Narinjara New’s chief editor U Khaing Mrat Kyaw made a call to the Union Minister of Information Dr. Pe Myint to provide broadcast radio channels for ethnic minorities in the Rakhine State.
The call was made during a meeting between the officials from the Ministry of Information including the minister and representatives from the BNI at the ministry’s guest-hall at 1 pm on May 2.
“Khami, Mro, Thet, and Daingnet (Chakma), which are sub-tribes of the Rakhine people, are minorities and the majority of them can’t speak in Burmese and they only know a little bit in the Rakhine language. They don’t know Burmese. Their eyes and ears have been completely shut off. While we are meeting with the Minister of Information, we want to request [the ministry] to broadcast radio channels for these minorities in their own languages,” said U Khaing Mrat Kyaw.
He continued that the population of Khami, Mro, Thet, and Daingnet (Chakma) tribes are slowly declining in the Rakhine State and these tribes may disappear in the future if the government does not draft a plan to protect them.
“We requested the government to broadcast programs in their languages from the government’s Mayu FM or other suitable FMs even if radio programs like community radios can’t be provided at the moment. The Minister of Information looked interested. He told the director generals, who attended the meeting, to take down notes on my request,” he said.
U Khing Mrat Kyaw said the ministry has plans to establish radio programs for ethnic people and he hopes they will be implemented soon.
“The Ministry of Information currently has plans to distribute around 10,000 radios. We were told that these radios will also be distributed to these ethnic tribes. I hope the Ministry of Information will consider my request to broadcast radio programs for Rakhine ethnic tribes,” he added.
Issues on sustainability and development of ethnic media, broadcast of ethnic TV programs on state-owned TV channels, and publishing of ethnic news on state-owned printed media have been discussed during the meeting with the Union Minister of Information Dr. Pe Myint and officials from the BNI on May 2.
The Union Minister of Information U Pe Myint, Deputy Minister of Information U Aung Hla Tun, and officials attend from the ministry’s side while Hinthar Media’s director Min Banyar San, Narinjara News’ chief editor U Khaing Mrat Kyaw, BNI’s managing director U Nyo Min, and three other officials attended from the BNI’s side.
