The Asian country of Myanmar, formerly Burma, has been under military rule for 45 years, and, since mid-August, has been facing its most violent anti-junta uprising yet after the government further increased gas prices. After protestors garnered the support of Myanmar’s much-revered monk population, the demonstrations gained momentum and became increasingly volatile in the past week.
Although Myanmarese officials claimed only 10 protestors were killed in Wednesday’s bloody clashes, Western governments estimate the death toll to be much higher.
The Myanmarese government continues its iron-fisted rule, resulting in egregious violations of many basic rights including freedom of the press and access to information. Reporters have found themselves stranded as they try to do their jobs, with the internet being cut nationwide last Friday.
Cutting off these lines of communication is extremely dangerous. Freedom of the press is a crucial tool in situations such as Myanmar’s—without accurate and frequent news to inform the world of what’s going on, very little can be done to work towards a resolution.
International efforts are effective only if organizations such as the U.N. have full understanding of the crisis. The opressive stance Myanmar’s government has taken towards the media prevents those outside their country from seeing a comprehensive picture and results in global inaction.
The world’s media are struggling to deal with the restrictions—Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders has asked for international support and an increasing amount of press corporations, such as Reuters and Associated Press, have begun to rely on information from unofficial sources inside the country.
The heavy constraints on communication in Myanmar make it more difficult to hold the government accountable for its oppressive actions. If the accessibility of information continues to decrease, there’s a good chance the already thinly spread global relief organizations will be unable to provide necessary assistance as well.
The responsibility now rests on reporters and citizen journalists to get the word out on what’s going on in Myanmar. But it’s also up to the international community to be aware of and informed on what’s happening in Myanmar. To bury our own heads in the sand would be to give the junta what it appears to want: free rein to abrogate its citizens’ rights as it chooses.
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