Myanmar abolishes media censorship
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Myanmar members of the press walk as they wear shirts displaying their campaign slogan "Stop Killing Press" and tape across their mouths during a rally in Yangon on Aug 4, 2012. Myanmar has abolished censorship of its media, the information ministry announced on Monday, in the latest in a series of sweeping reforms by the country's nominally civilian government. -- PHOTO: AFP
YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar has abolished censorship of its media, the information ministry announced on Monday, in the latest in a series of sweeping reforms by the country's nominally civilian government.
"Censorship for all local publications is lifted from Aug 20, 2012," according to a statement on the ministry's website.
Pre-publication censorship - applied in the past to everything from newspapers to song lyrics and even fairy tales - was one of the hallmarks of military rule which ended last year.
Media reforms have already brought a lighter touch from the once ubiquitous censors, with less controversial publications freed from scrutiny last year.
