Myanmar Media Historically and the Challenges of Transition 45 2. Generation Wave is a high-profile political activist youth group. 3. Maung Saunghkha was at the time founding director of the Research Team on the Telecommunications Law and is now the founding director of the free expression non-governmental organization Athan. 4. Ko Ni was also responsible for helping the NLD identify the new position of State Counsellor for Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred by the constitution from becoming president (Beech 2017). 5. After it was declared illegal, the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion (Ma Ba Tha) changed its name to the Buddha Dhamma Charity Foundation and continued its operations. 6. The members of Burma News International (BNI), who represent ethnic identities, produce content in Myanmar and their own languages, as well as in English. See https://www.bnionline.net. 7. The Indian Mutiny of 1957–58 was one of the biggest, but unsuccessful, uprisings organized by the sepoys (soldiers) against the British East India Company. 8. The paper shut down when the British annexed Upper Burma in 1885. 9. The names of Rangoon, Moulmein and Bassein were changed in 1989 along with the change in the country’s name. They are now referred to as Yangon, Mawlamyine and Pathein, respectively. 10. Despite the country’s historically high literacy rate, in 1987 the previously reported literacy rate of over 78 per cent was suddenly reduced to 18.7 per cent, ostensibly so that Burma could meet the strict requirements to be considered for least developed country (LDC) status at the United Nations (Smith 1991). 11. The BBS was renamed Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) in 1997. 12. Zayar Thaw was imprisoned for three years in 2008 for founding the youth organization Generation Wave in the wake of the 2007 uprising known as the Saffron Revolution. 13. The text of the law is available at http://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/ laws/en/mm/mm012en.pdf. 14. Since the political opening, Shwe Mann has been seen as an ally of Aung San Suu Kyi, especially after he was removed as USDP party chairman before the 2015 elections (BBC 2015). 15. Forever Group was established in 1996 as a graphics training centre and collaborated with the Information Ministry on e-learning and e-book initiatives beginning in the early 2000s (Mizzima 2016). Its founder and CEO, Win Maw, is known to be close to the former information minister Kyaw Hsan, who was reportedly also a shareholder of the company (Foster 2013). The owner of Shwe Than Lwin, Kyaw Win, is known to be close to the former president Thein Sein and the military (Foster 2013). 01 ch1-MyanmarMediaIT-5P.indd 45 8/4/19 10:29 am