Keep hate speech and violence on the streets, not on Facebook, says Burma President

From our correspondent in Nay Pyi Daw

The Office of President Thein Sein has pledged to work with Facebook to ban accounts spreading hate speech in the run up to nationwide elections on November the 8th.

Presidential spokesperson Zaw Htay said the government will use draconian legal powers to apply their interpretation of Facebook community standards.

Amongst the banned activities on Facebook are: threats, intimidation, hateful or disturbing speech, releasing personal information, infringing copyrights, and inciting violence.

“When Myanmar citizens use Facebook they should not be using threats, intimidation, hateful or disturbing speech, or inciting violence. That’s the government’s job,” said Zaw Htay.

The President is reportedly concerned that momentum in promoting hate against religious and ethnic minorities, which has increased dramatically since Thein Sein became President, could be lost if confined to social media sites such as Facebook.

“We haven’t driven hundreds of thousands of Bengali’s out of Myanmar by posting rude Facebook messages,” a Presidential advisor told Burma Tha Din off the record. “We need violence on the streets. If we close the accounts of people spreading hate speech they will be forced onto the streets to spread the word, which is much more effective, as most people in Burma still don’t have internet access.”

The advisor said the proposals were a win win for the President, as he would receive praise from the international community for taking action on hate speech, whilst at the same time as promoting and using hate speech on the streets to counter the popularity of the NLD.

Ma Ba Tha, the government’s official hate speech organisation, also welcomed the move. Wirathu, described by President Thein Sein as a son of Buddha, told Burma Tha Din: “Facebook can be a useful tool, but with so many parts of Burma without internet or good communication, we find preaching hate speech on the ground with the people is the best way to spread the word about the dangers of the Saudi Arabian funded NLD turning Myanmar into a Caliphate. In any case, people keep hacking my accounts.”

Explaining the thinking of the President further, the advisor told Burma Tha Din: “Look at the Tatmadaw, they are making a practical difference on the ground, raping ethnic women, bombing the Kachin, slaughtering farmers in Kokang areas. Our party, the USDP, and the NLD, have banned Muslims from being MP candidates. Ma Ba Tha is preaching hate in every township across Burma, and even in meetings Parliament. And we have passed four anti-Muslim laws in just a few months. This is why the priority is to take action to stop hate speech on the Facebook social media site.”

Burma Tha Din is now on Twitter!: @BurmaThaDin

National League for Democracy will soon have its first policy

By our correspondent in Yangon

Burma Tha Din can exclusively reveal today that the National League for Democracy (NLD) will soon have its first policy.

A senior leader at the NLD headquarters in Rangoon told Burma Tha Din on condition of anonymity; "I can't tell you what it is or even which area it will be, but someone from the HQ who was taking post and other documents to The Lady's house in Naypyidaw was using the restroom and overheard through the door people in the office mention something about a policy.”

Speculation has been growing that the NLD will announce at least one policy ahead of key national elections expected in late November next year.

Earlier this year the NLD held its first national conference in decades, and some observers had expressed hope that this conference would discuss policy, but in the event no policy matters were put on the agenda, only NLD organisational issues. The establishment of NLD committees on some issues, such as education, also led to fevered speculation about the NLD having specific policies, but so far none have materialized.

NLD officials gave mixed responses to our correspondent when asked about the lack of policies. One NLD leader stated that there is no need for the NLD to have any policies as they are not in government, and they will make some when they get into government. Another said that people will vote NLD anyway, so they don’t need any. Why take the risk of upsetting anyone?

However, another NLD leader said that they may indeed have policies, but simply haven’t been told about them. “Dr Tin Mar Aung won’t let us see The Lady, so we have no idea what she is agreeing in all the meetings that she has with the United Nations and foreign visitors. When Dr Tin Mar Aung decides the time is right, she will let the people she likes know what the correct policy is.”

Aung San Suu Kyi and her policy team meet with the Indian Prime Minister and his policy team earlier this month