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 ...
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Thailand-Burma increase cooperation in fighting air pollution

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Tuesday, 30 March 2010 11:05 Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The Thai government is providing a mobile air quality monitoring unit to Burmese authorities to assist in the fight against air pollution.

On Monday, Atthasit Kanchanasinit, Secretary of Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, presided over the opening ceremony of the Air Quality Monitoring Project between Thailand and Burma held in Mae Sai District opposite Tachileik in Burma.

Atthasit said the project is aimed at enhancing collaboration between countries affected by smoke from the burning of forests in Thailand, Burma and Laos.

“The air polluted from smoke has been getting serious since February, with small dusk particles higher than safety standards found in several areas of Thailand, particularly in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai Provinces which border Burma. The project will provide more information for surveillance of the smoke problem in both countries,” he said according to a report on the Thai news website 76Nationchannel.

Previously, Thailand sent a mobile air quality monitoring vehicle to Laos for similar purposes.

Northern Thailand and parts of neighboring Burma are this year again suffering from a smoky haze caused by the burning of forest and agricultural waste. The smoke has become so bad in Tachileik that flights have been delayed due to poor visibility.

Chiang Rai authorities have asked local villagers not to burn forest and straw, particularly in February, fining those who disobey. Local Burmese authorities, for their part, have banned the burning of garbage after 5 p.m.

On Monday, rain in some areas of northern Thailand somewhat lessened the crisis.
Tawan Sirima, a villager in Mae Sai District, said the rain could help disperse the smoke and that the air is presently cleaner than it has been the previous two months.

Several years ago the Thai government established a national center to coordinate efforts to decrease smoke pollution in northern Thailand. The center cooperates with neighboring countries to fight the issue. Nonetheless, despite increased international cooperation smoke levels this year are again dangerously high.

Last week, Siripong Hangsapreuk, Thailand’s Deputy Permanent-Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said the ministry has proposed to raise the issue of the smoke problem during the First Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit to be held in the first week of April in Thailand.

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