Burma’s Press Scrutiny and Registration Board has prohibited non government newspapers and magazines in the country from carrying advertisements in all foreign languages except English. The ban comes in the aftermath of English-language Myanmar Times carrying an advertisement by a Denmark-based satirical art group with a hidden message calling the country's top military ruler Gen Than Shwe a "killer."
The new set of rules was issued by the Press Scrutiny Board, said an editor. The rules say publishers and editors must take responsibility for the authenticity and identity of any advertising company placing advertisements, which "must not tarnish the dignity and honour of an individual, harm national unity or cause misunderstanding among nationalities." Failure to comply will result in publishing licenses being revoked, the editor cited the rules as saying.
The Danish satirical art group Surrend placed an advertisement in the Myanmar Times July 23. It looked like an innocent call for tourists to visit Myanmar from Scandinavia, with text praising the country's "beautiful country and friendly people."
At the bottom of the message was the apparent name of the advertiser: "The Board of Islandic Travel Agencies Ewhsnahtrellik and the Danish Industry BesoegDanmark." When read backwards, the Danish-looking word "Ewhsnahtrellik" spells "killer than shwe."
Danish artists, Pia Bertelsen and Jan Egesborg, form a group called Surrend that has pulled similar tricks in Iran and the former Yugoslavia to prove that even autocrats can be criticised. Egesborg told Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) that while the Burmese military’s reaction was unfortunate, it was entirely the government’s responsibility. “We knew that there would be some reaction from the regime . . . As a satirical artist you go for the mighty ones and you know that there often will be a harsh reaction,” he said.
The Myanmar Times has weekly editions in both English and Burmese. It was founded in 2000 and is partly owned by the government, and like all media in the country is censored by the Ministry of Information
Copies of the weekly Myanmar Times sold out rapidly after it hit the newsstands. In Rangoon’s black market, they changed hands for 2,000 kyat (US$1.5), three times the cover price, while photocopies of the advertisement were also in circulation, according to the Irrawaddy website.
Sales of the English version of newspaper, the website report said, are modest and mostly confined to international agencies and embassies in Rangoon, but when news of the bogus ad spread through the city copies of the paper disappeared rapidly. “We’re sold out,” said an assistant at the Ar Yone Thit book store in downtown Rangoon.
However, not everyone is amused. The Burmese Press Scrutiny and Registration Board has issued a 28-point new regulation further tightening the already rigid regulations over media advertisements. According to Mizima News, Maj Tint Swe, head of the board, Tuesday summoned representatives of 25 journals and magazines and informed them of the new regulations. He warned them that those flouting the instructions would be stripped of their licence.
The new guidelines maintain that advertisements can only be accepted in either Burmese or English, since the board is proficient in only these two languages, the Mizzima report said. Advertisements will have to include the full name and address of the company placing the ads and the respective journals will shoulder the responsibility of the "correctness" of the insertion.
The new regulations also ban announcements of engagements or weddings of a foreigner to a Burmese citizen, and also of advertisements seeking waitresses in restaurants and hotels. It also banned ads relating to liquor with women as models.
Newspaper editors are furious with the ad. One editor told DVB that the new rules would have a negative impact on his publication’s ability to generate revenue. He said these could force some magazines and newspapers even to close shop. “We already had to do a lot of work to get each advertisement printed in our publications. Now there will be more steps to go through and average advertisers would rather not bother advertise."
