Only minor changes passed to Telecommunication Law

03 August 2017
Only minor changes passed to Telecommunication Law

Despite pressure from diplomats and the media, Myanmar’s parliament yesterday only passed minor reforms to the heavily criticized Telecommunication Law which criminalizes online defamation, the Anadolu Agency reported on 2 August.
The changes to the law include allowing bail for suspects and preventing third parties from filing cases.
But a proposal to do away with jail time for alleged defamatory posts on Facebook or other social media was voted down 92-59 in the upper house, dominated by lawmakers from State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party.