Mizzima awarded global JTI certificate for reliable news on Myanmar

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Mizzima Mizzima, one of Myanmar ’s most prominent news outlets and a press freedom advocate, obtained the Journalism Trust Initiative ( JTI ) certification from global audit firm Bureau Veritas , JTI says in a press statement 5 January.  Operating in clandestine mode within Myanmar and supported by an exiled team, Mizzima strives to fulfil its role as reliable source of news and information for the Myanmar public. “Your Journalism Trust Initiative certification affirms what audiences already know: that principled, transparent journalism matters. Congratulations on this achievement and on your continued contribution to informing citizens about Myanmar,” says Benjamin Sabbah , director of Journalism Trust Initiative “Myanmar’s ongoing conflict has created an intensely contested media landscape, where mis- and disinformation are increasingly deployed to reinforce state propaganda and the prevailing “official” narrative. Although Mizzima is already regarded as one of the most trusted ...

Obama renews sanctions on Burma

by Mizzima News
Wednesday, 29 July 2009 13:49

New Delhi (mizzima) – The President of the United States Barack Obama on Tuesday renewed sanctions against military-ruled Burma, including banning of sales and import of Burmese gems into the US.

A brief White House statement on Tuesday said, President Obama has signed the bill into law, which received overwhelming support of the Congress. The law imposes a ban on all imports from Burma for the next three years.

“On July 28, 2009, the President signed into law: H.J. Res. 56, which renews import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003,” the White House statement said.

The sanctions were due to expire this week.

Obama’s renewal of sanctions against the Burmese military regime comes after the Burmese junta on Tuesday said that a verdict on the trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be pronounced on Friday.

Aung San Suu Kyi, charged for violating her detention law, could face up to five years in prison if found guilty.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last week, during regional security talks in Thailand’s resort Island of Phuket, called on the Burmese junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi saying if the regime releases her, it would help US reinvest in the impoverished country.

The Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has remained in detention for 14 of the past 20 years. On Tuesday, the special court in Insein prison said it will come up with a verdict on her on Friday.

Despite severe economic deterioration, Burma produces one of the world’s most expensive rubies.

Though countries including the US, the European Union, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have slapped sanctions on Burma's gems, some Asian nations continue to buy them.

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