Press Scrutiny and Registration Division

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The Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (Burmese: စာပေစိစစ်နှင့်မှတ်ပုံတင်ဌာန, formerly the Press Scrutiny Board or PSB) is a division under the Ministry of Information, responsible for censorship of media in Burma today. Its current director is Major Tint Swe.[1] PSRD censors all forms of media, ranging from publications such as newspapers and magazines and other published content like books. New publishers are required to register publications with the PSRD.[2] The PSRD's time-consuming and arbitrary process has forced nearly all privately held news publications in Burma to publish on a weekly or monthly basis.[3] All of the daily newspapers in Burma are government-owned.

Its origins date to August 1962, with the promulgation of the Printers' and Publishers' Registration Act, which established the Press Scrutiny Board, by the Revolutionary Council.[4] In April 2005, the Press Scrutiny Board was renamed the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division.

In 2009, a medical malpractice incident that resulted in the death of a young girl, which was widely reported in local Burmese media prompted a crackdown in censorship by the PSRD.[5] Publications that report unapproved material, or "subversive" material can face publication bans.[6] "Sandwich reporting," in which messages are included in stories or written works, that aren't caught by the censorship board, have become part of the working vocabulary of Burmese journalists.[7]

The 20 July 2010 directive issued by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board, called for "correct and complete quoting of the [2008] constitution, electoral laws and its rules". It also warns domestic journals that stern action could include loss of publishing licenses for breach of the directive.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Foreign journalists to cover Armed Forces Day". 2010-03-31.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2010-08-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Attacks on the Press 2009: Burma". 16 February 2010.
  4. ^ http://english.mizzimamedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37:media-in-burma&Itemid=28[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100812001412/http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17444. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20120326032918/http://www.mmtimes.com/no439/n015.htm. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100816232357/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19210. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20140904115911/http://www.seapabkk.org/newdesign/alertsdetail.php?No=1315. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)

See also[]

  • Censorship in Burma


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