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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Burma to take one more step toward regional acceptance

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Friday, 05 August 2011 19:02 Te Te

New Delhi (Mizzima) – In a move to gain regional acceptance, Burmese members of Parliament will attend the general assembly of the Asean Inter Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Phnom Penh in September.

Upper House Speaker Aung Khin Myint will lead a delegation including MPs from ethnic parties and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

The 32nd AIPA general assembly will be held from September 18 to 24, according to Dr Aye Maung, the chairman of the parliamentary Guarantees, Pledges and Undertakings Vetting Committee.

Since its admission into Asean in 1997, Burma has been involved in AIPA as a “special observer.” AIPA comprises nine Asean countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei. Burma is the only Asean member not presently a full member of AIPA.

Asean countries formed AIPA in 1977 to promote solidarity and cooperation among parliaments of member countries. The venue is rotated among the member parliaments in alphabetical order unless otherwise decided by the general assembly, according to the AIPA Web site. MPs of member countries attend to discuss affairs regarding economics, politics, women’s rights, migrant workers’ rights and battling illegal drugs.

Burma critics say that if it becomes a full AIPA member, it would place limitations on the group’s discussions promoting democratic practices in regional countries.

Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma) said: “Some Asean members are not known for having free and fair elections. These governments will be quite happy to have someone worse than them in AIPA. It will ensure that AIPA will not be able to discuss or promote democratic practices and procedures in Asean governance.”  On the other hand, she said that some AIPA members are not comfortable that regime-appointed MPs who won an “obviously unfree and unfair election” would be eligible to join.

This is the first time MPs of Burma will attend the general assembly. Under the former Burmese junta, only the chief justice and advocate general could attend. At that time, the Members of Parliament Union-Burma (MPU), which comprises elected representatives of the 1990-general elections, tried to join AIPA.

Dr. Tint Swe, a member of MPU who presented Burmese affairs to AIPA, said, “We don’t have any objection that AIPA accepts the [current] MPs of Burma. But, we doubt that the MPs of Burma can give a genuine voice to the people [in the general meeting].”

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