Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) officially launched

 The Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM) has been successfully launched to address issues related to local, national and international news about Myanmar.

The second conference for the establishment of IPCM was organised from 20 to 22 December at a location in Thailand, where a total of 77 participants were present. The participants included 37 representatives from the local and foreign independent Myanmar media outlets as well as freelance journalists.

A total of 10 members were elected to IPCM, with Nan Paw Gay, editor-in-chief of Karen Information Center (KIC) as the chairperson. U Naing Ko Ko Zaw, editor-in-chief of Than Lwin Times, was elected as its vice-chairman and U Toe Zaw Latt as the secretary. Two members were elected to the positions of joint secretary and treasurer.

Following the conference, it was announced that the discussions highlighted on  promoting media freedom in Myanmar, security & protection of journalists, formulation & enforcement of media ethics, capacity building to deal with legal formalities with regional and international media councils.

The objectives of establishing an independent Myanmar media council, drafting and approving the regulations (draft), electing executive committee members, and discussing and approving the forthcoming processes of the media council were achieved.

Furthermore, IPCM chairperson  Nan Paw Gay stated that the Myanmar Press Council (MPC) under the military council will be deemed as an illegal council, and the IPCM will function as an independent media council.

"We are committed to upholding media ethics and establishing an effective complaint mechanism. Also, our focus includes advocating for the safety and protection of all journalists, both male and female, across various regions. We are dedicated to advancing media freedom in Myanmar and fostering collaboration on media freedom with the neighbouring and  international media groups," she added.

The democratically established IPCM is the official media council representing independent media, ethnic media, and regional media. The  participants in the conference unanimously agreed that the MPC will be termed as an illegal organization as it does not represent independent Myanmar media outlets. 

The participants also called for an immediate and unconditional release of all journalists detained by the military council. Following the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February  2021, the military arrested over a hundred journalists. Among them, four journalists were killed, and 68 individuals still remain behind the bars.

The first conference was organised  in August with the participation from over 50 media organizations.