A three day conference [September 16 to 18] was held in Myitkyina, Kachin State promoting the role that ethnic media can play in the pursuit of justice. This was the 7th such Ethnic Media conference held in the country.
Burma News International (BNI), representing 14 ethnic media organizations, initiated the first Ethnic Media Conference in Mawlamyine, Mon State in 2013. The conference has been held in different states each year since then.
The conference brought together approximately 200 people from the Kachin State Ministry, representatives from the Ministry of Information, local people, political parties, ethnic media organizations, media networks, and international non-governmental organizations (INGO’s) who fund news organizations. The event took place at the Kachin peoples’ sacred Manaw Grounds, Ma Kyoi Hall.
Ministry of Information Minister U Ye Naing said in his opening speech. “I have learned that the main purpose of holding this conference is to upgrade the quality of news and [its dissemination about] what is happening inside the country, especially in the ethnic areas to the public in the nation as well as overseas.”
The Minister noted, the sixth Ethnic Media Conference had discussed a number of issues including the sustainability of ethnic media, increasing the number of female reporters, teaching of mother-tongue literature, right to information from government departments, and improving the safety and protection of reporters.
Kachin’s State Minister Dr. Khet Aung said in his opening speech “The media has a great influence and is the fourth essential pillar of the country. The media helps in reporting on which sectors of the country are degenerating. All of you, are much better [at] than me. The [media] should also urge people to collaborate in obtaining national peace. To achieve the genuine Democratic Federal Union quickly as we want, [I] would like to ask everyone to support [this process] as much as possible.”
