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MYANMAR - Myanmar ’still not ready for new media’

Published Date: October 23, 2009

Discussions on the use of new media at the SIGNIS World Congress provided useful knowledge to participants, says a priest from Myanmar. However, he regrets that his country has yet to fully embrace the new technologies.

Father Gabriel Htun Myint

Father Gabriel Htun Myint, a program coordinator of the Manila-based Radio Veritas Asia, was the sole Myanmar participant at the Oct. 17-21 congress in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

The meeting featured plenary and workshop discussions on “growing up in a digital world” and the use of Internet and other digital media to transform society.

Father Htun Myint told UCA News that in Myanmar it costs up to US$2,000 to get a SIM card, and those who use the Internet number only in the tens of thousands.

Nevertheless, “sooner or later the country will open up,” technologies “will come very soon,” and the Myanmar Church must prepare for this now, the priest said.

On what needs to be done, he said the country, including the Church, lack basic media training on how to evaluate media products. “Media education is not present in the Church,” he said, and pointed out the Church hierarchy holds the key to improving this situation.

He noted that the country’s bishops are more exposed to the outside world as they have often been outside the country to attend seminars.

Another group that can contribute toward media education and literacy in the country are Myanmar students living abroad, who are exposed to Internet and computer technologies, Father Htun Myint added.

He stressed that Myanmar people need media education to better evaluate the movies that they watch on videos and DVDs, much of which come from outside the country.

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