers," said Ko Ko, vice president of the Union of Journalists in Burma, the dpa. "I think that will survive only a handful of newspapers."
Others seemed more optimistic. "Between 1948 and 1962 there has been a lot more newspapers," said Kyaw Min Swe, chief editor of the new newspaper "The Daily Voice". "Today 16 newspapers are not so much because the country's population has grown and it is potentially also be a rise in the economic sector." Taxi drivers Win Tun, 52, is euphoric behavior, sure, he is delighted to be informed faster and current, but "as a reader I can not allow myself to buy all the newspapers every day," he told the AP.Nevertheless, he considers that the introduction of the leaves for a major development in his poverty-stricken homeland. While he was previously informed with three weekly magazines, "we'll get the news every day now, not just once a week. It is for those who do not have access to the Internet, the best way to get information."
Around 55 million people live in the country between India and Thailand, many of them too young to remember a free press. One who was before the military dictatorship editor, is the 81-year-old journalist Khin Maung Lay, the new Chief Editor of the newspaper "Fresh Golden Land", one of four new sheets, which are available since Monday. "We have waited 50 years for this day," said the maker of the AP sheet - and was pleased with a sold out first printing of 80,000 copies. Also it the challenges of unpredictable media landscape Burma are aware, but the ravening paragraph of his paper makes the veterans courage: "But it shows how much people yearn to free newspapers this morning I cried when I saw it.".
Rangoon - "Now we have a chance to open our eyes and ears", the citizen of Win Maw said Monday in Burma's largest city Rangoon when buying a freshly printed newspaper. "When we had only state-run newspapers, I have only read the obituaries." On 1 April, four new, privately funded newspapers were on the newsstands the Southeast Asian country. These are the first non-state-controlled print media for almost 50 years.
As part of its reform program, the successor civilian government by the military junta has 16 publishers issues licenses to newspapers, since Monday they are effective. Among the approved newspapers are also publications of the ruling party USDP by President Thein Sein as well as the opposition party NLD to resistance icon Aung San Suu Kyi. One of the new leaves on Monday reported on the front page about the clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in the country, a taboo subject.
This ends nearly a half century of government censorship of the media.During the dictatorship, the state had a monopoly on news media, private publishers could bring out only censored weeklies. The time of the military junta from 1962 to 2010 Burma's media landscape was recognized as one of the most oppressed. The new civilian government is mostly from retired generals, however, President Thein Sein, also an ex-general, embarked on a course of reform and pushing ahead with the opening of the country.
Media pressure from abroad
Without pitfalls made another move toward freedom of the press is not.The government had not yet used it in March, bringing a press law in the way that would regulate the new publications. The bill looked to ban the reporting of the constitution drafted by the military command in 2008. In addition, messages should be prohibited, which could "disturb law and order", "inciting riots" or "violating the Constitution and other applicable laws." After heavy criticism from journalists from home and abroad, the project was postponed. It is anticipated that the new draft law fails liberal and is approved by the Parliament soon.
It is doubtful whether the market in Burma is large enough to hold long term so many different newspapers."The audience is not particularly large, and it is questionable whether there is enough advertising to cover your costs of all these new papers," said Ko Ko, vice president of the Union of Journalists in Burma, the dpa. "I think that will survive only a handful of newspapers."
Others seemed more optimistic. "Between 1948 and 1962 there has been a lot more newspapers," said Kyaw Min Swe, chief editor of the new newspaper "The Daily Voice". "Today 16 newspapers are not so much because the country's population has grown and it is potentially also be a rise in the economic sector." Taxi drivers Win Tun, 52, is euphoric behavior, sure, he is delighted to be informed faster and current, but "as a reader I can not allow myself to buy all the newspapers every day," he told the AP.Nevertheless, he considers that the introduction of the leaves for a major development in his poverty-stricken homeland. While he was previously informed with three weekly magazines, "we'll get the news every day now, not just once a week. It is for those who do not have access to the Internet, the best way to get information."
Around 55 million people live in the country between India and Thailand, many of them too young to remember a free press. One who was before the military dictatorship editor, is the 81-year-old journalist Khin Maung Lay, the new Chief Editor of the newspaper "Fresh Golden Land", one of four new sheets, which are available since Monday. "We have waited 50 years for this day," said the maker of the AP sheet - and was pleased with a sold out first printing of 80,000 copies. Also it the challenges of unpredictable media landscape Burma are aware, but the ravening paragraph of his paper makes the veterans courage: "But it shows how much people yearn to free newspapers this morning I cried when I saw it.".
Source: Spiegel
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