Narinjara News Agency, a member of Burma News International (BNI) has received its publishing licence allowing it to publish a Burmese language newspaper in Burma according to the Chief Editor U Khaing Myrat Kyaw.
He said: “We submitted a proposal [for a publishing licence] on 29th January 2014 but it was rejected. We submitted a fresh proposal on 27th October and received our publishing licence on 7th November.
“After we made our first proposal minister U Ye Htut told us to wait until new media regulations came out, so we waited. When the new rules and regulations came out [on 10th October 2014] they urged us to propose again.”
Narinjara News Agency was established as an online website in 2002. Their printed newspaper will start publishing in December and will have two issues a month.
U Khaing Myrat Kyaw said: “We will distribute mainly in Arakan State but also in places where there are large populations of Arakanese people.
U Zinn Linn, the managing editor of Burma News International (BNI), an umbrella organisation for Narinjara and other ethnic media organisations, said: “Amongst the ethnic news publications that are BNI members Karen News, Shan Herald, Than Lwin Times and the Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA) publish newspapers.
“Chin World used to publish a newspaper till last year. They had to stop due to lack of finances but they hope to start printing again soon. All the other members are going to apply for publishing licences, but even if they get their licences they may have problems publishing due to lack of finances.”
As for Narinjara he said: “Narinjara has waited for nearly a year [to get a publishing Licence]. In ethnic areas people are behind the news and have access to information late. If newspapers based in ethnic areas could reach villages people would gain more knowledge and would have a better overall view of what is happening.”
He also cautioned that though ethnic media organisations are allowed to publish it cannot be said that there is complete freedom of the press. Though there is more freedom than previously a publication’s publishing licence can be withdrawn if the government does not agree with what they publish.
Government rules and regulations for the licensing and publishing of any newspaper or magazine were drawn up by the Ministry Of Information in 2013 and became law on 10th October 2014. These regulations replaced the Registration Law for Publications and Publishers (1962).
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
