Daily newspapers transform Myanmar news stands

Privately-owned daily publications return to Myanmar's streets for the first time in decades

Privately owned daily newspapers hit Myanmar's streets for the first time in decades today under new freedoms that represent a revolution for a media shackled under military rule. Four Burmese-language titles - The Voice, The Golden Fresh Land, The Union and The Standard Time - made the transition from weekly as new rules came into effect that swept away state media's long monopoly on daily printing.

"We prepared for about six months to become a daily newspaper. We wanted to be part of this historical milestone," Aung Soe, an editor of The Voice, told AFP. News stands in Yangon reported an early morning rush by readers eager to witness the latest sweeping change in the country also known as Burma.