news from Myanmar

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Tuesday, 17 February, 2009 7

We should not continue to allow decadent satellite programmes

Kyaw Ye Min

I happened to visit a rural village on my way a few days ago. Today, villages in Myanmar have many fine houses. I was pleased to witness the people's living conditions improving. I also saw a video lounge by the centre of the village. I think each rural village should have at least a facility like a video lounge for their recreation and relaxation after the all-day work.

The village has about over 80 houses. Going around the village, I noticed that it had not only many large houses but also about 10 satellite receivers. The video lounge was found equipped with a satellite receiver. That was a sign of the village's economic growth. Now, the people can well afford a satellite receiver. Then, a though struck my head regarding satellite receivers. Our country has issued laws and regulations on radio, TV, video and satellite dishes. Radio, TV, video and satellite dishes have mushroomed throughout the nation, but not every owner pays annual fees. I am sure the majority of the owners fail to honour the law by having their electronics without licences.

Such a small village has about 10 satellite receivers, so, no wonder satellite receivers are abundant in urban areas. So, the number of TV and satellite receivers of the whole country must be very great. Today, a satellite receiver is well affordable, so the people watch satellite programmes without taking anything serious. Satellite programmes are said to be all designed for entertainment, but I do not think many of the programmes are suitable to the people.

It is the public knowledge in our country that the Myanma Radio and TV airs broadcasts with three objectives: to educate, to inform and to entertain the public, and so does Myawady Broadcasting Station. In the process, they have to censor the programmes and get rid of the scenes that may hurt the public's morale and morality. However, the programmes that are directly received through the satellite receivers contain news stories that are against the government's policy as well as the scenes that may hurt national culture, customs; and traditions, and characters of the people. If the government disregards and ignores that point, I would say those who will face evil consequences of that are the nation and the people.

As far as I am concerned, only a low number of countries bestow their people with the freedom of satellite programmes. Almost all the countries enforce restrictions like media control in that regard. The reasons to take media control are various, but the purposes of the governments are the same: to protect the interests of the people and the nation concerned. Every country has to censor the scenes that are detrimental to their national interests. The People's Republic of China, for instance, prohibits its ordinary people from watching satellite programmes, in general. It takes media control by designating Cable TV, Pay TV, and Free to Air for public entertainment. Here, diplomatic corps, international level hotels, and the residential areas for foreigners are privileged, and they have to pay fees for specific channels and kinds under the law.

Similarly, Singapore exercises a policy on media to restrict the people to watch satellite programmes. In thecountry, the people have access to only Cable TV, Pay TV and Air Channel, and it grants licence to diplomat corps, international level hotels, and foreign language schools and universities to use satellite receivers. In addition, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea take media control measures with their own ways. Surely, they do not allow their people to use eight-foot satellite dishes, but Myanmar citizens can use them freely.

In some countries, the government and private companies jointly control their media. Furthermore, many countries not only restrict the rights to watch satellite programmes but also control import and distribution of satellite receivers and accessories under the law.

In Myanmar, many people have illegally imported, traded, distributed and used satellite receivers and accessories for more than a decade. Taking good advantage of the circumstances in which the government does not enforce the laws strictly for the convenience of the people, such people have done so for a long time. So, the nation must have lost many taxes, licence fees, and annual fees to some extent. I think necessary laws should have been enforced on registration of satellite receivers and license fees.

The people, hotels and motels can use satellite receivers with licence, but a disheartening point is that the government has not been able to designate respective channels yet, so the people can watch all the satellite programmes indiscriminately. That means the people spend much money on improper, fabricated and decadent programmes. Superficially, that case does not seem serious, but that is like an open sore that may grow to the mallow. Therefore, such a terrible sore is to be cured duly.

Anyhow, no one can deny that both eight-foot and two-foot satellite receivers are common in our country.An eight-foot satellite receiver holds over 170 channels. Many of those channels can demoralize the people, hurt the nationalistic spirit and patriotic spirit, and arouse emotional feelings. From the national interest point of view, I would say that should have been remedied.

Now, many countries are planning to launch Pay TV and Free to Air Channel for public entertainment in order to restrict access to satellite receivers. Many countries including the United States have Cable TV, Pay TV and Free to Air. Thailand, Malaysia, India, Laos and Indonesia also have such programmes. In some of those countries, Direct to Home (DTH) is practised to restrict use of satellite receivers, and satelliteprogrammers are censored for the public entertainment. For example, such companies as UBC of Thailand, ASTRO of Malaysia and ABS-CBN of the Philippines provide services through DTH system.

Myanmar has seen MRTV-4, a Pay TV. MRTV and MWD, Free to Air types, educate, entertain and inform the people proportionately. MRTV-4 is designed to present a variety of programmes on education, business, culture, entertainment and international news stories that do not demoralize the people. It is important that they some way contribute towards development of human resources.

So far, MRTV-4 use DVB-T system to air broadcasts, and 24 townships of states and divisions have got stations to receive its programes. They are Yangon, Sagaing, Monywa, PyinOoLwin, Nay Pyi Taw Pyinmana, Meiktila, Bago, Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, Pyay, Minhla, Kyaunggon, Pathein, Minbu, Dawei, Kengtung, Taunggyi, Lashio, Mawlamyine, Myawady, Sittway, Loikaw, Myitkyina and Haka. Six other townships: Thandwe, An, Pakokku, Myeik, Hpa-an and Muse will get similar stations by the last week of February 2009. And it is on target that nine other townships—Kalay, Labutta, Bogale, Kawthoung, Tachilek, Kyaukme, Bhamo, Namma and Pha-kant will get stations by May 2009. So, it is apparent that MRTV-4 is working hard to cover the whole country.

That is part of its drive to provide the public with moral programmes. It is also trying to get the people pay taxes fully to the government. MRTV-4 is expected to cover whole country in the near future. It broadcasts over 20 channels. So, I would say now MRTV-4 is ready for those who are claiming that they will not be able to stay in touch with what is going on in the world if they do not have access to satellite programmes.

In reality, satellite programmes are particularly designed to wield influence, making use of media and arts. Today, certain countries are brazenly interfering in the internal affairs of their targeted countries by inciting political problems, instigating mass demonstrations, and demoralizing the characters and undermining nationalistic sense of the people through decadent programmes. Accordingly, many countries are taking action to prohibit and control such broadcasts with the bounden duty to protect the national interests.

Literacy, arts, culture, nationalistic fervour and national character of every nation and people have had their specific values for long. Surely, those values of a country are not identical to that of any other country. I believe that those values of our country are better than that of any other country. Therefore, I would like to remind with national sense and national awareness that it is time the people protected our country's literacy, arts, culture, nationalistic spirit and national character from dangers posed by alien media.

The people should not be too naive to encourage such decadent media. I do not think it is wise if they do not take that point seriously but continue to encourage such decadent programmes. Therefore, I would say the entire people should quit such a bad habit, regarding decadent satellite programmes as they really are.