Myanmar’s parliament on Tuesday banned banned reporters from entering the designated media area inside the chamber after photos emerged on social media of lawmakers taking naps.
In the image used by the Democratic Voice of Burma, three female MPs are seen dozing during a session, with one resting her head on her counterpart’s shoulder.
Kyaw Soe, director-general of the Union Parliament, told DVB that journalists could no longer sit in the media area, which, like many around the world, overlooks the seated lawmakers. Now, he said, the media can watch debates from a television in the corridor.
Apparently, this was a long time coming. Kyaw Soe said reporters were also being banished from the area for the unforgivable habit of snapping photos of lawmakers casting votes.
Aung Thura of the Myanmar Journalist Network condemned the decision and said the media should be allowed to film whether lawmakers are “asleep or having a fight.”
Photo: Wikicommons
