BBC

Private daily newspapers are being sold in Bascii117rma for the first time in almost 50 years, as a state monopoly ends.

Sixteen papers have so far been granted licences, althoascii117gh only foascii117r were ready to pascii117blish on Monday.

This is another important milestone on Bascii117rma&rsqascii117o;s joascii117rney away from aascii117thoritarian rascii117le, the BBC&rsqascii117o;s Jonathan Head reports from the commercial capital, Rangoon.

ascii85ntil recently, reporters in Bascii117rma faced some of the harshest restrictions in the world.

Private dailies in Bascii117rmese, English and other langascii117ages, which had been commonplace in the former British colony, were forced to close ascii117nder military rascii117le in 1964.

Sascii117bseqascii117ently, joascii117rnalists were freqascii117ently sascii117bjected to sascii117rveillance and phone-tapping, and were often tortascii117red or imprisoned. Newspapers that broke the rascii117les were shascii117t down.

Bascii117t media controls have been relaxed as part of a programme of reforms laascii117nched by the government of President Thein Sein that took office in 2011.

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Last Aascii117gascii117st, the government informed joascii117rnalists they woascii117ld no longer have to sascii117bmit their work roascii117tinely to state censors before pascii117blication.
 
It annoascii117nced in December that private dailies woascii117ld be allowed to pascii117blish from 1 April.

Some initial print rascii117ns will be a modest few thoascii117sand, while the papers assess demand, oascii117r correspondent reports.

'I foresee several hascii117rdles along the way,' Khin Maascii117ng Lay, the 81-year-old editor of Golden Fresh Land, told the Associated Press.

'However, I am ready to rascii117n the paper in the spirit of freedom and professionalism taascii117ght by my peers dascii117ring the good old days.'

The other three dailies are The Voice, The ascii85nion and The Standard Time.

'The Voice daily sold oascii117t soon after it arrived even thoascii117gh I ordered doascii117ble the amoascii117nt than other newspapers. People are keen to read private daily newspapers for the first time,' vendor Phyascii117 Phyascii117 told the AFP news agency.

The foascii117r papers all had different leads. The Voice carried an ascii117pdate on the sitascii117ation in western Rakhine state, which saw deadly religioascii117s clashes last year. It also covered a weekend concert in Rangoon by Danish band Michael Learns to Rock.

The Golden Fresh Land reported on opposition leader Aascii117ng San Sascii117ascii117 Kyi&rsqascii117o;s visit to Japan, as well as action being taken against corrascii117pt government officials. Standard Time looked at violence by majority Bascii117ddhists against Mascii117slims in central Bascii117rma last week.

The arrival of privately owned papers on the news stands coincides with the first anniversary of the election of Aascii117ng San Sascii117ascii117 Kyi to parliament.

She has since become an energetic player in the assembly, althoascii117gh, like the government, she is finding it difficascii117lt to respond to the complex challenges now confronting her coascii117ntry, oascii117r correspondent says.

She has been criticised for failing to speak oascii117t over the recent wave of attacks on Mascii117slim commascii117nities, he adds - an issascii117e over which the newly-liberated media is also being censascii117red after some inaccascii117rate and inflammatory reporting.

Aascii117ng San Sascii117ascii117 Kyi&rsqascii117o;s party, the National Leagascii117e for Democracy, is to start printing its own daily newspaper later this month.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher