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 ...

UNFC offers to liaise with Burma govt on Kachin conflict

Wednesday, 23 January 2013 17:16 AFP

A federation of Burmese ethnic groups said Tuesday it had agreed to hold talks with the government to try to end the conflict in the northern state of Kachin.

PNLO chairman Khun Okkar, left, and Aung Min, the government peace team leader, opposite. Photo: Mizzima

The United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), which was formed by about a dozen ethnic groups, expects to hold talks with Burmese peace negotiators by mid-February, possibly in Thailand, said UNFC spokesman Khun Okker.

“The upcoming meeting will focus on the Kachin situation because of the serious fighting there,” Khun Okker, chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organisation, told AFP by telephone.

“The first meeting is likely to be held in Thailand,” he said.

“The meeting could be before mid-February. KIO [Kachin Independence Organisation] leaders will be there and the Kachin issue will be discussed,” he added.

There was no immediate comment from the government or the KIO.

Burma's quasi-civilian government has reached tentative ceasefires with a number of ethnic rebel groups since taking power in early 2011. But several rounds of talks with the Kachin rebels have failed to reach a breakthrough.

The Kachin rebels say any negotiations should also address their demands for greater political rights.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Kachin state since June 2011, when a 17-year ceasefire between the government and the KIO's armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army, broke down.

The government on Friday announced a unilateral halt to a recent offensive against the Kachin but fighting continued over the weekend.
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For more background:

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/8146-unfc-proposes-six-point-ethnic-peace-roadmap.html

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/6036-unfc-calls-on-china-to-mediate-for-peace.html

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