Press Release

Mr. Karasawa Masayuki, Chief Representative of JICA Myanmar Office delivered the Congratulations Remarks at the Launching Ceremony for Expansion of Broadcasting Equipment in MRTV

The Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has supported the upgrading of the broadcasting equipment of Myanma Radio and Television (MRTV) to advocate accurate, impartial and fair public broadcast in the country. Myanmar is strengthening its democratic governance over the time, and the assistance this time is to advocate MRTV's work for information dissemination in democratic manners from the aspects of its equipment.

The equipment handed over on 7th October 2019, which is costed 2.263 billion yen, is consisted mainly with the following 3 parts; Renovation of Yangon Studio including introduction of Computer Graphics, Archive System and Outside Broadcasting Vans (OB Vans).

"With the computer graphics system, Yangon Studio can also display virtual system- so that various statistics, drawings and maps can be used in the programme," explained JICA Chief Representative in Myanmar, Mr. Masayuki KARASAWA. "We hope that the public information- such as economic matters, weather, education and agricultural information can be explained much understandable manner in the future", he added. The archive system can contribute to store various video files of the past broadcasted programme or past captured video images.

"The OB Vans contributes a lot for democratic works" Mr. Nobuo IWAI, Senior Representative, who is in charge of broadcasting sector explains. "The live reporting and programs physically remove the chance for having pre-broadcast censorship. Broadcasters, then, can hold more editorial independency" he added. In the handover ceremony, MRTV counterparts conducted demonstration of live report from Takkone HQs to show that they are well enough to conduct more live reporting for their programme production.

Aside from broadcast equipment, the Japanese Government and JICA has supported for public broadcasting in Myanmar. The Cultural Grant Aid in 2013 for MRTV provided 383 NHK's programs for broadcasting in Myanmar as well as non-linear editing equipment, so that not only sharing Japanese programme contents with Myanmar people, MRTV may learn from TV programme production in Japan.

Besides, through Capacity Development Project of MRTV (MRTV Next project) since 2016, Japanese Expert team provides various in-house training on Journalism/ News Reporting/ Programme Production. The MRTV Next project experts are also supporting MRTV's plan and guideline development, in order to enhance gradual transition of MRTV into Public Broadcasting Service.

All participants posed for the commemorative group photo at the Launching Ceremony