Most mass media ignores Yangon real

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Subject: Re: Most mass media ignores Yangon reality

Interesting that this fellow fails to be specific about any of the
reporting he criticizes.  Also, he chooses not to address the reports by
non-media sources, such as the United Nations, International Labor
Organization and World Bank.  Why?  My guess is that this guy is now on
the Japanese corporate payroll, and this is a piece of pr whitewash, so he
carefully avoids the specificity and sources that would undermine the
unsupported assertion of the headline.


On Fri, 7 Jan 2000, Mg Myanmar wrote:

> SOURCE:  Myanmar Information - http://www.myanmar.com/
> 
> Excerpt from The Japan Times, 4th January 2000
> 
> Most mass media ignores Yangon reality
> 
> By YOICHI YAMAGUCHI
> Former Ambassador of Japan to Myanmar
> 
> 
> No other nation in Asia is comparable to Myanmar for its friendly
> attitude toward Japan. With its richness in natural resources and
> agriculture, and now as a full fledged member of ASEAN Myanmar is
> becoming a very important partner for Japan.
> 
> In the aftermath of the turmoil of 1988 that brought about an almost
> anarchic confusion in Myanmar, the Japanese government was obliged to
> restrain its relations with the country, and official development
> assistance was totally suspended. 
> 
> A wide gap exists, however between the political realities in Myanmar
> and the news usually reported by most of the mass media in Western
> countries and Japan. News  about Myanmar is quite often based on a
> fixed pattern: The military junta (the bad guys) versus Aung San Suu
> Kyi*s NLD (The good guys). Suu Kyi has become a global heroine of
> democracy, with the image of a modern Joan of Arc, whereas the
> military clique is always described as oppressing democracy movements,
> disrespecting human rights and clinging to power in order to maintain
> their rule. 
> 
> News fitting this pattern is widely reported but news not in line with
> this scheme is quite often discarded or even sometimes reported in a
> deliberately distorted way. 
> 
> This tendency in reporting news generates an inaccurate or even false
> image of Myanmar and leads people in other countries to hold an
> erroneous perception about the situation there. The result is the
> formation of public opinion based on this inaccurate reporting, which
> greatly influences the policies taken by Western countries. 
> 
> In reality, members of the military junta are far from clinging to
> power for selfish motives, rather they are devoted to making self
> sacrifices for the cause of their country and its people. They state
> on every occasion that the present government s task is only
> provisional and that having no intention of staying in power for a
> long time, they are ready to go back to their barracks as soon as
> their mission is complete. They also demonstrate probity. In contrast
> to what frequently occurs in similar cases in many countries,
> corruption is exceptional. 
> 
> The military government is endeavoring to create a modern, democratic
> and developed country. The efforts thus taken by them have resulted,
> as a matter of fact, in remarkable achievements in various fields.
> These include restoring order with substantial improvements in
> security all over tile country; overcoming ethnic minorities armed
> insurgences; establishing excellent relations with neighboring
> countries; and embarking on the modernization of the economy by
> transforming it into an open and free-market system. 
> 
> The government is also striving to establish a democratic political
> structt7re. The leadership states repeatedly that its final goal is
> the realization of full democracy, but that the process to reach that
> objective should follow the course best adapted to the reality of tl7e
> country. The country s leaders think that if they move too hastily in
> trying to realize full democracy, they will cause disorder in the
> country and thus fail to ensure satisfactory functioning of the
> democratic plans. 
> 
> All these positive aspects of the military government are neglected by
> the international media. In consequence, they are not known by people
> in other countries, who influence the policies taken by Western
> governments and restrict the implementation of the Japan.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------
> ********************************************
> 
> Mg Myanmar
> A Myanmar citizen who loves Myanmar
> 
> ********************************************
> -----------------------------------------------
> FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
> Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
> 
> 
> 

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