Media News - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Burma must abolish censorship department: journalism group

Burma should dismantle its censorship department and repeal all laws that continue to allow suppression of news in the name of national security, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Monday. The CPJ said it considers the government’s announcement that it will abolish prior censorship a partial measure in addressing the country's restrictive practices. Tint Swe, the head of the Burmese government's censorship arm, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD), told a group of newspaper editors in Rangoon on Monday that they would be no longer required to submit advance copies of their publications for government review. An announcement was also carried on the PSRD's website. News journals will now be required to submit copies of their publications to the PSRD after publication. Authorities had earlier vowed to abolish the PSRD after ending pre-publication censorship, but Monday's official announcement indicated the censorship body would remain in place and wield the same powers to sanction and suspend publications after the fact for alleged violations of the government's press scrutiny policies and other laws, according to reports by observers of Burma’s media. (Mizzima)

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