The Burmese junta's Minister of Information refused to accept the resignation of the regime's chief censor, said a government official who requested anonymity.
Major Tint Swe, the director of the Office of Press Scrutiny, which censors the contents of all print media in Burma, submitted to the ministry his resignation letter on 31 July 2008.
However, Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, the Information Minister, refused to accept Tint Swe's resignation.
Sources said one of the major reasons for the chief censor's resignation is the alleged refusal of most leading weeklies to follow the media guidelines issued by the Office of Press Scrutiny following the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis in May this year.
The official, who requested not to be named, said more than half a dozen journals, including the prominent weeklies, "7 Day News," "News Watch," and "First Music" among others, were recently ordered to sign so-called "assertion letters" in which they pledge to comply with the Office of Press Scrutiny's instructions.
"A journal's staff is supposed to sign a petition letter if and when the publisher fails to observe the do's and don'ts prescribed by the censor board. However, several journals have been defying the board's instructions," said the official.
"When you write a report about government departments, it needs to be correct. If you exaggerate or have misconceptions while writing, there will be a problem," Major Tint Swe once told local journalists. "We only allow news that will not have a negative effect on the state or national welfare."
Most of the publishers of journals noted that the censor board's performance has been lackluster, as the growth of the local publishing industry is now beyond its current capacity. There are about 170 publications in Burma, of which 120 are weeklies.
Interestingly, some local journalists claimed that Major Tint Swe, 44, is allegedly sympathetic to the local print media, despite the constraints his government agency regularly imposes on them.
A Rangoon-based editor said members of the local media are worried that a more suppressive censor would replace Major Tint Swe. He said this could be a big blow to the local journals.
He was a former editor in a government publication, "Sit Pyinnyar Journal" ("Military Affairs Journal") and was appointed to his present position in late 2004, when his predecessor Major Aye Tun, was forced to retire when the National Intelligence Bureau headed by former General Khin Nyunt became defunct.
