Mizzima News

New Delhi - Close on the heels of sacking the editor of a Rangoon based Monthly magazine Cherry for publishing a poem, Burma's censorship board has demoted a senior clerk from the publishing license department on June 24, sources said. 

The source said, Yin Yin Nwe, an Upper Division Clerk (UDC) from the publishing licensing department, of the Censorship Board under the Burmese Ministry of Information, was reportedly demoted to Library In-Charge rank.

A censorship examiner, May Suu Hlaing was also reportedly reprimanded, the source, who is close to the Censorship Board added. 

"Yin Yin Nwe was transferred to another department under the Censor Board, this means demotion. She was demoted to Lower Division Clerk (LDC) from Upper Division Clerk (UDC). May Suu Hlaing was just reprimanded but not demoted. As she was a rookie in this department, she was spared from severe punishment," the source said.

According to the rules of the Censorship Board, a publishing license must be surrendered to the department, in case of the death of the license holder.

The publishing license of Cherry magazine was transferred illegally to a new holder, without surrendering it to the concerned department, when the original license holder died. Yin Yin New was demoted for this reason, an editor of a weekly journal said.

"It is because of this poem, the staff was hauled up. The unauthorized license transfer is just a reason as it has been made earlier. The censor examiner was also reprimanded for this poem, as she was responsible for the censorship on poems," added the Editor.

Cherry, in its June issue ran a poem titled 'De Pa Yin Ga', which speaks of Depayin town in central Burma saying that the town has become a birth place for dacoits and thugs.

Picking the town Depayin, which is widely known as a placed of massacre after Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was brutally attacked by junta-backed thugs during her political tour in May 2003, seemed to have enraged Burmese military officials.

The poem appeared on page 7 of the June issue of 'Cherry' magazine. Under pressure exerted by the Censor Board, 'Cherry' magazine officials had to ask its Editor-in-Charge Htay Aung to resign from his post.