A cigarette pressed between his lips, Thiha Saw invites me to sit in his Yangon office and have a cup of tea. A fan pushes hot humid air around the tiny barren room furnished with
two desks. A stack of books piled on a nearby table includes one titled
The Do's and Dont's in Myanmar.
This office is where Saw works every day as chief editor of the Myanma Freedom Daily -- one of 26 new independent newspapers in Myanmar. Prior to 2013, privately owned newspapers had not been seen in the country for nearly 50 years.
There is no sign outside the tall skinny building stating a small
newsroom is housed on the seventh floor. Inside it feels more like an
apartment building with sandals strewn in front of the office's thick
wooden door. After knocking, the door opens just a crack to see who I am
before they let me inside.
"Hello. I'm a Canadian journalist. I was wondering if I could have a look at your newsroom," I say. I had come across the newspaper during my travels and was curious.
For nearly half a century, Myanmar (formerly called Burma) was under military rule. During what was one of the world's longest-running military dictatorships, General Ne Win nationalized most of the country's industries and businesses, and severely curtailed international trade and tourism (visas were only granted for 24 hours, then eventually one week). Only certain books and magazines were allowed, isolating Myanmar from the world. With its economy ruined, survial is a daily struggle for many.
After brutally suppressing pro-democracy movements in 1988 and 2007, the ruthless regime earned a reputation as one of the world's worst violators of human rights.
It had controlled the press for decades, picking out what it didn't like before each newspaper hit the streets -- until now. This year the government began easing censorship and issuing publishing permits for daily newspapers in the private sector -- a move Saw thought would never come.
It's part of president and former military commander Thein Sein's plan for a "discipline-flourishing democracy" following a surprise national election in October 2010 -- the first in 20 years.
A quasi-civilian government and many new political parties have been established. There has also been relaxation on freedom of speech, constitutional amendments and dramatic economic reforms.
The number of tourists arriving has increased from about a 250,000 a year to just under 1 million (still a drop in the bucket compared to neighbouring Thailand's estimated 21 million last year).
Heading into the election, Saw thought it would be just another rigged event, with former generals and the ruling party claiming the majority of the seats. That did happen, causing the United Nations concern about fairness and western countries to dismiss the election as fraudulent. But a few months later, the president began a reform process and with that came some change.
"At first it was like 'oh my god, what the hell are they doing?' Sometimes we still think is it a dream or what?" says Saw, who is skeptical the freedoms will last. "We don't have this kind of 100% trust with these guys. They may stop any time or they may turn back. It's still possible."
I recently spent two weeks travelling around Myanmar on a G Adventures tour. Knowing the country's troubled past (and troubles that continue to brew in some parts), I didn't go as a tourist. I went as a journalist, on a mission to find out if things have really changed. Some say it has, others say it's business as usual, with the military as much in control as it has been for the past half century.
Many are hopeful the opposition party -- the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi -- will claim all the seats in the next election in 2015. They can't help but wonder, however, if the ruling party will play by the rules. In the meantime, newspapers such as Saw's -- which only started publishing in August -- are testing the waters to see how far they can go in a country where free speech once landed you in jail. Just how the government will respond to the newspaper's content is still anyone's guess.
"Testing the water, you have to be careful. By the end of the year they could say 'sorry, we can not renew your licence,'" Saw says.
"We know there is sort of this risk factor, but we need to keep on pushing. Not just the media, but the civil societies, the political parties, they are pushing the limits, too. I think the trick is that we cannot push them (generals) too far. If you push them to far and they feel that they are cornered, they'll fight back."
- published by Sun Media in January 2014
This office is where Saw works every day as chief editor of the Myanma Freedom Daily -- one of 26 new independent newspapers in Myanmar. Prior to 2013, privately owned newspapers had not been seen in the country for nearly 50 years.
"Hello. I'm a Canadian journalist. I was wondering if I could have a look at your newsroom," I say. I had come across the newspaper during my travels and was curious.
For nearly half a century, Myanmar (formerly called Burma) was under military rule. During what was one of the world's longest-running military dictatorships, General Ne Win nationalized most of the country's industries and businesses, and severely curtailed international trade and tourism (visas were only granted for 24 hours, then eventually one week). Only certain books and magazines were allowed, isolating Myanmar from the world. With its economy ruined, survial is a daily struggle for many.
After brutally suppressing pro-democracy movements in 1988 and 2007, the ruthless regime earned a reputation as one of the world's worst violators of human rights.
It had controlled the press for decades, picking out what it didn't like before each newspaper hit the streets -- until now. This year the government began easing censorship and issuing publishing permits for daily newspapers in the private sector -- a move Saw thought would never come.
It's part of president and former military commander Thein Sein's plan for a "discipline-flourishing democracy" following a surprise national election in October 2010 -- the first in 20 years.
A quasi-civilian government and many new political parties have been established. There has also been relaxation on freedom of speech, constitutional amendments and dramatic economic reforms.
The number of tourists arriving has increased from about a 250,000 a year to just under 1 million (still a drop in the bucket compared to neighbouring Thailand's estimated 21 million last year).
Heading into the election, Saw thought it would be just another rigged event, with former generals and the ruling party claiming the majority of the seats. That did happen, causing the United Nations concern about fairness and western countries to dismiss the election as fraudulent. But a few months later, the president began a reform process and with that came some change.
"At first it was like 'oh my god, what the hell are they doing?' Sometimes we still think is it a dream or what?" says Saw, who is skeptical the freedoms will last. "We don't have this kind of 100% trust with these guys. They may stop any time or they may turn back. It's still possible."
I recently spent two weeks travelling around Myanmar on a G Adventures tour. Knowing the country's troubled past (and troubles that continue to brew in some parts), I didn't go as a tourist. I went as a journalist, on a mission to find out if things have really changed. Some say it has, others say it's business as usual, with the military as much in control as it has been for the past half century.
Many are hopeful the opposition party -- the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi -- will claim all the seats in the next election in 2015. They can't help but wonder, however, if the ruling party will play by the rules. In the meantime, newspapers such as Saw's -- which only started publishing in August -- are testing the waters to see how far they can go in a country where free speech once landed you in jail. Just how the government will respond to the newspaper's content is still anyone's guess.
"Testing the water, you have to be careful. By the end of the year they could say 'sorry, we can not renew your licence,'" Saw says.
"We know there is sort of this risk factor, but we need to keep on pushing. Not just the media, but the civil societies, the political parties, they are pushing the limits, too. I think the trick is that we cannot push them (generals) too far. If you push them to far and they feel that they are cornered, they'll fight back."
- published by Sun Media in January 2014