Journalists’ group asks for access to parliamentary sessions

Tuesday, 25 January 2011 20:26 Myo Thant

Mizzima – The Committee for Professional Conduct (CPC) has asked the government censorship board for the right to gather news during parliamentary sessions, but the board has not yet replied, according to Ko Ko, the CPC chairman.

The CPC held a meeting on January 18 which included Myo Myint Maung, the director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) under the Ministry of Information.

‘We have not been informed about the request’, said Ko Ko.

‘They have not established any policy on gathering news in the parliamentary sessions. I don’t know whether we can attend the parliamentary sessions or not’.

Myo Myint Maung, a retired major, is also a secretary of the CPC.

The CPC was recently formed to represent reporters and private journals, according to a statement issued on January 18.

Some members of the CPC are government personnel, prompting some critics to say it cannot be an independent organisation.

Besides Ko Ko and Myot Myint Maung, the CPC is made up of 15 representatives of local journals, five delegates from the Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association and three freelance journalists, totaling 25 members.