Ethnic Campaign Ads Censored

The Irrawaddy - Ethnic Campaign Ads Censored
By LAWI WENG - Thursday, September 30, 2010

Burma's Union Election Commission (EC) has censored campaign ads
submitted by ethnic political parties that make reference to a federal
union in Burma, several ethnic leaders have told The Irrawaddy.

The campaign ads—which can be no longer than 15 minutes air time in
length—must be submitted to the EC for approval before they are
broadcast on radio or TV.

Nai Ngwe Thein, the party chairman of the All Mon Regions Democracy
Party (AMRDP), said, "Two phrases from our script were deleted
—"genuine union" and "narrow-minded nationalism."

He said he believes the Burmese junta disapproves of federalism and is
censoring any mention of it.

A representative of the Shan Nationals Democratic Party (SNDP) said
that six sentences from the party's campaign script, which refered to
the the 1947 Panglong Agreement, were deleted by the EC.

SNDP Secretary Sai Hla Kyaw said, "They deleted the words 'Panglong
Agreement,' which was signed in 1947 by ethnic and Burman leaders, and
proposed a multi-ethnic union with equal rights for ethnic minority
groups.

"We want to tell our people about the Panglong Agreement," he added.
"But the regime will not let us."

Each of the 37 political parties approved by the EC to contest the
Nov. 7 election are allowed one 15-minute advertisement on state-run
radio and television, but must submit the script for their campaign ad
to the EC for approval seven days before broadcasting.

Political parties whose ads are rejected may revise them and resubmit
them, but must submit them in person at the EC headquarters in
Naypyidaw, which the ethnic leaders say is costly and time-consuming.

"It takes a lot of time to write a campaign ad," said Sai Hla Kyaw.
"We take care not to write anything inflammatory or anything we
suspect the EC will censor. If our ad is rejected and we have to
submit it a second time, it means a long trip to Napyidaw. It is too
far for us."

Thu Wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party (Myanmar), confirmed
that his party's election campaign ad was rejected by the EC in the
second week of September, and that the party had until Sept. 23 to
submit a revised script to the EC in Naypyidaw, but was unable to
comply.

Burma state-run television and radio started broadcasting party
campaign ads on Sept. 26. Ads for two ethnic political parties, the
AMRDP and the Taaung (Pa Laung) National Party, were broadcast on TV
on Wednesday.