I would like to give my thanks to the organizers and all the participants. You are here on Myanmar. That issue is complex. Almost every issue is complex, and the issue on media is also complex. Actually, I want to introduce myself a little bit. I am a journalist, and also a consultant, working at inside Myanmar. I met so many journalists from various media, big or small. We have a remarkable record in professional journalism. I would like to quote U Chit Maung“We’re governing the nation through our pens.”If you speak to every journalist, even those in state media, they have the same mentality, that is, we are the journalists. We encourage our nation to the right direction. That is good mentality but the issue is complex. Here is our President’s Words. I agree with the saying. The media reform is the biggest one in Myanmar because we abolished censorship more for 15 years. I spoke with one colleague in Vietnam, and he was in shock to hear you don't have any more censorship in Myanmar. That is a change in Myanmar. But at the same time there are difficulties for the responsible media join into the 21th century, like social media is having impact on every citizen. We need responsible citizen and responsible media. But media is facing limitation because we have not treat the journalism for a long time.  To my understanding politics refer to. Take a look at Myanmar 25 years ago, we have only one institution, that is the military institution.

Right now we have two institutions, a new government and the military. We haven’t seen so many things coming out from the new government. We don’t know what is happening to the military in forming peace process and political decision. There is no black and white, they are more like a grey area which is difficult for media to cover story and make the traits and sources. If you look at the Myanmar media there are so many opinions. That’s why we are discouraged. I like to read more facts rather than just opinions. How can we get actual facts which are very critical for the Myanmar media to make a critical reform? We are professionally training which is not happy yet. When the media coming out of the censorship. Inside the media we are very tough on the military government on turning to Myanmar in doing the great things and they are doing the great job, though. We are still limited in the media because we have a limited access to professional journalism. So like political change, media cannot take full advantage to guide the direction to the right track to move forward for the democratic changes. We have complex. Media also confused so the readers are confused was going on Myanmar in every important thing like democratic changes, for instance parliament have disguised about the federal picture of making the law process. The not educated citizens which are most of the country present 85%. They do not really understand what the picture is. So media has to find out what is going be affecting their life in terms of allocation, politician discussed in the parliament and what is going to effect on the ordinary people that cannot happen in Myanmar without the professional media.

With the media reforms started, with the government took power in 2011, there was a legally framework coming out. I believe it is like a new law good for media. I don’t need new laws for media, but we do not want too many laws. Recently we have ratified laws for print media, 10 Chapters and 33 articles. But there are several laws related to television, radio, publishing. That is limiting media pace to covers and the right of citizen according to the constitution to express freely their opinions like“if not contrary to the laws”.  We don't know how many laws coming out for media.

Also the media law, I’d like to highlight a critical thing, that is the Press Council, two or three members is appointed by the the President. So we have a consultation with the government to make any critical decision on the media. I don’t want to see that because media council should be independent or responsible press council. Recently you may hear some journalists got arrested in Pisa. So the media law is coming out. 

My question is where Myanmar media law to protect the rights of the journalists. That’s a critical question for Myanmar media reform.  At the same time with the media opening, government opening apt for the media speaks. New enterprise also opening ups. The new media is too expensive. Only elites or cronies see this economic rents and take advantage of it have their bandage on the media. There are so many media owned by the elites we have a concept on that. We understand this is a business but at the same time we found provide any professional training to the journalists.

So the question is that is Myanmar media used now?  We don’t know that’s a dilemma. As I said before, media covery has so many challenges, so much space. Parliamentarian budgets, decentralization process, which we do not have much access by videos, because media cannot highlight what is going on there like fiscal decentralization, corruption, elections in 2015. Anybody is talking about what is going to happen in 2015 election, what is going to happen before that? There are many possibilities, negative or positive. This means that media is critical here in providing everyday information to the public. To ordinary people like good decision, who is to vote, what in the transition of democratic wing134:08 Also conflicts like Kachin conflicts; we don’t have access to the military sources. We just have to the government. The people want to understand but the media cannot cover. That’s reducing transparency issue. That’s undermining people’s opinions coming out, which is critical for Myanmar right now. So the military side has to on is it right or wrong. That’s a super informative issue on. We all know that it is under investigation.

Also like religion bias in the media coverage. Some media has a bias which is not good, has to be protecting by the media law and cost professional training.

As for the positive changes for Myanmar, one of them is the new training, which is called Myanmar Journalism Institute. It is recently established, funded by international community from Germany, France, Sweden and Myanmar in UN agency. That’s the first media training over 50 years in Myanmar. I hope that will be the professional training giving more impulse on the media as well as the democratic change. Also we needs other media like FM radio which is positive in giving information but again it needs to give every day and actual information, not too many opinions.

Even new media law coming out, there are old laws still exist, particularly State Security or state safe craft laws in 1923. The parliament cannot abolish that so like there is a clash between new laws and old laws. The state security verses the right of the citizen.  So that’s my question where is the media law right now. There is a 10 years’imprisonment in state security. Of course citizen security is very important. If you say state security, what is personal security? This is also important I have concluded we have many challenges: still imprisonment, limited freedom in terms of rights of citizen, in terms of providing of training and knowledge, in terms of professionalism and new laws, there is still old laws in Myanmar. That’s the challenge in Myanmar media.

I don’t deny we have opportunities in Myanmar media: more political space, no censorship, democratic transition, so media have more speed to cover actual story, giving the information to the public, particularly may be for 2015 election both should be inform decision. Thank you.