Heavy censorship forces Burmese mag to cancel latest issue

Burma’s new monthly magazine, New Spectator, has been forced to cancel its July issue after heavy censorship stripped it of four lead articles. New Spectator Publisher Ko Aung told Mizzima.com that the four articles rejected by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division included a cover story titled ‘Prospects for our People’ written by Whan Chukee and an article titled ‘Public Intellectual’ which was taken from another magazine titled, Prospect.
‘We cannot release our third issue, as the pages of the magazine have been reduced. It is not good anymore. We will have to release it next month,’ Mizzima.com reported on 13 July.
The magazine, which is dedicated to philosophical and ideological articles, has only been in publication since May 2006. It has a print run of 1,000 copies.
‘There are not many magazines focusing on philosophy here. And even in our next issue we are not certain that pieces on philosophy will get through,’ Ko Aung was quoted as saying.
Burma’s Printers and Publishers Registration Act of 1962 gives the PSB broad authority to ban material from being published. The law applies to books, song lyrics, movie scripts, and articles that are deemed inimical to the national interest.
Under the law, materials have to be submitted for vetting by the board before they are actually produced or published. Offenders face a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of up to 30,000 Kyat (approximately US$5).