Myanmar suspends 2 weeklies for violating rules

The Associated Press , Yangon | Fri, 10/03/2008 6:07 PM | World

Myanmar's military authorities ordered two news weeklies to temporarily stop publishing for violating the country's strict press regulations, a news report said Friday.

Authorities suspended the True News weekly for two months and The Action Times for one month, the weekly Myanmar-language Kumudra reported.

It said both weeklies had violated the country's Press Scrutiny Board rules, but did not elaborate.

Myint San, a senior editor at The Action Times, said officials at the weekly were not given any reason for the suspension but it was widely believed to have stemmed from an article about the Sept. 23 release of several political prisoners, including the country's longest-serving political prisoner, Win Tin.

The article was given prominent play on a color page of the weekly, Myint San said. Other newspapers buried the story.

Management at True News could not be reached for comment, but several editors at major news publications wh were informed of the ban said it was because of a recently published photograph showing Myanmar children working at a construction site in neighboring Thailand - a sensitive subject that highlights poverty in Myanmar. The editors spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the junta.

The junta made no public comment but posted a notice of the ban outside the Press Scrutiny Board.

Myanmar has about 140 weekly publications and more than 100 monthly magazines. All articles must go through a censorship process prior to publication.

Press Scrutiny authorities can also order publications to change the size of photographs and the placement of articles to increase or decrease attention to them.

Myanmar has been under military rule for 46 years and is one of the world's poorest and most authoritarian nations.

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