The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has written to Burma’s military junta asking for the release of two Burmese journalists and an end to the repression of journalists working in the country.
According to reports, journalist Ngwe Soe Lin was sentenced to 13 years in prison on 28 January after sending reports to the Norwegian-based broadcaster Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). Lin’s sentencing follows the 20-year punishment handed out to journalist Hla Hla Win late last year.
CNNGo.com reports that ‘Burma VJ’ is among the nominations for best documentary in this year’s Oscars.
Recently featured on Channel 4, Anders Østergaard’s film documented young video journalists during the 2007 uprisings led by Buddhist monks in Myanmar. From the Channel 4 website:
Armed with small handycams, the Burma VJs stop at nothing to make their reportages; their material is smuggled out of the country and broadcast back into Burma via satellite and offered as free usage for international media.
The whole world has witnessed single event clips made by the VJs, but for the very first time, their individual images have been put together with Østergaard’s sparingly-used reconstruction to tell a riveting story which offers a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state, while at the same time providing a thorough documentation of the historical and dramatic days of September 2007, when the Buddhist monks started marching.
Other Oscar ‘Best Documentary’ nominations include ‘The Cove’; ‘Food, Inc,’ ‘Which Way Home’ and ‘The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.’
In this BBC World Service audio documentary, broadcaster Michael Buerk discusses citizen journalism and its impact on the developing world.
Buerk discusses the implications for Egypt and the effect of citizen journalism on reporting on Myanmar.
Download the podcast at this link…
Other episodes in the series are available from the World Service’s documentary website.
“Reporters Without Borders condemns a new wave of obstacles that Burma’s military government has imposed on internet usage as well as its expulsion of two American journalism teachers on May 6. It is getting steadily harder for Burmese to send emails or access websites while all means of communication were cut yesterday around opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s home,” the organisation reports.
Nay Phone Latt, the Myanmar blogger who was arrested after anti-government protests last year, has been given a 20 year prison sentence.
Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association are celebrating the release of the Burmese journalist U Win Tin after 19 years in detention.