Opinion | Two cheers for end to media censorship in Myanmar

It is difficult to overestimate just how far Myanmar's press has come from its darkest days under military censorship.

A little over two years ago, I witnessed one editor in Myanmar beam with pleasure as his weekly appeared with his latest subterfuge intact after passing under the noses of official censors: It was the inclusion of the word "gerrymander" in a word puzzle that appeared on the same page as news about recent electoral changes. Hardly groundbreaking reportage, but he considered it no small triumph against one of the harshest censorship regimes anywhere.

Recent months, of course, have seen a flurry of changes - a symbol of the wider political, economic and social changes under way in Myanmar. First, the fashion, entertainment and sports magazines were told they no longer had to submit to pre-publication censorship from a government board.

Then, last week, the growing number of political and religious publications were formally told the same thing by the government's once-feared Press Scrutiny and Registration Department - an expected move after a marked loosening of the reins on coverage given to opposition activities, released political prisoners and Myanmar's regional affairs. It marked a formal end to 48 years of official control.

Myanmese journalists warn that their struggles are far from over, however. Given their long years of oppression - which have meant jail for some - they worry about testing their new freedoms and precisely when and where the axe will fall in future.

"It's good, yes, but a prudent self-censorship is still the order of the day, I'm afraid," one veteran reporter said. "People might be hailing this outside the country, but inside we're still worried about traps and minefields." Corruption and the lingering influence of leading military families are areas making many nervous.