Burma's new military government tightens pre-publication press controls after seizing power
After crushing the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, Burma's new military government, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, tightened an existing pre-publication press controls board and raised penalties for unauthorized publishing to seven years in prison, while denying any press controls existed.123
- Country
- Myanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)
- Where
- MM
- Level of government
- National
- Tactics
- Prior restraint, Detention and violence
- Stage
- Silence (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Saw Maung
- Issue of the day
- SLORC had just taken power after crushing the August 1988 pro-democracy uprising, sometimes called 8888 for its start date, and used the Press Scrutiny Board to prevent coverage sympathetic to the uprising or critical of military rule.
- Outcome
- Ongoing, January 1, 1989. The Press Scrutiny Board's pre-publication press controls remained fully in force at the end of 1989 and continued operating for decades afterward.
- Era
- The 1980s
What happened
General Saw Maung's State Law and Order Restoration Council, known as SLORC, seized power in Burma on September 18, 1988, after the military crushed a nationwide pro-democracy uprising that had begun that August. The new government relied on the Press Scrutiny Board, a press controls body operating since 1962, which required every book, magazine, periodical, song and film to be submitted for approval before release and could reject, cancel or delay permission to publish without giving a reason. In June 1989, the government raised penalties under the Printers and Publishers Registration Law to as much as seven years in prison, or fines of 30,000 kyats, for each violation. Publishers whose material the board found objectionable had entire pages torn out or covered in silver ink to obscure banned names or content. At least a dozen writers, publishers and distributors were imprisoned under the law by the mid-1990s, even as the government publicly denied that it restricted the press at all.123
What reason was given
SLORC publicly denied that any government press controls of the press, radio or television existed in Burma, even as its Press Scrutiny Board reviewed and could reject all published material before release.3
What changed for reporting
Every book, magazine, periodical, song and film had to be submitted to the Press Scrutiny Board before release, publications faced pages torn out or covered in silver ink for objectionable content, and writers faced years in prison for unauthorized publishing.1
Timeline
1988
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Saw Maung | announced | General, Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) |
| State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) | enforced | Burma's military government from 1988 |
Sources
- Censorship Prevails: Political Deadlock and Economic Transition in Burma
- Under a Dark Cloud: Censorship in Burma
Claims cited
- The Press Scrutiny Board could decide not only the content of materials accepted for publication but even the numbers printed.
can decide not only the content of materials accepted for publication but even the numbers printed.
Censorship Prevails: Political Deadlock and Economic Transition in Burma, ARTICLE 19. Claim 192, checked 2026-09-22. - Censored magazines often appeared with pages missing or words obliterated by silver ink to obscure banned content.
magazines often appearing with pages missing or words obliterated by silver ink.
Censorship Prevails: Political Deadlock and Economic Transition in Burma, ARTICLE 19. Claim 193, checked 2026-09-22. - SLORC said in March 1993 that it was not true that government censorship of the press, radio and television existed in Burma.
It is not true that there is government censorship of the press, radio and television.
Censorship Prevails: Political Deadlock and Economic Transition in Burma, ARTICLE 19. Claim 194, checked 2026-09-22.