Censorship in Burma (or Myanmar) refers to government policies in controlling and regulating certain information, particularly on religious, ethnic, political, and moral grounds.
Freedom of speech and the press are not guaranteed by law. Many colonial-era laws regulating the press and information continue to be used. Until August 2012 every publication (including newspaper articles, cartoons, advertisements, and illustrations) required pre-approval by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRB) of the Ministry of Information. However, the 2011–2012 Burmese political reforms signaled significant relaxations of the country's censorship policies and in August 2012 the Ministry of Information lifted the requirement that print media organizations submit materials to the government prior to publication.
Burma ranked 169th of 179 nations in the 2011–2012 worldwide Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders.
Famous quotes containing the words censorship and/or burma:
“Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things they’re doing and saying in films right now just shouldn’t be allowed. There’s no dignity anymore and I think that’s very important.”
—Mae West (1892–1980)
“If the Third World War is fought with nuclear weapons, the fourth will be fought with bows and arrows.”
—Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten Of Burma Mountbatten (1900–1979)