Privately owned daily newspapers have been printed in Burma for the first time in 50 years. Four private daily papers went on sale on 1 April, a date which coincides with the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's election to parliament.
The chief editor of one of the new papers, Khin Maung Lay, whose initial print of 80,000 copies sold out by late morning, expressed joy over the start of a free press, stating,
"It shows how much people long for private daily newspapers. This morning, I was in tears seeing this."
The four papers covered a range of issues from the flaring ethnic tension in the Rhakine state to ministerial resignations in parliament.
Burma closed all private daily printed papers in 1964 and held a state monopoly over the daily press using censorship and intimidation.
The press freedoms are the one of the latest changes in a series of reforms that have taken place since President Thein Sein took office in 2011 under a quasi-civilian government.
A further twelve papers are expected to commence regular print over the following month.