NEWSMAKERS: 'VJs Are One-Man-Band Fearless Reporters'

Aung Htun (not his real name) is one of the young video journalists featured in the award-winning feature documentary 'Burma VJ (Reporting from a Closed Country)'.

The Anders Østergaard-helmed film, which has won 40 awards in the international film circuit including the Berlin Film Festival 2009 and the Sundance Film Festival 2009, revolves around the video journalists’ cat-and-mouse game with the Burmese junta while covering the monk-led mass protests in September 2007.

Twenty-nine-year-old Aung Htun first worked for the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a Burmese media organisation in exile, in 2006 as an undercover video reporter based in Burma. A graduate of Yangon University, he began his journalism career in 2005 as a reporter for a local newspaper. Now based in Europe after leaving Burma in 2008, Aung Htun tells the Asia Media Forum the story behind ‘Burma VJ’, his thoughts about the media inside the country and his hopes for political change.

AMF: What was your role in 'Burma VJ'?

 Aung Htun: I was a video reporter in the film reporting from Yangon along with other undercover cameramen. . . . In the movie, I filmed scenes including the interview with monks who escaped from military arrests, that of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai being shot by a soldier, marching monks and footage shot over a wall showing demonstrators being beaten on the street.  

AMF: What is  a VJ?

Aung Htun: For us especially in Burma, a VJ is a video journalist or video reporter who has to work alone and secretly cover news not normally seen in government-owned TV channels and report them to the outside world at a great personal risk. VJs are a one-man-band fearless reporters.

AMF: How risky was it for you to go back to Burma and continue to cover events there, film secretly and then smuggle the footage out?

Aung Htun: If the regime could find out my deep connections with the exiled Burmese media, I could be charged for violating several laws, such as the electronic law, which punishes anyone who sends out allegedly 'false' news about the government using electronics as a medium with up to 20 years jail term. I can also be charged for contacting 'unlawful' organisations, crossing the border illegally, or being perceived as a threat to national security, which is punishable by death.

AMF: When you think about the experience today, why did you get involved in this project despite the risks?

Aung Htun: Though the military regime has tried for decades to silence the voice of the democratic opposition, there are still people who want to tell the truth to the outside world no matter what. It's because of them and my desire to give them that voice that I decided to get involved in this project, no matter how dangerous. I wish I could have done more at the time of the protests by doing a wider coverage of the military's human rights abuses. Again, our leader had to make a tough decision on whether or not to reveal the secretive nature of our work through this documentary. But now I see the result of our work and it's amazing how the pictures and video footage are being distributed across the world.

Though it is now more difficult to film inside Burma after the success of this documentary, more and more people, including members of the Burmese media, are becoming interested in video reporting. We are now seeing new faces on the field with us who are willing to take the risk.

AMF: How did you decide what were good stories around the 2007 saffron protests, select people to interview, and how did you verify their accuracy?

Aung Htun: Normally, I only try to interview people recommended by our reliable sources and friends. What happened was, despite the thousands of demonstrators at that time, only a few people were willing to talk on camera and they usually preferred foreign journalists over local reporters as they were not sure the latter were really independent journalists or were on the government's side. I also didn't want to push them too much to talk on the camera, except when they voluntarily do so, because I understood too well the consequences.

But then, even though people wanted to talk, I also had to check whether or not it was a trap to find out if we were reporting to the foreign media.  Fortunately, I had not met such people, only real monks who luckily escaped from the inhumane torture by the military. As I could not ask the military or government officials, I could only verify the accuracy and the truth of the information from witnesses and victims.

AMF: Were people afraid to talk to you on film, or did they feel they had to tell you what happened, and how did you deal with this?

Aung Htun: Most people were initially nervous to talk on camera. Others were not afraid because they knew they were telling the truth. We gave them a choice on whether they would like to have their faces hidden, their voices distorted or their identities masked. But I always explained all the possible consequences and let them decide. There were times when we had to film people without asking for their permission but only if they were talking about less serious issues.     

AMF: How much has new media and technology changed the media situation in Burma, both for the local and exiled/underground media situation in Burma since you did 'Burma VJ'? You were only using handheld cameras.

Aung Htun: Many changes have occurred inside and outside of the country. In Burma, young people are becoming more interested not only in media work, but are also getting more involved in social and community activities, despite the risks involved. Citizen journalism is thriving, as evident in the pictures and videos of Cyclone Nargis' victims uploaded on the Internet by concerned citizens. Senior journalists are also becoming braver by sending prohibited news to the exiled Burmese media and foreign news media.

Technology-wise, there has been little development in terms of communication and gadgets. Due to the constant pressure and intimidation from authorities, majority of video reporters feel nervous in using even small handycams as the regime considers anyone using any type of video camera as working for DVB and other foreign media. We still rely on the portable satellite communication technology, first used in Burma in 2005, to communicate with the outside world. Though the number of Internet and mobile users is increasing, the regime still has the power to shut down the entire Internet system or tap phone lines. They can also torture users to force them to reveal their email and mobile contacts.

Being pioneers in underground video reporting in Burma, the DVB has trained ethnic media groups based along the border, as well as other Burmese engaged in online and print media. With their help, we try to get news from around the country. We are always on the lookout for new technology, which can minimise the risks to our VJs.

AMF: What was the most important lesson that you learned from your experiences in doing 'Burma VJ'?
 
Aung Htun: First of all, 'Burma VJ' is the result of a successful cooperation between media people inside Burma and the DVB. Secondly, we wouldn't have reached this level of success without the help of activists who took a much greater risk. Lastly, I realised that there should always be someone who should speak up and represent those who are in no position to voice out their views. Although I couldn't save the lives of people lost in the movement, I am at least happy for being given a chance to echo these voices in the film along with my colleague Joshua (the film's narrator). Somehow, in our work, we could prevent further loss of lives by warning the regime that they are under the watchful eyes of our citizen reporters.
 
AMF: What has changed in the local and exiled/underground media situation in Burma since you did 'Burma VJ'?

Aung Htun: The local media, both print and broadcast, are still under strict censorship. Citizen journalists and bloggers, however, are bent on finding ways to reach out to the outside world and give updates about news and current affairs in Burma. Other exiled media organisations, as well as foreign media channels, are also becoming more interested in video reporting and are trying to get their own reporters on the ground. Many local reporters equipped with camcorders and cameras are more present in political events. This doesn't mean there's more freedom now but rather more arrests and severe punishment. In fact, it's more difficult to cover Burma now and many journalists are opting to stay away to avoid being caught in random arrests.  

Activists also distribute copies of TV and online videos to those who can't access the Internet and satellite television. One thing is sure, video images are much more powerful than print and are very useful for campaign activities. We are expecting more documentary films about Burma in the years to come.

AMF: Did you expect this kind of international reaction to ‘Burma VJ'?

Aung Htun: I didn't even dream about it. I just tried my best as a video reporter. It's unbelievable that we made it. I would like my colleagues working in Burma not to underestimate every little thing they do, because the world is waiting to see what they are going to show. The film's success also reminds me to keep working harder in pushing for a quicker change in Burma.

AMF: Do you think this international reaction can help change the situation in Burma? The generals have been in power for decades and remain there and international pressure has not made much difference.

Aung Htun: It might look quite disappointing at present but I am optimistic due to the growing interest of the international community and the Burmese people's desire for democracy. I don't know when change will come but I have a feeling that it will not be long, though I can't explain why. International reaction is needed though as this provides Burmese people some form of moral support. Moral and non-violent intervention, I believe, are still the way to go in ensuring democracy for Burma.  

AMF: Is it possible for another group of VJs to do a different story from inside Burma?

Aung Htun: Of course. Our VJs have already made a documentary on orphans of Cyclone Nargis, which has won two awards in the UK. I was involved in the filming and facilitating with other VJs for this film. These experiences made us believe in ourselves more and prepared us to face challenges on the ground.