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''The Myanmar Times'' ( (:mjànmá táɪn)) is a weekly newspaper based in Bo Aung Kyaw Street, Yangon, Burma. It is published in both English and Burmese. The 40-page English version is published on a Monday, while the 68-page Burmese version is published on a Thursday. ''The Myanmar Times'' was founded by Ross Dunkley, an Australian, and Sonny Swe (Myat Swe), from Burma, in 2000, making it the only Burmese newspaper to have foreign investment at the time.〔(Burma: Co-founder of Myanmar Times On Trial ), ''Centre for Independent Journalism'', 8 February 2005.〕 The newspaper is privately owned by Myanmar Consolidated Media Co. Ltd. (MCM), which is 51 percent locally owned and 49 percent foreign owned. In the past, ''The Myanmar Times'' had often been perceived as being close to the government in part because Sonny Swe's father, Brigadier General Thein Swe, was a senior member of the now-disbanded Military Intelligence department.〔 Following Sonny Swe's imprisonment in 2005, another Burmese media entrepreneur, Dr Tin Tun Oo, acquired the locally owned share of MCM in controversial circumstances. The reformist Thein Sein government did away with pre-publication censorship in August 2012. Up until this point, all media in Myanmar including ''The Myanmar Times'' was heavily censored by the Ministry of Information's Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, commonly known as the Press Scrutiny Board. According to CEO Ross Dunkley, on average 20 percent of the articles submitted to the censorship board were rejected and the gaps filled with soft news stories.〔(Burmese government suspends newspaper ) ''The Committee to Protect Journalists'', 23 January 2008.〕 When it was first established, ''The Myanmar Times'' was the only publication in the country to be censored by Military Intelligence, rather than the Press Scrutiny Board. This created some resentment locally, among both the Ministry of Information〔(Is Australia's role in the Myanmar Times coming to an end? ) ''Crikey'', 20 October 2005.〕 and other journals. Internationally, the paper had been derided as "sophisticated propaganda" and a public relations tool for more progressive elements in the government, like General Khin Nyunt, Myanmar's former Prime Minister. However, since Military Intelligence was abolished the paper has been censored by the Press Scrutiny Board.〔(Burma's generals move against 'Myanmar Times' ) ''Bangkok Post'', 18 October 2005.〕〔(Myanmar Times on the Rocks after Share-Holder Pullout ) ''Mizzima'', 15 September 2005.〕 It was also forced to print government propaganda, albeit under a "State Opinion" banner. Myanmar Consolidated Media is the largest private media company in Myanmar and employs more than 300 staff〔(Want to work "under censorship in a challenging media environment"? ) ''Crikey'', 24 August 2006.〕 and has bureaus in Mandalay and Naypyidaw. The paper has a circulation of around 25,000 copies in Burmese and 3,000 copies in English.〔 A January 2008 report said the Burmese edition is the country's largest circulation newspaper,〔 while the English edition is the only privately owned and operated English-language newspaper in the country. As well as ''The Myanmar Times'', Myanmar Consolidated Media also publishes 'NOW! Magazine'', a weekly fashion, entertainment and celebrity news journal. In 2013, its tabloid-format publication ''Crime Journal'' was absorbed into the newspaper. Foreign shareholders in ''The Myanmar Times'' had also acquired a stake in ''The Phnom Penh Post'', a Cambodian English-language newspaper. In December 2009 the English edition celebrated its 500th edition with a 72-page feature. ==Ownership== Co-founder of ''The Myanmar Times'' and Deputy CEO Sonny Swe was arrested on 26 November 2004. In April 2005 he was given a 14-year jail sentence for publishing the papers without approval from the Ministry of Information's Press Scrutiny Board.〔〔Olszewski, Peter (2006) (paperback). ''Land of a Thousand Eyes: The Subtle Pleasures of Everyday Life in Myanmar''. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-507-4.〕 The charges were imposed retroactively after Military Intelligence was declared an illegal organisation, which in turn meant ''The Myanmar Times'' had been effectively publishing uncensored material since its launch.〔 He received jail terms of seven years for each edition. He was released from Taunggyi Prison in Shan State on 23 April 2013 after serving more than eight years of a 14-year sentence. Swe's arrest and sentencing were generally considered political and linked to his father's senior position in Military Intelligence, a government body that was purged in 2004 after a power struggle within the military. Following Sonny Swe's arrest, his stake in ''The Myanmar Times'' was transferred to his wife, Yamin Htin Aung, who continued to hold the local share with another investor, Pyone Maung Maung, for almost a year.〔(Uncertainty Surrounds Myanmar Times ) ''The Irrawaddy'', 14 September 2005.〕 However, she was forced by the Ministry of Information to sell her stake to another local media entrepreneur, Dr Tin Tun Oo, whose company, Thuta Swe Sone, publishes four other journals. Dr Tin Tun Oo is the secretary of the Myanmar Writers and Journalists' Association and is believed to have a close relationship with the Ministry of Information.〔〔 When Myanmar Consolidated Media's shareholders initially refused to comply with the ministry, rumours circulated that the paper would be shut down. Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer reportedly flew to Yangon to intervene, although his office denied this.〔 The newspaper was still widely regarded as semi-official or government-influenced,〔(Myanmar Times Carries "Killer Than Shwe" Ad )''The Irrawaddy'', 24 July 2007.〕 despite the fact it is run by a private company. When, on 17 January 2011, the state-owned paper ''The Mirror'' implied that Tin Tun Oo had taken over as editor-in-chief of MCM, fueling rumors of a power struggle between Ross Dunkley and Tin Tun Oo, it received a formal complaint from the media group. After a prolonged power struggle between Australian Editor in Chief Ross Dunkley and Dr Tin Tun Oo, prominent businessman U Thein Tun bought the shares of Dr Tin Tun Oo for an undisclosed sum in February 2013. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Myanmar Times」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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