New Light of Myanmar

   (Myanma Alin)

   The official newspaper of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), published by the Ministry of Information. Until a name change in 1993, it was known as the Working People's Daily (Loketha Pyithu Nezin), established by the Revolutionary Council in 1963 with editions in both English and the Burmese (Myanmar) language. During the Burma Socialist Programme Party era (1962-1988), it was one of the few mass media outlets in Burma. Myanma Alin, named for a colonial-era vernacular publication, also has dual Burmese-English editions. Over the years, the newspaper's content has scarcely varied: Government slogans are run across the top of the front page, visits of high-ranking SPDC officials overseas or to various parts of the country are carefully noted, and there are feature articles on the military regime's latest political agenda, for example, in 2004, popular resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, reflecting government hostility generated by Washington's sanctions. Its circulation (around 14,000) is limited, and its stodgy, socialist-era format contrasts starkly with a newer progovernment publication, the glossy Myanmar Times and Business Review.