The media was forbidden from covering any parliamentary sessions of the first Karen State Hluttaw (parliament) during its five-year term from 2010 to 2015 local reporters told KIC on 29 January.
Ko Sann Pwint, a Hpa-An based reporter from the Myitmakha Media Group, said that journalists were unable to cover any parliamentary sessions because there was a lack of transparency from the authorities who put up many restrictions and repeatedly denied journalists’ requests to be allowed to attend parliamentary sessions.
He said: “There is no link or transparency between the State Hluttaw and local news media. Whenever we went there to ask questions, we were always denied so we become dejected and stopped trying to cover the parliament news. No reporter has been allowed to cover the Karen State Hluttaw during its five-year parliament term.”
Media attempting to cover the parliamentary sessions included: KIC News, Mizzima, 7Day, Hittai, and Myitmakha.
Mann Hla Myaing, the first Karen State Hluttaw’s Deputy Speaker said that journalists who wanted to cover parliamentary sessions had to ask for permission and submit their National Registration Cards and the name of the media group they were working for a week before they wanted to start covering news. Even then, they would still not be allowed into parliament during parliamentary sessions.
He said: ““We allowed them to cover the parliament news, but it had to be in line with procedures. I saw other observation groups visiting the parliament once or two times. I never saw reporters coming here to cover the news throughout the whole term.”
Though there were 12 regular and emergency parliamentary sessions during the Karen Hluttaw’s first term, but journalists were unable to cover any of them.
Saw Myint Thu, a Hpa-An resident, said: “We can only find out the activities of the government and the parliament through the media. We knew nothing about what the [Karen State] Hluttaw was doing and what laws were being drafted and enacted. We only knew a little. We hope that the new Hluttaw will not act in the same way towards the media.”
In the first Karen State Hluttaw from 2010 to 2015 Saw Aung Kyaw Min was the Speaker and Mann Hla Myaing was the Deputy Speaker. There were 19 MPs in the Hluttaw, including five appointed military MPs.
The last session of the first Karen State Hluttaw ended on 29 January 2016.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
