A threat by Rangoon chief minister Myint Swe to prosecute news media that cover the current sectarian violence in the western state of Arakan in an irresponsible manner has highlighted the fragility of recent improvements in media freedom. Myint Swe issued his warning during a news conference on 10 June in which he accused the media “enflaming the conflict” in Arakan.
Speaking at the same news conference, Gen. Tint Swe, the head of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) told the media that all news reports would have to be submitted to his department before publication, in effect restoring the system of prior censorship in effect under the military junta that handed over to a civilian government last year.
Despite an increasing military and police presence, the tension continues to mount in Arakan with a new outbreak of violence on 10 June that left five wounded. The clashes were sparked by the discovery of the body of an Arakanese girl, an apparent rape victim, on 29 May in the village of Maung Taw.
“This marks a very disturbing step backwards by the government in its dealings with the media, especially as Tint Swe had previously said the PSRD would cease to exist at the end of the month,” Reporters Without Borders and the its partner organization, the Burma Media
