Military ban magazine in northeastern state of Shan

Reporters Without Borders called on the Burmese junta to include press freedom in its "roadmap to democracy" today after learning that Hsenpai (Variety), a Burmese-language entertainment magazine in the northeastern state of Shan, was ordered to close down after it began to include political news. "Freedom of information is a necessary condition for any democratic opening and the 'roadmap' makes no sense without it," the organisation said. Reporters Without Borders has only just learned of Hsenpai's closure. The eighth and last issue, published in June 2003, included a report on a meeting between the Alliance of United Nationalities and UN special envoy Razali Ismail. After it came out, the Military Intelligence Service threatened editor Sai Nood with prosecution if it continued publishing. The seventh issue, in March 2003, had already announced that from the next issue onwards the magazine would include political news. Sai Nood was imprisoned from February to May 2003. He has since then tried to get around the censorship by changing publication. He is now based in Rangoon, where he edits a comic-strip magazine called Lied Hsiao (Clever), which is targeted at the Shan ethnic minority. The first issue came out last month. "No one knows how long this magazine will last, but you can bet the authorities will have their eye on it," a journalist from the north of Shan state said.