24 April 2026 By Mon Lay
YANGON, Myanmar — Independent media outlets in Myanmar have vowed to continue their operations in defiance of a new military junta decree revoking their licenses, calling the move a “blatant attempt to shroud the truth.”
The junta’s Ministry of Information announced on Wednesday that it had cancelled the registration of three news organisations: Chin World, Khonumthung Media Group, and Nowadays News. The regime accused the outlets of violating publishing laws and “undermining national security and the rule of law”—charges frequently levelled against journalists who report on military atrocities.
Responding to the ban, Nowadays News (Myat Mhauk Khet) issued a firm statement on Friday, asserting that the military’s order holds no legal weight. The outlet, which was officially registered under the civilian government, stated it would ignore the directive to cease broadcasting across all platforms.
“We do not recognise the legitimacy of this revocation,” an editor from Nowadays News told MPA. “Our offices were already raided and destroyed in the early days of the 2021 coup. For five years, we have continued our work from hiding. Issuing a ban now, after five years of us working independently of their system, is an act we simply do not care about.”
Since seizing power in February 2021, the military junta has targeted the free press as a core strategy for maintaining control. More than a dozen major news organisations, including DVB, Mizzima, and Myanmar Now, have had their licenses revoked. Despite this, many continue to operate from exile or within resistance-controlled territories.
The latest crackdown targets media covering ethnic minority regions, specifically Chin State, where the conflict has intensified significantly. Both Chin World and Khonumthung Media are vital sources of information for local communities and international observers monitoring human rights violations in western Myanmar.
The editor of Nowadays News recalled the 2021 raid on their office, where soldiers destroyed computers and equipment. “Even then, we didn’t stop. We will continue to deliver the truth that the people deserve to know, by any means necessary,” they added.
The junta’s directive explicitly warns against broadcasting via “any technology,” a move aimed at curbing the influence of digital and social media news. However, with a public increasingly reliant on independent media to navigate a landscape of conflict and hyperinflation, the regime’s efforts to silence the press appear only to have hardened the resolve of Myanmar’s underground journalists.
As the civil war enters a critical phase, the battle for information remains as fierce as the fighting on the front lines. For the journalists at Nowadays News and their colleagues, the loss of a junta-issued license is not an end, but a badge of honour in their commitment to reporting the people’s struggle.
