Posted on 05/26/2005 11:16:27 PM PDT by LwinAungSoe
If someone inside Burma happened to browse www.mizzima.com in the past, he or she must have found the following page:
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ACCESS HAS BEEN DENIED -
Access to the page:
http://www.mizzima.com/archives/news-in-2004/news-in-jul/21-jul04-21.htm
... has been denied for the following reason:
Banned site: mizzima.com
You are seeing this error because the page you attempted to access contains, or is labelled as containing, material that has been deemed inappropriate.
If you have any queries contact your ICT Co-ordinator or Network Manager.
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It is not because Mizzima News is a pornographic website or that of a terrorist organisation. It is an independent news agency run by Burmese journalists, focusing on Burma’s current situation and related issues including, the human rights violation in Burma.
However, this ban on www.mizzima.com was quietly lifted by the Burmese authorities recently. Although the exact reason and the date of lifting the ban is not available (Burmese junta usually does not make any announcement of any ban or its withdrawal), people from Burma have been conveying to Mizzima News their happiness that they can now directly read Mizzima News on Internet.
However, it cannot be ruled out that the withdrawal of the ban might be accidental, or that it can be imposed once again.
Commenting on the development, Thomas Hughes from Copenhagen-based International Media Support (IMS) said: "It is a positive development that the Mizzima website is no longer being blocked. Although much still remains to be done, this will go some way to helping provide easier and freer access to information for people in Burma. Hopefully other important websites and sources of reliable and objective information will also become more accessible in the near future."
Burma, which has been under successive military rules for more than four decades, is deprived from accessing World Wide Web. Only a few hundred elites and government departments are allowed full access to it. Internet is not open to the public and a few thousands are granted email access for professional purposes. Even those email communications are stringently scanned by the authorities. The now abolished military intelligence was notoriously known for strict monitoring of Internet access of the citizens. The Paris-based Reporters Without Border (RSF) have termed Burma as "world's largest prison for journalists" with 12 journalists still behind the bars.
Theories over Lifting the ban
Some journalists in Rangoon have in recent days noted the sign of a change in the government's attitude towards media, which is otherwise under a tight control of the military government.
In a recent interview with the BBC's Burmese radio service, U Hla Htwe, patron of the Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club in Rangoon, said he thought that even under the present circumstances, Burma would have a quasi-free press, if not a "completely free press". Offering the reason for his optimism, he cited the example of a recent press briefing after the May 7 serial blasts in Rangoon. The Government had allowed full coverage of the briefing including, all the questions and answers.
A Rangoon-based editor also observed that the "situation was the beginning of an end to media suppression in Burma", adding that the opportunity must be utilised tactfully to have a greater media freedom.
Meanwhile, Burmese authorities granted licenses late last week for publication of at least four journals. The journals include a weekly, "Yangon Post" to be run by Myat Khine, editor of The GoodNews (Kaung Tha Din). Previously, the Burmese authorities were highly sensitive to the word 'post' and did not allow any such title.
A well-informed source in Rangoon said the regime’s top man, Senior General Than Shwe was apparently getting softer to the local media. It is said that he spends hours every day browsing internet.
A Rangoon-based Burmese journalist told Mizzima News: "Several websites of organisations having political leaning and news oriented media, which were previously banned in Burma, have recently started functioning. These websites include RSF’s www.rsf.org and the website of Burmese media people in-exile - www.bma-online.net (Burma Media Association).
This augers well for Burma, which may be eventually moving to opening up itself to the outside world and its own citizens. However, no one can be absolutely sure about the regime’s tricks and hoodwinking". Or it may be a clever attempt on the part of the regime to divide Burma’s independent media which mainly functions outside the country.
According to some sceptic journalists in Burma, the fact that few websites are now accessible is because of technical errors on the part of the Internet Server Controller, and not due to a shift in the government policy.
They point out that several Burma-oriented websites, such as www.irrawaddy.org, www.khitpyaing.org, www.burmaproject.org and www.burmalibrary.org are still banned by the authorities in the country. The Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com), which is critical of the Burmese military regime, is blocked as well.
It is however, reported that many of the people, regularly using Internet inside Burma, know how to crack into the banned websites by using various proxy websites including www.anonymizer.com.
FRee Burma!!
Have any ambassadors been visiting there lately?
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