Tue 12 Mar 2013
Filed under: Inside Burma,Media,News
The Press Council (Interim) still has yet to receive a reply from the President over the complaint letter they have submitted more than ten days ago about their objection against the printing and publishing bill.
In their seven-point complaint letter, the press council states that the press bill contradicts and deters the media bill being drafted by the council. The council has been formed by the President Office and has been drafting the media law with agreement from the Information Minister.
“They (the President Office) themselves formed the Press Council (Interim). Also, the Information Minister himself told the press council to redraft the media law from zero draft. Now they tricked us and submitted the Printing and Publishing bill to the Parliament after drafting it in a rush. This seems to overstep the authority (of the press council),” said a member of the press council, who requested not to be named.
“The Press Council (Interim) was formed under the arrangement of the President Office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, so they have the responsibility. Now, they still haven’t replied to our letter of objection. I feel that both the President and the Information Minister are not gentlemen,” he added.
On August 11 2012, the government announced the formation of Myanmar Core Press Council, but the journalists, media, and journalist organizations have protested against the council.
After Aung Kyi became the Information Minister in August, he met with representatives from journalist organizations to reform the Press Core Council and draft the press media bill on September 9. During the meeting, he told the press council to discard the former media law drafted under the administration of the previous Information Minister and draft a new print media law from a “zero draft”.
On September 17 2012, the Myanmar Core Press Council was abolished and the Press Council (Interim) was reformed.
The newly reformed Press Council (Interim) held a workshop last January to invite feedback and suggestions from the journalists for the media ethics and the print media law bill.