Published
Saturday, August 4, 2007 - 20:33
RSF calls for end to crackdown on journalists prompted by Danish hoax
Reporters Without Borders today called on the government to halt an unfair crackdown on Burmese journalists that was set off by the publication of a spoof Danish ad. According to Democratic Voice of Burma, the censorship bureau has issued 28 new rules to the news media at the information ministry's behest. They include a ban on ads in any other language but Burmese or English.
Reporters without borders
Press release
2 August 2007
Burma
Danish hoax prompts censors to issue stricter rules for news media.
Reporters Without Borders today called on the government to halt an unfair crackdown on Burmese journalists that was set off by the publication of a spoof Danish ad. According to Democratic Voice of Burma, the censorship bureau has issued 28 new rules to the news media at the information ministry's behest. They include a ban on ads in any other language but Burmese or English.
According to the Associated Press, editors and managing editors will henceforth be held responsible for the authenticity and identity of any agency that wants to place an ad. Advertisements that "tarnish the dignity and honour of an individual, harm national unity or cause misunderstanding among nationalities" are now banned.
The crackdown was prompted by an ad in the 23 July issue of the Myanmar Times weekly for a non-existent Danish travel agency called "Ewhsnahtrellik." Read backwards, this says "killer Than Shwe" and clearly refers to Gen. Than Shwe, the head of the military junta. The Myanmar Times is closely controlled by the regime and 10 of its employees were questioned by the censorship bureau after the secret message was discovered.
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific
Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
5 rue Geoffroy Marie
75009 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
[email protected]
Press release
2 August 2007
Burma
Danish hoax prompts censors to issue stricter rules for news media.
Reporters Without Borders today called on the government to halt an unfair crackdown on Burmese journalists that was set off by the publication of a spoof Danish ad. According to Democratic Voice of Burma, the censorship bureau has issued 28 new rules to the news media at the information ministry's behest. They include a ban on ads in any other language but Burmese or English.
According to the Associated Press, editors and managing editors will henceforth be held responsible for the authenticity and identity of any agency that wants to place an ad. Advertisements that "tarnish the dignity and honour of an individual, harm national unity or cause misunderstanding among nationalities" are now banned.
The crackdown was prompted by an ad in the 23 July issue of the Myanmar Times weekly for a non-existent Danish travel agency called "Ewhsnahtrellik." Read backwards, this says "killer Than Shwe" and clearly refers to Gen. Than Shwe, the head of the military junta. The Myanmar Times is closely controlled by the regime and 10 of its employees were questioned by the censorship bureau after the secret message was discovered.
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific
Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
5 rue Geoffroy Marie
75009 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
[email protected]
