Objection on the Formation of the Myanmar Junta-Backed Press Council
Date: November 22, 2024
1. The Myanmar Press Council (MPC), formed on November 20, 2024, under the control of the military junta, does not represent independent media or journalists. Instead, it serves to strengthen the junta’s propaganda and undermine press freedom. The Independent Press Council of Myanmar (IPCM) strongly and unequivocally opposes its formation.
2. The leadership of the MPC reflects its allegiance to the junta. Its chairman, Dr. Tin Tun Oo, is a former election candidate of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). The general secretary, Aye Chan, is the son of former Admiral Soe Thane. These individuals lack credibility in fostering press freedom, protecting journalists, or ensuring their safety.
3. The environment for press freedom in Myanmar has worsened dramatically. In 2024 alone, three journalists were killed, bringing the total number of journalist fatalities to eight since the 2021 coup. Consequently, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ranked Myanmar 10th on its 2024 Global Impunity Index, highlighting the regime’s failure to protect the journalists.
4. Since the 2021 coup, 50 journalists remain imprisoned across Myanmar. Additionally, many others have been forced into exile as the junta continues its brutal crackdown on independent media and journalists.
5. The IPCM, as the legitimate representative body of Myanmar’s independent media and journalists, urgently calls on regional and international media organizations to refuse to recognize or engage with the junta-backed MPC.
6. We urge the global community to collaborate with IPCM, which is unwaveringly working to defend press freedom and protect journalists both within Myanmar and in exile. Therefore, we call on the regional and international community to stand in solidarity with Myanmar’s independent journalists as well as the IPCM, not with the junta-backed press council.
The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM)
IPCM’s Contact Person
Nan Paw Gay (Chairperson) – 0926067631
Toe Zaw Latt (Secretary) – 0806834240
