Myanmar abolishes censorship of private publications

BANGKOK The government of Myanmar said Monday it would no longer censor private publications, a move journalists described as a major step toward media freedom in a country where military governments have tried for decades to control the flow of information.

The announcement was made to editors Monday and posted on a government website.

All publications in Myanmar are exempt from the scrutiny of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department, the government said in a terse statement.

Private publications in Myanmar have been thriving since President Thein Sein began taking steps last year to open up the country's economy and move the country toward democracy.

This is a very significant step a big change, U Ko Ko, owner of the Yangon Times, said by phone. It is in line with a democratic society. We have been working with censorship for almost five decades.

U Tint Swe, a top official in the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department, told journalists that government censorship had been in place for 48 years and 14 days, according to one participant in the meeting.

U Thiha Saw, vice president of the Myanmar Journalist Association and the editor of two private weekly publications, sees media freedom as a barometer for the reform process in the country.

He said he was optimistic that a series of changes, including a press law being drafted by the government, would allow Myanmar a level of press freedom unimaginable during the days of military rule.

We won't be as free as the Philippine press or the Thai press, Thiha Saw said. But we will be much more liberal than Cambodia, Vietnam or Singapore.

In preparing to draft the law, the government consulted with experts from UNESCO. The press law will be introduced in Parliament in the coming weeks.

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Myanmar abolishes censorship of private publications