[ti:Burmese Government Goes Digital] [ar:June Simms] [al:Technology Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:56.85]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.12]this is the Technology Report. [00:05.46]The government in Burma [00:07.56]carries out much of its business [00:10.27]the same way it has for years. [00:13.10]It uses large books to record marriages, [00:16.85]business taxes and even official documents [00:20.76]between government agencies. [00:23.12]But this paper-based system is going away, [00:26.96]as ministries make the move to computers. [00:30.82]Myint Kyaw is head of the information department [00:35.14]in Burma's Ministry of the Information. [00:38.14]He is responsible for the program [00:41.39]that aims to bring all 36 ministries online by 2015. [00:48.35]Under the plan, [00:50.30]each ministry will have its own web-portal [00:54.10]and administrative software programs. [00:57.50]Myint Kyaw says social networks like Facebook [01:02.40]will make it easier for government officials [01:05.25]to connect with the public. [01:07.45]"So many people from our country use Facebook, [01:12.80]very easy way to get information. [01:18.36]To put the more information, they can distribute, [01:24.52]they can contribute personal information [01:28.17]and organizational information." he said. [01:29.97]Facebook is the most widely used tool [01:33.73]for communicating online in Burma. [01:36.73]Only about one percent of Burma's population [01:40.43]has an internet connection, [01:42.64]but most of those users are believed to have Facebook accounts. [01:47.65]This year, only an American-based group Freedom House [01:53.55]described the Internet in Burma as "not free". [01:58.42]It noted barriers to availability and poor infrastructure [02:04.03]as major problems. [02:06.18]However, restrictions have been eased on many websites [02:11.23]that formerly will blocked, [02:13.62]and the most severe sentence [02:16.78]for a violation of the electronic transactions act [02:20.58]has been reduced from 15 to 7 years. [02:25.39]Yet observers say Burmese officials still have a long way [02:31.04]to go to create a free Internet environment. [02:35.94]Nay Phone Latt is a blogger and former political prisoner. [02:41.68]He once was charged with crimes [02:44.69]under the electronic transactions act. [02:48.13]Now that he is free, [02:49.93]he is advising the government on its communication policies. [02:54.08]He says the government is now using the Internet [02:58.64]to ask the public for comments, [03:01.29]a big change from even a few years ago. [03:05.40]"In the earlier days, the government think they are [03:09.20]in the higher ranks and they can decide everything; [03:12.11]they don't need [the] people's advice... [03:14.87]actually in a democratic society [03:17.61]the key player is not only the government," he said. [03:22.11]Internet service first came to Burma in 2000, [03:26.97]at first it was offered only to the military. [03:30.82]Service expanded slowly [03:33.73]and remained much too costly for most Burmese. [03:38.22]But now people are using smartphones to go online, [03:42.77]that helps to explain the recent jump [03:46.48]in the number of Internet users. [03:49.17]And that is the Technology Report from VOA Special English. [03:55.07]I'm June Simms. [03:56.97]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com