Mizzima awarded global JTI certificate for reliable news on Myanmar

Image
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 ...

Burma may agree to nuclear protocol

Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:33 Mizzima News

The Burmese government is ready to sign an international agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that would require it to declare all nuclear facilities and materials, according to an Associated Press (AP) report on Wednesday.

“Little noticed in the warm glow of President Barack Obama's landmark visit to Myanmar was a significant concession that could shed light on whether that nation's powerful military pursued a clandestine nuclear weapons program, possibly with North Korea's help,” wrote AP’s Matthew Pennington.

Although it would be up to Naypyitaw to decide what to declare, it could provide some answers concerning its acquisition of dual-use machinery and military cooperation with Pyongyang that the U.S. and other nations regard as suspect, the report said.

President Thein Sein's agreement to allow more scrutiny by U.N. nuclear inspectors suggests a willingness to go beyond democratic reforms that have improved relations with Washington and culminated in Obama's visit this week, the first by a U.S. president to the country.

In 2008, photographs were leaked showing the Burmese military's joint chief of staff (now Lower House Speaker) Shwe Mann on a secret visit to North Korea. He is pictured alongside the manager of North Korea's chief operational officer behind Pyongyang’s two underground nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

Burma’s current agreement with the IAEA requires little in terms of disclosure, and the government was unresponsive when the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog agency in late 2010 sought an inspection.

“But how quickly Myanmar moves to sign the protocol — it says it first needs parliament's approval — and then ratify it, remains to be seen, as does whether it discloses any useful information,” said Pennington.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

World's longest internet shutdown ends in parts of Myanmar

First ministerial meeting held

Indonesia detains British woman on terror suspect list