U Thaung (born "Aung Bala"; 4 October 1926 – 3 April 2008) was a Burmese author and journalist. In 1957, he founded the newspaper ''
Kyemon
''Kyemon'' () (''The Mirror'') is a state-owned Burmese language daily newspaper based in Yangon, Myanmar. Along with ''Myanmar Alin'', Kyemon is one of two Burmese language national newspapers in the country. ''Kyemon'' tends to carry more human ...
'', which quickly became the most popular in Burma. In 2000, he was named one of the
International Press Institute
International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia Universit ...
's 50
World Press Freedom Heroes
International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes are individuals who have been recognized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute for "significant contributions to the maintenance of press freedom and freedom of expression" and " ...
of the past half-century.
Work with ''Kyemon''
U Thaung was born "Aung Bala" in Nyaung Oo township,
Mandalay Division
Mandalay Region (, ; formerly Mandalay Division) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the east, and Bago Region and Kayin State ...
, to Thar Phan and Daw Oak.
He began his literary career with humor writing and plays, entering journalism in 1947 with the
Yangon
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
-based newspaper ''
The Burma Times''. Within four years, at the age of 25, he had become the newspaper's editor-in-chief.
[
In 1957, he founded his own independent daily, which he titled ''Kyemon'' (English: "The Mirror"). The paper was an immediate success, and its circulation rose to 55,000 over the next seven years, more than twice the circulation of its next closest competitor.][
The following year, following a split in Prime Minister ]U Nu
Nu (; ; 25 May 1907 – 14 February 1995), commonly known as Burmese names#Honorifics, U Nu and also by the honorific name Thakin Nu, was a prominent Burmese people, Burmese statesman and the first Prime Minister of Union of Burma. He was ...
's Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League
The Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) was a broad popular front that ruled Burma (now Myanmar) between 1947 and 1958. It included both political parties and trade unions as members.
The league evolved out of the anti-Japanese res ...
, General Ne Win
Ne Win (; ; 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002), born Shu Maung (; ), was a Burmese army general, politician and Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma from 1962 to 1981. Ne Win was Burma's mili ...
was given control of a two-year caretaker government
A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...
. The military government immediately began to restrict press freedoms, imprisoning journalists and dissidents.[ ''Kyemon'' was briefly confiscated by the authorities, but returned to U Thaung's control after U Nu's 1960 return to power.][
Ne Win took control again, however, in a 1962 coup d'état. For the next two years, ''Kyemon'' continued to publish "open criticism" of the military rule of Ne Win's new party, the ]Burma Socialist Programme Party
The Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) was the ruling party of Burma (now Myanmar) from 1962 to 1988 and the country's sole legal party from 1964 to 1988. Party chairman Ne Win overthrew the country's democratically elected government i ...
.[ In 1964, U Thaung, along with three other editors, was arrested for his writing and imprisoned without charge.][ ''Kyemon'' was nationalized on 1 September 1964, followed by several other papers, marking the end of a free Burmese press for more than fifty years.
]
Post-release
U Thaung was pardoned in 1967. He then began work at the Ministry of Information and again permitted to write columns; however, his license was revoked when his popular column again became too critical of the government.[ In 1977, he was granted permission to travel to the US, where he began work for '' The Missiourian'', based in ]Washington, Missouri
Washington is a city on the south banks of the Missouri River, 50 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri. It is considered to be part of the Greater St. Louis area. With an estimated population of 15,075, it is the largest city in Franklin County, ...
. While in the US, he continued to criticize Burmese military rule, most notably in a ''Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
'' article describing his three years of imprisonment. In retaliation, the Ne Win government revoked his passport, leaving him unable to travel or return home. The American government later granted him political asylum
The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...
.[
U Thaung continued to condemn military rule in Burma through essays and books for the next three decades.][ He wrote thirty books in his lifetime, two of which-- '' General Ne Win and His Executioners'' (1990) and '' A Journalist, a General and an Army in Burma'' (1995)--became bestsellers.][ He also became a consultant for ]Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a news service that publishes online news, information, commentary and broadcasts radio programs for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editorially independent reporting, has the stated mission of pro ...
and served as editor in chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...
of the '' New Era Journal'', an independent Burmese news publication printed in Thailand and illegally smuggled into Burma.[
On 3 April 2008, U Thaung died in ]Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
, Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, having never returned to Burma.[ He had worked in journalism for over sixty years, leading ]Democratic Voice of Burma
The Democratic Voice of Burma (, abbreviated DVB) is one of Myanmar's largest independent media organisations. DVB was founded as a non-profit media organization based in Oslo, Norway and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Run by Burmese expatriates, it m ...
to dub him "Burma's longest-serving journalist".
Personal life
U Thaung was married to Tin Tin Win, with whom he had five children, now living in the US.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaung, U
1926 births
2008 deaths
Burmese prisoners and detainees
Burmese journalists
Burmese writers
People from Mandalay Region
Founders
People from Washington, Missouri
20th-century journalists
Burmese expatriates in the United States