The military that ran Myanmar for decades will continue to play a major role in the country, said the former general who has presided over the transformation of a nation that only three years ago was considered one of the world’s most repressive.YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s newly assertive press corps has staged a rally against the suspension of two weekly magazines in a once-unthinkable act of defiance against government censors.
Dressed in black T-shirts that read “Stop Killing Media,” about 60 journalists held a petition drive to collect signatures from members of the media. The petition, addressed to President Thien Sein, calls for an end to censorship.
Thein Sein has eased censorship as part of sweeping reforms after decades of repressive military rule, but some forms of control still exist, as authorities made clear by suspending the Voice Weekly and Envoy this past week.
The Press Scrutiny Board informed the two weeklies that their publications were suspended for violating regulations, but did not explain further.
