Article: https://psmag.com/social-justice/myanmar-is-cracking-down-on-the-media

This article discusses the severe prosecution of journalists and press freedom advocates throughout Myanmar. A decade ago, Myanmar was considered the most restricted country in the world when in comes to freedom of the press and media. Journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe appeared in court for violating a British Colonial law (the Official Secrets Act), where they may face 14 years in prison. The reason for imprisonment is due to the coverage of the brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State, and forcing them into Bangladesh. This is described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” The new deputy information minister, Aung Hla Tun, who monitors coverage on the issues involved in the country by saying “the greatest responsibility of media today in Myanmar is safeguarding our national image.” Therefore, the issue with media and freedom of the press roots with the problems of governance, and the hope to not soil the image of Myanmar to the rest of the world. If the issues revolving the exile Muslims, and other oppressive acts, were nonexistent, there would be no reason to monitor the media and the press. The solution is not within the resolution of freedom of media and press, but much deeper into the systematic oppression among its citizens.

The Sri Lankan gym Osmo put up a billboard that blatantly body shamed women.  The ad displayed a picture of a 55 gallon drum with a caption stating “this is no shape for a woman.”  Citizens of the city quickly turned to social media criticizing the gym for posting such an ad.  Activists claimed this type of advertisement is typical of the modern advertising industry toward women.  The gym was contacted and urged to take down the billboard due to its inappropriate insinuation of what the female body should look like, but the company refused to remove the ad.  Only after contacting the minister of Kotte, in which the billboard is located, was billboard covered up.  As reparation, those who contacted Harsha de Silva, the minister, were permitted to place an ad speaking out against sexism where the body-shaming ad once stood.  Additionally, de Silva took to social media, condemning sexism.  However, the removal of the ad did not come without backlash:  some perceived the removal of the ad as a violation of free speech.  After only a day of displaying the ad against sexism, it was removed anonymously.  Osmo gym put out a statement in which they explained they had stopped using the sexist ad, and explained a WHO (World Health Organization) report on obesity among Sri Lankan women served as the motive for the ad.  They apologized for offending anyone.

I found it interesting that the backlash on social media had such an effective impact.  It sheds a new light on civil society in Sri Lanka, whose Freedom House scores only reported it as “partially free.”  Personally, I would not have expected the backlash to have been successful for these reasons.  It demonstrates society’s ability to hold those accountable for social injustice and could set a precedent for the future.  It signifies a possibility for future change in the country, and is important due to its grassroots demonstration of vertical accountability through the use of social media.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42788799?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cywd23g0gxgt/sri-lanka&link_location=live-reporting-story

Shortly after a motion by the government to lift a ban on women purchasing alcohol, President Maithripala Sirisena announced that the ban will stay in effect. The government had announced that it was repealing the ban, citing the law’s discrimination of women as their reason for doing so. The initial ban was passed in 1955, and it prevents women over 18 from purchasing alcohol or working at bars without a permit. The proposed repeal of the 1955 ban upset leaders within the country’s Buddhist community. They claimed that the repeal would be harmful to Sri Lankan families. While President Sirisena ran an anti-alcohol campaign, he also claimed to be in favor of gender equality. This has gotten him considerable backlash from many Sri Lankans. Many took to twitter to express outrage and call out President Sirisena for his hypocrisy. Despite the backlash, it would appear that the ban will stay in effect for now.

The backlash from both the Buddhist community and bloggers online demonstrate that the issue of allowing women to buy alcohol is still a controversial one in Sri Lanka. President Sirisena’s decision to reinstate the ban despite the motion of the government to end it, also shows that there is a disconnect between the president and the rest of the Sri Lankan government. Twitter was clearly used as a method for disgruntled citizens to not only express their outrage, but hold their president accountable for his perceived hypocrisy. While no mention was made of how leaders in the Buddhist community reached out to President Sirisena, it would appear that twitter has become a tool for voicing concerns over women’s rights in the country. Time will tell if the backlash will cause yet another reversal on the issue. Perhaps criticism over twitter will not be enough to sway President Sirisena’s position.

Link to Article

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the threat Myanmar poses upon its own people as it continues the genocide of the Rohingan population, Myanmar could now pose a global threat. The UN recently discovered that North Korea has been selling weapons to Syria, Myanmar, and exporting illegal goods like coal, iron, and steel. North Korea has helped develop Syria’s nuclear weapon program and provided Myanmar’s army with Ballistic missiles. Using deceptive techniques and concealed trading routes, North Korea has been continuously trading with these countries that have a history of crimes against humanity.

Although Myanmar may not have been thought of as a large global player or threat to other powers in the past, this development is significant especially since it coincides with the genocide. The Myanmar government has failed to address or correct the genocide taking place. Now that their ties with North Korea are revealed, can we really assume they intent to resolve domestic issue and remain quiet in their region? Who is aware of this capability? Is it hidden under news of the genocide? Does this have equal domestic and international consequences? The presence of such weapons and the influence of North Korea makes the country even more unstable and unpredictable and it should be considered how their actions now may effect the region and world.

 

In other news, there was a 100 million year old species of Spider discovered in Myanmar. It has a tail.

 

Weapons: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/north-korea-arming-syria-myanmar-report-180203064444145.html

Spider: http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/scientists-discover-new-spider-chimerarachne-yingi-100-million-years-old-with-a-tail-in-myanmar/news-story/c730b33d051fbf7e98071e7e312c13e0

It would appear as if the nation of Bangladesh too has bouts with fake news.

In an article published by the Dhaka Tribune, one instance of a fake news story, related to domestic terrorism is detailed. Titled “Police and RAB foil an attempt at what could have been a dangerous terrorist attack”. This fake news story was actually based off a real incident in which a student was being beaten by security guards in a residential area, and actual witnesses of the event were able to point to this news story as false.

This incident sparked a discussion about Bangladesh’s Freedom of Speech laws and related rights. Are the creators of these fake news stories protected by law? Article 39 of Bangladesh’s Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression much like the American Constitution does, however this freedom is “subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the State.”

My question is who exactly created this fake news story, which interestingly covers up a case of brutality by Bangla security guards under the guise of preventing terrorism? Could the authors of similar fake news articles be hired by someone to fabricate these stories?

 

 

http://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2018/02/04/bangladeshs-fake-news-epidemic/

https://www.dawn.com/news/1385506

“Manipulating Pakistani Minds” Published in Dawn, Pakistan. January 27th, 2018. The author prefers to remain unnamed, however he or she teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad.

Eighteen months ago a lawyer-activist Asma Jehangir filed a petition in the Supreme Court wherein she challenged the state’s media behavior on multiple counts. The petition identifies three major power related industries in the government: the information of ministry, privately owned media (overseen by Pemra) and ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations). In Article 19A of the Constitution, it asserts the public’s right to authentic and unbiased information, which it has not be getting. The petition has so far gone on without a hearing.

In the race to shape the public’s mind, the military is also a solid contender. Mobile transmitter broadcasts have lead to violent murders throughout the country. Gang wars have been started after inflammatory, local newspapers stoked the fires. While PTV has often been criticized for uncritically carrying the state’s narrative, most Pakistani private TV channels only thinly mask the agenda of their owners or sponsors. Sympathy to murders and terrorists is abundant and the broadcasts of lies, rumor, and idiocy are selling fast. Journalism has visibly reduced and degraded national cultural quality.

The article offers a seeming solution to this issue of corruption in the media: by the “creation of libel and defamation laws being vigorously enforced by the courts. Disclosure of financial information, respect for truth and evidence, and adherence to basic journalistic ethics must be insisted upon.” I feel as though this is not nearly enough to stop corruption in any regime and it seems too simple to actually work. Things must change on a much larger scale in order for a stable media setting to be established.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/63-million-women-missing-india-180130110405032.html
30 Jan 2017

Nearly 2 million Indian women are reported missing each year according to a recent survey by the Indian government. Indian society has been suppressing women since ancient times. Indian parents are having children until ‘the number of sons desired’ is reached. The girls are neglected and “nearly 63 million women are “missing” from India’s population due to foeticide, disease, neglect, or inadequate nutrition”. Despite Modi’s implementation of a ‘Save the Girls’ initiative in 2015, the gender inequality still exists.

The way India should address this issue using digital media is to assess this issue is simply getting it out to the public and showing that it is a real issue. Once Western nations hear about this problem, it will draw more attention. How is it possible for this many women to go missing? Is there a bigger problem at hand? Is this an issue in other Hindu/South Asian nations? It is interesting that Indira Ghandi, a woman, has once led the country, but India looks down on women in such a poor light.

There has been a recent article in India Times that caught my attention. It is on the spreading of the #MeToo movement into India and how it has been appropriated in the Indian context. Specifically, the article touches upon a discussion involving publicly sharing the names of alleged sexual harassers in academia. While it receives some support it also has invited critical voices from renowned feminists in India.

What do you think about social media’s ability to, on the one hand, provide transparency while also providing a platform for potentially unfiltered vigilantism?