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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Satellite TV costs soar in Burma | Satellite TV costs soar in Burma |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Burma has imposed a huge rise in satellite television fees, in a move critics say is designed to limit access to foreign media. | Burma has imposed a huge rise in satellite television fees, in a move critics say is designed to limit access to foreign media. |
| The fee for renewing the licence has risen to 1m kyat ($800, £400), far beyond the reach of most people. | |
| There was no announcement about the rise, and people only learnt about it when they went to renew their licences. | There was no announcement about the rise, and people only learnt about it when they went to renew their licences. |
| The media is tightly controlled in Burma, and many people get their news from foreign satellite channels. | The media is tightly controlled in Burma, and many people get their news from foreign satellite channels. |
| The cost of renewing a satellite licence has risen by 167%, from 6,000 kyat ($5, £2.50) to 1m kyat, three times the average annual salary. | |
| Key source | Key source |
| The government is trying to shut our ears and eyes Thant Zin, 57-year-old civil servant Satellite channels were a key source of information for Burmese residents during September's crackdown on anti-government campaigners, in which at least 31 people died. | The government is trying to shut our ears and eyes Thant Zin, 57-year-old civil servant Satellite channels were a key source of information for Burmese residents during September's crackdown on anti-government campaigners, in which at least 31 people died. |
| Soap operas and sporting events are also popular. | Soap operas and sporting events are also popular. |
| But all this looks set to change. | But all this looks set to change. |
| "We will not install this satellite dish anymore, as we can't afford the annual fee and if they find out we have satellite we will also be in trouble," one resident told the the AFP news agency. | |
| "The government is trying to shut our ears and eyes," Thant Zin, a 57-year-old civil servant, told the Associated Press. | "The government is trying to shut our ears and eyes," Thant Zin, a 57-year-old civil servant, told the Associated Press. |
| "The military regime does not want us to know the truth about our country, " he said. | "The military regime does not want us to know the truth about our country, " he said. |
| The official state media regularly denounces news organisations such as the BBC, Voice of America and the Democratic Voice of Burma. | The official state media regularly denounces news organisations such as the BBC, Voice of America and the Democratic Voice of Burma. |