Burma ministry drops defamation case against weekly

February 01, 2013

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RANGOON, Burma – The mining ministry on Thursday (January 31st) dropped a defamation case it had filed against the weekly publication, The Voice, for reporting graft allegations, AFP reported.

The Voice's Chief Editor Kyaw Min Swe speaks to reporters as he leaves his hearing Thursday (January 31st) in Rangoon. In a sign of easing pressure on the nation's media, a government ministry defamation case against The Voice was dropped. [Soe Than Win/AFP]

The decision followed mediation by a newly formed press council, suggesting long-held media restrictions may be easing.

Last year, The Voice reported a corruption probe linking the ministry to a Chinese co-owned copper mine that has been the subject of repeated protests amid allegations of land-grabbing and environmental damage.

Kyaw Min Swe, The Voice's chief editor, said Thursday's decision was a "win-win" for both parties, adding his paper will continue "to speak out and write what we have to".

Just Wednesday, a new report by the Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders noted "dramatic changes" in Burma.

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