'Myanmar Thit' magazine's new cover design yet to be cleared by censors

by Nem Davies

Tuesday, 06 January 2009 00:44

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The current issue of the 'Myanmar Thit' monthly magazine resubmitted with its new cover design after its  earlier cover design with the portrait of late UN Secretary General U Thant was rejected, is yet to be cleared by the Press Scrutiny Board (censor board), the Rangoon based media circle said. The cover of 'Myanmar Thit' magazine which will be published this month commemorates the birth centenary of U Thant with his portrait on its cover. The publishers had to change their cover design after the censor board disapproved it. But the censor board has not yet cleared the new cover design till today though they submitted the new design a week ago. "We cannot publish our magazine as yet. The censor board said today they are still inspecting our new design when contacted over telephone. Yes, we have submitted the new cover design over a week ago," magazine editor-in-charge Ko Phone Thet Paing told Mizzima. In the new cover design, the magazine replaced U Thant's portrait with his quotation, 'Disregard of how much differences exist among the uncivilized citizens, a civilized Asian has no differences and inequalities with any civilized European and American' and the UN logo. The censor board rejected the magazine cover design with the former World Leader U Thant's portrait and censored two articles written by him and a speech delivered by Indian apostle of peace and non-violence Mahatma Gandhi on U Thant. The censor board also axed several poems and only permitted six out of a total of 15 in this issue. The censor board, however, forced the media to publish their propaganda news that states 'Nine NLD youths were detained for staging a protest under the influence and misguidance  by U Win Tin and U Khin Maung Swe', in weekly journals and monthly magazines. U Win Tin and U Khin Maung Swe are two veteran politicians and executive committee members of Burma's main opposition party – National League for Democracy (NLD). < Prev   Next >