Yangon - Four Myanmar journalists have joined the leading pro-junta political party to contest the November 7 general election, media reports said Sunday.
Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association chairman Tin Kha, vice chairman Tin Tun Oo and executive committee members Aung Nyein and Hla Tun all resigned from the media association last month after deciding to become candidates, The Myanmar Times reported.
They joined the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the political arm of the military junta that has ruled Myanmar with an iron fist since 1988.
'As we are an independent association, we have a rule that our members must not join a political party,' association secretary Ko Ko said of the resignations.
Myanmar's media is among the most controlled in the Asian region, and few expect a blossoming of press freedom after the election, which is expected to bring the pro-junta USDP to power.
The military that has been running the country since 1962 will also keep a close grip on policy decisions and the legislature after the election, through a system of appointees in the upper house.
'I'm interested in politics,' said Tin Tun Oo, former vice chairman of the journalists' association and current chairman of Swe Sone Media, which publishes The Myanmar Times.
Publishing licenses are strictly controlled by the regime. The country has seen a proliferation of publications, especially of the entertainment and lifestyle variety, since 2004. Articles critical of the regime are rare in the media.
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