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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SSA-South to enter peace talks

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Friday, 21 October 2011 15:31 Jai Wan Mai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Burmese government and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the political wing of the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), have agreed to commence peace talks, according to a RCSS statement.

The breakthrough stems from a letter dated 18 August in which Burmese President Thein Sein informed that his government desired to enter peace talks with the Shan rebels. Earlier this month the SSA-S agreed in principle to sit down with Burmese government counterparts.

RCSS spokesperson Sao Lao Hseng said in response to the decision to enter talks, “We have not yet set a date for talking. We are still discussing on the date.”

Shan State Army-South troops stand for inspection. Photo: Mizzima

In circulating a statement informing of the decision to enter talks, the RCSS is aiming to both collect the opinions of Shan people and inform the people as to their intentions.

A Shan migrant worker in Chiang Mai, Thailand, voiced, “If we can create peace, it will be good for the Shan State people because we might be able to go back home.”

"Judging from its approaches toward opposition armed and unarmed groups,” added a Shan activist in Chiang Mai, “Thein Sein's government wants to change. However, they must release the Shan political prisoners to show their sincerity.”  

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Sao Yawd Serk of the SSA-S, and leader of the RCSS, said, “Thein Sein is interested to talk about peace, and it is good to have peace.”  

Previously, the SSA-S and Burmese government failed to implement ceasefires talks after the sides could not agree on a location for the talks. The government favoured Tachileik, a Burmese town in Shan State on the border with Thailand, while the SSA-S insisted on Mae Sai, the Thai town opposite Tachileik in Chiang Rai province.

However,  Yawd Serk now confirms, “As long as [the Burmese government] can guarantee security and safety, we can hold the talks [in Tachileik].”

The Burmese government recently released Sao Hso Ten, a Major General with the Shan State Army – North (SSA-N), as part of a presidential amnesty. Many observers interpreted his release as an attempt to woo the SSA-N to return to the table for ceasefire talks.

In May of this year the SSA-S and SSA-N declared that the two Shan rebel groups had united in their fight against the central government.

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