Indo-Myanmar media meet resolves to strengthen ties between two countries

From A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Nov 28

The 2-day inter regional media interaction programme between Myanmar and India which began yesterday at Sangai Hall, Hotel Imphal ended today with seven recommendations unanimously adopted by the delegates and participants of the meet.

The recommendations includes further stronger relationship between India and Myanmar: to support the implementation of Act East Policy, visa-free regime between the two countries, particularly for media fraternity, to conduct more media exchange programmes in the future, to vouch for better transport facilities between Myanmar and India, to utilize all possible media resources for free flow of news, and to boost tourist circuit between the two nations.   

Prior to the adoption of the said recommendations, three sessions were held.

In the first session, director, ISBD, ministry of science & technology, Dinabandhu Sahoo, dwelt on the importance of cautious implementation of Act East Policy, taking into consideration the unique biodiversity of the region.

He urged the media fraternity to focus on environmental issues and science & technology and also remarked that without a state of the art infrastructure in the area, Act East Policy cannot be implemented successfully.

In the same session, news editor, AIR Imphal, A.Ibomcha Sharma deplored the lack of attention on NE India by the national media and also stressed the need for a change in policy outlook towards the states in the Northeast. He also pitched for joint media ventures and intercultural communication amongst India and the Asian nations.

In another session, on capacity building of media personnel in Myanmar and India, San Muang Than highlighted the power of media in sensitising the world of the 2007 uprising in Burma calling for an end to military rule. He also mooted for further support from India in equipping the journalists in Myanmar.

Concerning the Act East Policy, secretary general, Editors’ Guild Manipur, Rupachandra Yumnam explicated the need for media personnel in both Myanmar and India to gauge the dynamics of trade and the political changes sweeping across not just between the two countries, but in the entire Asian region.

Throughout the entire meet that was held since yesterday, all the panellists vouched for more people to people and media to media interactions between the two countries. Noted media personnel, Kosuri Amarnath, even mooted a necessity of creating an Indo-Burmese news agency to facilitate communications in the region.

Lastly, member of Myanmar Journalists Network, Zaw Khan Hein, remarked, “Journalists don’t need to wait for government’s push. They themselves have to take initiatives.”

The said recommendations which were adopted today was read out by the general secretary, Editors Guild of India, Prakash Dubey, in the presence of the delegates from Myanmar, Press Council of India, Editors’ Guild of India, students from Mass Communication department, MU, & State Institute of Journalism, DIPR, along with the media fraternity of the state.