THE CHANNEL
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ISSUE 2 2014
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49
Burma – officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar – is the second largest country
in Southeast Asia. It became an independent democratic nation in 1948, and then,
following a coup in 1962, a military dictatorship which formally ended in 2011. In a
country ravaged by years of ethnic strife and civil war, the release of Burma's most
prominent human rights activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, in November 2010, signalled a
series of political and economic reforms leading to a substantial opening of the long-
isolated country. These include laws that provide better protection for basic human
rights, and gradually reducing restrictions on freedom of the press, association, and
civil society. We take a closer look at how reporting on and fromMyanmar is changing
for international broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel NewsAsia
Before the opening of the country
we had no journalists there. They
had to report from outside Burmese
borders. We did have a network of
stringers in neighbouring countries
and a complex system of getting
information out. But it was not safe
to report from inside the country.
Since then things have improved a
lot. Our correspondents have an
office in Yangon and can go almost
anywhere to report about events.
What restrictions are still in place?
Well, the government would only
allow us to go to certain refugee
camps where you get the feeling
that the refugees, members of the
ethnic minorities, are being
intimidated into holding back the
whole truth of their existence. We
would like to go to the real camps,
but even journalists who are allowed
access can only go to certain areas.
And that is so frustrating. When we
ask the government for permission,
they never say “no”, they say: “It’s
not the right time.” So there are still
difficulties although things are
improving.
What do you know about your
audience?
Our audience is growing and
growing. In areas where the internet
is available, many people have
smartphones, tablets and so on. So
now we’re offering our content on
these mobile devices. We were the
first to launch one-minute audio
news on mobile devices.
The government allows a certain
size of bandwidth to the mobile
aggregator, which allows for only a
certain number of subscribers. We
reached the maximum number of
subscribers. It’s not a massive
number, but Burma is still in its
infancy when it comes to mobile
technology. 18 months ago, a SIM
card cost $250; this price is expected
to come down to $1 or $2 this year.
Is your content still available on
shortwave?
Our traditional audience lives in
the countryside. A lot of them are
the elderly who stay at home and
who are still passionate about
tuning into radio. So we still have a
weekly audience of 8.5m listeners,
still very strong.
Another thing is social media: our
audience on Facebook is growing –
1.3m to date. We got over 800 000
“likes” so far. And when we started
BBC international TV news bulletins
in Burmese, the audience peaked at
4m in the days after the launch. It’s
so popular; we’re planning to
expand it. At the moment, our TV
content is only available on pay-TV,
but it will soon change to free to air.
Not many people in Myanmar can
afford TV at the moment, only the
wealthy people.
So we reach our audience via
shortwave radio and re-broadcasting
deals on FM as well as online and
through social media. And soon
there will be audio bulletins on
demand available on mobile phones.
How is Burma’s technical
infrastructure developing?
Two telecommunications
companies, Telenor from Norway
and the Qatari Ooredoo, have been
awarded licences to operate in
Burma. They have already invested
several hundred million dollars on
building a network of mobile masts
all over the country. By spring 2015,
90% of the country should have 3G
coverage, and Ooredoo plans to
have 4G coverage by early 2016 at
the latest. That is going to change
the country completely.
How much access do you have to
members of the government?
The cabinet have been told to speak
to the media, and we have access to
almost every government office.
But it depends on how brave the
ministers are and how liberal.
Not every minister will speak to
us. But the recently appointed
minister of Rakhine state, a military
man, is very media friendly, and
when we call him he will normally
Since the new military-backed
government took office in 2011,
democratic changes have paved
the way for massive foreign
investments and the media enjoy
themost freedom for five decades.
Since 1940 the BBC Burmese
service has provided a vital link
to keep the country in touch with
the wider world, and has
remained one of the key sources
of information for Burmese-
speaking audiences, both inside
and outside the country. When it
was announced in December
2013 that the BBC had been
given official permission to open
a news bureau in Myanmar,
Deputy Minister of Information
U Ye Htut acknowledged the BBC
as a "model" for its standard of
journalism. We talked to BBC
Burmese editor Tin Htar Swe –
who was awarded an OBE this
year for her services to
broadcasting to Burma – and
asked her how reporting
conditions have changed
Only the
wealthy
can afford
TV at the
moment
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