Myanmar Spring Chronicle – November 09 Scenes
MoeMaKa, November 10 2022
The fall of news media; Is crime a political strategy?
I don’t think anyone can dispute the claim that media freedom has deteriorated since the military coup. Even those who are not in the news media field know that journalists are being arrested, jailed, and fleeing abroad, and the freedom of the media has dropped significantly. On the other hand, there is so much information and news that can be considered so-called-news on the social media online platform that it is impossible to read, watch, or listen to it all. It may contain correct news, but it is also full of misleading propaganda. It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish which is a real news agency and which is a news page or YouTube channel intended to get “clicks” online.
It is an undeniable fact that the number of news stories is increasing. However, the lack of reliable and trusted information in the news is the current reality. When you read a news article, you may notice that there is information about the incident, such as where it happened, when it happened, and whom it happened to, but a lot of things, such as why and how it happened, are no longer there.
Only the results of incidents such as killings, assassinations, crimes and business are reported without explaining the reasons or the whole story. This is because the news sources don’t dare to talk anymore, and the author himself doesn’t dare to contact them because of his own safety. Another reason is that those who are supposed to be responsible feel that they no longer need to be held accountable during this period, so they no longer answer journalists’ questions.
Among the numerous news items that we read every day, it is difficult to find even 1 perfect and unbiased news item out of 10 of the news items. An important question is how much we can rely on the news to make important decisions based on the information presented and the logical relationships.
The serious deterioration of law and order is one of the reasons why the reports of the news media and the organizations responsible for these reports have been ignored.
In a period of normal stability, the media’s highlighting of lawlessness may lead to accountability, and the rule of law will be strengthened, just as the news media are compared to a pen-power. It is sad to see that in this time of uncontrolled chaos, no organization is being held accountable for the media’s inquiries or reports. Although the number of news media outlets has increased, in order to improve in terms of quality, I see that not only the media field but also the round reinforcement, monitoring, and criticism of other fields are needed.
Another topic for today is the rapid deterioration of law enforcement. The military council has announced that they have arrested a group of people who robbed an YBS bus on a busy route in Yangon two days ago. In recent weeks, there have been several reports of robberies on buses, at least 2 cases in Hlaing Tharyar and Shwe Pyithar, and the robberies have been happening even on buses that are running on busy streets. If you ask if there is no more governance in Yangon, it must be said that there is a military council administration, but the rule of law is no longer there, and crimes are becoming more widespread day by day.
Nowadays, it has become a situation where only guns are considered to be power. Crime is increasing day by day due to the consequences of the organizations that work to establish the judicial system and enforce the law, no longer working because they are being used in politics and people’s lack of trust in the police. It is even doubtful that the military council deliberately allowed this state of lawlessness.
The police, who are supposed to work for law enforcement, are used in political oppression, arrests, suppression of protests, and to attack the PDF in rural areas. As a result, police and police stations have also become military targets, and they no longer conduct criminal investigations and arrests, but instead monitor and arrest political opponents.
Everywhere in Yangon is no longer safe, and some townships are being targeted more. If these crimes were allowed to be committed and done for political gain, it would surely be recorded as one of the worst governance periods in the history of Myanmar.