About Mizzima

by Mizzima News

In pursuit of a dream Mizzima – an overview New Delhi, India, nearly 1,500 miles removed from the streets of Rangoon and an unlikely destination for most Burmese refugees and exiles, may seem an odd location from which to initiate a campaign for freedom of the press and democracy against Burma’s military establishment, but it was off the congested and boisterous streets of the Indian capital that Mizzima was born. Ten years after the fateful 8-8-88 uprising in Burma, three veterans of the Burmese struggle for democracy came together to found Mizzima News Agency in New Delhi in August of 1998. Read more ... ----------------------------------------------- Chronicling the evolution of Mizzima Though in possession of a laptop from the outset, it was not until 2002 that Mizzima moved online. In the initial years, at a time when it was known as Mizzima News Group, the primary function of Mizzima was the collection and dissemination of news and information on Burma and Burma-related issues via Internet and fax. This task was supplemented with the organization of seminars and events on media and democracy, focusing on Burma. Located in New Delhi, the founders took advantage of their geographic locale to also deal with India-Burma relations, focusing on the role of India in the Burmese democracy movement. Read more ... ----------------------------------------------- Voices in exile Struggles of Mizzima staff in the fight for Burma Before leaving Mizzima’s Chiang Mai office, a 28-year old female employee furtively conceals a copy of the Mizzima Monthly Journal inside a Thai newspaper in preparation for her five minute walk home – without any legal documentation, she is scared of what may happen to her if a Thai policeman notices she is Burmese. Yet, asked as to whether she faces difficulties in her adopted home of Chiang Mai, she responds, “I have not had any difficulties so far, as I only spend my time and go between my room and the office.” To an unknowing outside observer such a mentality may be cause for bemusement, but in reality it is but one more indication of the daily obstacles, and sense of fear and unbelonging, that Mizzima staff must struggle to overcome as they work to bring the stories of Burma to a global audience from their forced homes in exile. Read more ... ----------------------------------------------- Who knows what the day may bring Case studies in technical and human occupational hazards Insufficient resources, lack of proper identification and a need for further professional training are just a few of the deficiencies that Mizzima and its staff are forced to confront on a regular basis. It is a situation only worsened by the fact that the few dozen exile employees of Mizzima, short in resources, routinely come up against entrenched state mechanisms, both in the form of the Burmese military junta and from neighboring countries for whom Mizzima staff often fail to fulfill national law concerning travel and work permits.  The following two brief case studies of recent events shed light on the technological and human obstacles that Mizzima confronts while working to fulfill its responsibility of delivering accurate and up to date news and information on the continuing plight of Burma and its over 50 million citizens. Read more ... ----------------------------------------------- < Prev   Next >

Last Updated on Monday, 29 December 2008 00:30