By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 29 --Forty eight hours after UN Headquarters in New York had refused to confirm that envoy Vijay Nambiar would be visiting Myanmar, Nambiar held a tightly controlled “press” conference as he left the country.
But reporters who the Than Shwe military government has cracked down on, even those who have managed to become and remain accredited in the country, were barred from Nambiar's press conference. According to The Irrawaddy,
“Reporters who were denied access included staff from The Myanmar Times, 7 Day, Venus, The Voice, True News, Weekly Eleven and other news journals. 'We face difficulties in collecting news because the army, police and local authorities all restrict us from doing so. Even if we have news, we have to go through the PSRD before we publish it. We are working under very tight control. The situation may become worse when the new government lead by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) takes office,' said a reporter, who asked to remain anonymous.The [military government's Press Scrutiny and Registration Division] suspended nine private journals last week.”
Just as Inner City Press previously reported Nambiar's lack of any comment on a new law signed as he arrived by Than Shwe, which criminalizes any speech by new parliamentarians that may “endanger national security, the unity of the country or violate the constitution,” Nambiar send nothing about press freedom in Myanmar. How could he? He held a press conference from which the military government barred journalists.
In the resulting press conference, here were Nambiar's two final answers:
Q: Did you convey any message?
Nambiar: There is no specific message which I have conveyed, but I have conveyed within the context of the issues... As the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, I look forward to being able to address these concerns in a manner that brings about a commonality of perception...
A “commonality of perception” is easier, he seems to think, if those in power are allowed to control reporters and thus the public's access to news.