US embassy cable - 03RANGOON764

UNCLAS RANGOON 000764 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, BM, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS - BURMESE GOVERNMENT CENSORS 
U.S. PERIODICALS 
 
 
1. (U) The Burmese government is now censoring or controlling 
distribution of some foreign periodicals that are normally 
sold with official authorization in Burma.  This is an effort 
to remove international reports of the May 30 attack on the 
National League for Democracy (NLD) convoy in Depeyin and 
subsequent detainment of Aung San Suu Kyi and the leadership 
of the NLD. 
 
2.  (U) TIME and NEWSWEEK, which are distributed by a local 
bookstore, were censored by the Burmese Press Scrutiny Board 
to eliminate any such reports.  We have attempted to locate 
and buy the June 16 and June 23 issues of TIME, with no 
success (Note: the June 16 issue of TIME featured a photo of 
some of the bloody clothing and weapons that Embassy officers 
recovered at the site of the May 30 attack. End Note.). The 
June 16 issue of NEWSWEEK is available -  minus pages 15-18 
containing the article "The Missing Lady", written by Joe 
Cochrane (although the magazine's Table of Contents lists the 
article beside a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi).  Other popular 
foreign periodicals, such as the English language editions of 
the major Thai dailies, the "Bangkok Nation" and the "Bangkok 
Post", continue to be sold uncensored (although several days 
old) on the streets of Rangoon. 
 
3.  (U) These foreign publications, together with 
international broadcasters such as VOA, RFA and BBC, are a 
vital source of information for Burmese, who cannot read 
reliable reports in the vernacular press.  The only reporting 
on the events of May 30 they have seen in the 
government-controlled press have been articles blaming any 
"unrest" on the actions of the NLD and repeating the 
government's dubious numbers of death and casualties. 
 
4) (U) The Embassy American Center makes uncensored versions 
of major international periodicals such as TIME, NEWSWEEK, 
International Herald Tribune, and many others, available to 
the public six days a week. Burmese journalists and others 
continue to keep abreast of events inside their country by 
reading these foreign media at the American Center.  In 
recent weeks, the American Center Library has been even more 
crowded than usual, particularly with students whose 
universities were shut following the May 30 ambush. 
Martinez