As an exceptional case, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi today unsealed the head office of Mizzima in New Delhi. It was sealed by the civic body on April 16, 2007.

The decision to reopen Mizzima's office was made today by the Deputy Commissioner of the MCD and member of the Sealing Monitoring Committee, Mr. Deepak Hastir, following a meeting between Mizzima's representatives and the Chief Engineer of the MCD west zone, Mr. Naveen Verma.

Mr. Verma told Sein Win, Mizzima's managing editor, one of the representatives who met MCD officials, that the Sealing Monitoring Committee had decided to unseal the Mizzima office on the ground that it is not into commercial activity.

The meeting between Mizzima's representatives and MCD officials took place after about 50 Mizzima staff members and supporters held a peaceful demonstration today outside the MCD office.

Following the meeting, a Junior Engineer of the MCD office came along with Mizzima's representatives to the Mizzima office and broke the seal that was put by the civic authorities two days ago.

Mizzima, while rejoicing over the outcome of today's demonstration, credits today's success to the support and solidarity by Mizzima support groups and organizations, particularly to the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, International Freedom of Expression and Exchange, Committee to Protect Journalists, Burma News International, Burma Media Association, and International Press Institute, and for showing concern and writing to the Indian Home Minister, Mr. Shivraj Patil.

Mr. Deepak Hastir, deputy commissioner of the Municipal Council of Delhi (MCD) and member of the Sealing Monitoring Committee, made the decision after representatives from Mizzima met with the chief engineer of the MCD west zone, Mr. Naveen Verma, on 18 April 2007.

The meeting took place after some 50 Mizzima staff members and supporters held a peaceful demonstration outside the MCD office.

Mr. Verma told Mizzima managing editor Mr. Sein Win that the Committee decided to reopen Mizzima's office as an exceptional case, on the ground that it is not a commercial venture.

After the meeting, a junior engineer from the MCD accompanied representatives from Mizzima to their office and broke the seal that was placed by the authorities on 16 April, apparently in objection to Mizzima's operations in a residential area.

Mizzima, while rejoicing over the outcome of the demonstration, credits the success in getting back its office to the solidarity shown by its support groups and media advocacy groups, especially the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Burma News International (BMI), Burma Media Association (BMA) and International Press Institute (IPI), and for writing their concerns to Indian Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil.

While Mizzima is grateful to the MCD and thanks the authority for understanding the nature of Mizzima's activity and for reopening its office, it also expresses its appreciation to the Indian government for its role in the matter.

Dear Friends, Readers and Supporters,

As you have been informed, Mizzima's New Delhi Head Office was raided and ordered shut by the Indian authorities on 16 April.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in sealing off the office premises, claims that Mizzima is running a commercial business in a residentially zoned area. However Mizzima is an independent, non-profit organization that in no way engages in any kind of commercial enterprise.

As an independent Burmese media organization, Mizzima would like to continue its responsibility to report on news affecting Burma and the Burmese inside and outside the country. Mizzima has regularly reported on, and voiced concern, over the plight of those incarcerated and with respect to India's policies toward the military regime in Burma on the whole.

We appreciate all the support and solidarity actions coming from various regional and international organizations in the last three days.
We appeal to our readers, supporters and international donors to support one or more of the followings:

(1) To write to the Indian authorities to immediately reopen the head office of Mizzima News in New Delhi and desist from taking any further action on the organisation,

(2) To donate seven new or old laptops for its reporters in Delhi to continue their work from their residence until Mizzima have its office

(3) To provide legal assistance (such as lawyers or financial support to hire professional lawyers) to fight the case in court in India,

Sincerely,

Founded in 1998 by exiled Burmese journalists living in India, Mizzima is an independent and non-profit news agency, which has been reporting on Burma-related issues.

According to Soe Myint, Mizzima’s Editor-in-chief, the authorities were acting on a tip-off that claimed the news agency was operating on a commercial basis in a residential area.

“Mizzima is a non-profitable organization, and local authorities know from the very beginning that we are not conducting any commercial activities here”, said Soe Myint.

Soe Myint, who is currently in Kolkata helping as translator for 34 Arakan and Karen rebels who are on trial for purportedly supplying weapons to Indian insurgents, said there may be a foul play involved in the raid.

“The trail has now reached to a critical moment and there are rumors that prosecutor wants to buy some time by postponing the trial. Perhaps, the raid was designed to make me go back to New Delhi”, said Soe Myint. “The trail can not proceed without translator.”

He is also worried that Mizzima’s activities will be severely affected by the incidence since journalists were left without office and equipment to do their job.

Mizzima is one of the few Burmese news agencies in India reporting human rights and press freedom violations in Burma.

“I don’t want to see Mizzima stop its reporting. I would like to appeal our donor organizations to help us do our job by releasing emergency funds”, said Soe Myint.

International organizations, including International Media Support, Burma Relief Center, National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Institute, Euro-Burma Office, Internews, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance and Free Voice, are financially supporting Mizzima.

BMA views the action of Indian authorities as a serious attempt to mute independent voice of Mizzima that sometime criticizes Indian government’s friendly stance towards Burmese military regime.

Approximately 20 Indian police and two municipal officials raided Mizzima’s offices on Monday and locked reporters out of the news agency’s facilities with sealed padlocks, according to a Mizzima editor who spoke with CPJ. During the raid, authorities claimed that Mizzima was illegally conducting commercial activities in a residential area, according to a Mizzima editor who was present during the raid. Mizzima denies that it was carrying out any commercial activities at the site, which is near other businesses and offices.

“We are outraged that a democratic country like India should send police into a news agency office and padlock its doors,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “We call on the authorities to explain why they have shut down Mizzima and to unseal its offices immediately.”

Established in 1998 by a group of Burmese dissidents, Mizzima is a non-profit news organization funded by various international donors to produce independent news on Burma-related issues. Its editor-in-chief, Soe Myint, was in Calcutta translating for ethnic Karen and Arakan rebels on trial for supplying weapons to Indian insurgent groups. A senior Mizzima editor told CPJ that Soe Myint’s involvement in the trial was one, but not the only, likely motivation behind the raid.

Mizzima also reports on India’s policy towards Burma. In recent years the countries have stepped up official visits and trade. Recent Mizzima articles have not been critical of the relationship.

No Mizzima staff members were arrested during the raid, but senior editors were requested to report to the New Delhi Metropolitan Authority on April 23. Earlier this year, Indian intelligence officials visited Mizzima’s offices and requested background information about certain staff members, according to a Mizzima source who spoke with CPJ.

Source: Mizzima News

The military junta's iron-grip control of the press has resulted in yet another democracy activist objecting to the false news being propagated about him, reports Mizzima New, the online daily and SEAPA partner based in New Delhi, India.

The activist, Htin Kyaw, 44, a leader of the Myanmar Development Committee, said he has complained to the junta leaders, including Senior General Than Shwe on 28 March 2007, regarding articles about him in private weeklies, among them the "Pyi Myanmar", "Seven Days" and "Weekly Eleven".

The articles said Htin Kyaw and five other men should not be ordained as monks as they were delinquents. The articles also claimed that their mentor, Sayadaw, had refused to ordain them.

"The contents of the article is false. It was only me - not six people. Besides, the secretary, Sayadaw, of the Sangha Association telephoned and explained to me that Yayaka (the Quarter Peace and Development Association) and the USDA (the Union Solidarity and Development Association) stopped my ordination," Htin Kyaw told "Mizzima News" on 30 March.

"As soon as I saw the articles, I telephoned (one of the newspapers). An editor told me they had to write it because the authorities ordered so. I told them that I will report such action to the authorities as it is unethical," Htin Kyaw said.

"Whether they will take action or not is their duty. I had to report it to the heads of state. Whoever told them to write these articles - I have urged for action against such unethical behaviour," he added.

Htin Kyaw was one of the protesters in the 22 February demonstration in downtown Rangoon, demanding government action on widespread corruption, healthcare, education and pension. He was arrested during the demonstration, whereupon he was immediately detained for five days.

In another instance of dubious reports from the junta-controlled press - all subjected to prior censorship - private newspapers said that a 36-year-old man, Ye Naing Oo, was "drunk and died from blood poisoning", contrary to relatives' claim that he was killed by Quarter authorities (the lowest level of governance in Burma) and an eyewitness account of injuries on his head and blood in his mouth.

"An investigation needed to be done because it was a police case," Aung Thein, a High Court lawyer, told "Mizzima News".

"And a doctor should have checked the cause of death. Without the doctor's certificate, the police said such surprising things. Newspapers, too, have acted prematurely in writing about it. It is awful. Writing about a case which is in court is unlawful because it will prejudice the trial," he said.

A retiree, who had posted on his fence a biting satire he had written, slamming inflated prices of essential commodities in Burma, has been acquitted of inciting others to commit offences against the public.

Thein Zan, 65, who was arrested on 7 March 2007, but granted bail on 28 March, said Justice Khin Soe Nyunt of the Thingyankyun Township Court announced the decision on 2 April, while he was waiting for his lawyer to appear.

"The judge told me that I was no longer charged under Article 505 of the Penal Code," Thein Zan told "Mizzima News", a SEAPA partner based in New Delhi, India, over the telephone.

Thein Zan, a retired sailor and resident of Thingyankyun who earns a living by repairing radios and audio tape recorders, was arrested after he posted on his fence an article, "Is that so, Maung Karlu?", in which he criticised the false news propagated by state-run newspaper "Myanma Ahlin".