The US Associated Press (AP) has become the first international news
agency to open a bureau in Myanmar since a reformist government took
power two years ago.
According to AP, six
journalists will staff the new bureau full time following the Myanmar
Information Ministry’s granting of office opening permission to the
agency.
Japanese broadcaster NHK was also granted permission to operate in the country.
Under the previous military regime, Xinhua News Agency and Guangming
Daily of China were the only foreign news outlets allowed to have
their nationals as resident correspondents.
In another
development, the Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada has officially
assigned Mark McDowell as the country’s first-ever ambassador to
Myanmar.
Previously, diplomatic and trade relations
between the two countries had been handled through the Canadian Embassy
in Thailand , but a new Canadian embassy will open in Yangon this
year.
Mark McDowell currently works at the Canadian
Embassy in China . Earlier, he served in New York, Bangkok and
Taiwan.
In 2012, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister
John Baird travelled to Myanmar to signal the restoration of
diplomatic relations between the two countries./.