Comedians in Myanmar Face Bans

Myanmar comedian Maung Thura known as Zarganar smiles at his home in Yangon, Myanmar Thursday, May 18, 2006. In Myanmar, there's not much to laugh about. Ask some of its most famous comedians. The Mustache Brothers-- known for their jokes about American celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and performance of classical Myanmar dances-- were forced to work with iron bars across their legs for several years after making fun of the country's ruling military generals. Zargana, a former Myanmar dental student turned standup comic, who himself was also barred from a performance in May 2006. (AP Photo) (Str - AP)

Maung Thura _ perhaps the country's most popular comic, known by the stage name "Zargana" _ was banned after giving an interview to the BBC, supposedly for criticizing the regime's rules on Thangyat _ performances that traditionally poke fun at society and politics.

Zargana has a history of run-ins with authorities. Offered a seat at a police station when once taken in for questioning, he reportedly replied, "Thanks, but I don't want to sit down, because once I sit on a chair I won't want to give up my seat" _ a reference to then-Prime Minister Ne Win's penchant for clinging to power.

"They could not stop the conversation between me and the people," Zargana, whose shaved head and rimless glasses lend him an air of modernity, said in an interview. The comedian, whose nickname translates as "tweezers," is just the latest casualty of the crackdown on comedy.

"Let me put it this way, I think hard-line generals don't like jokes," said Aung Zaw, editor of Irrawaddy, an independent newsmagazine based in Thailand that reports on Myanmar-related issues.

Comedian-singer Mg Myit Tar was silenced by authorities in 2001 when, as host of a music show on state-run TV, he interviewed a female singer of high school age and congratulated her for finishing her education _ a pointed reference to the regime's frequent closures of universities.

The famous Moustache Brothers have been barred from working in public since the late 1990s. In 1996, brothers Par Par Lay and Lu Zaw were imprisoned for cracking jokes during a rally at the home of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Their crime? "Spreading false news."

After calls for their release flooded in from around the globe _ top American comedians including Bill Maher, Ted Danson and Paul Reiser sent a letter _ the brothers were reunited in 2001 with their cousin and partner, who wasn't at the Suu Kyi show. Now they are effectively banned from performing in Burmese, meaning most of their viewers are tourists.

"Tourists are our Trojan horses," the cousin, Lu Maw, told a Western journalist last year. "Through tourists, the rest of the world can learn of our plight."

Last year, one of the trio remarked to a foreign audience, "We're blacklisted. That means you are illegal too, and the secret police are coming to arrest you." When an Italian woman appeared upset, he winked and assured her, "That was just a joke," according to an account in the South China Morning Post.

One of the more bizarre crackdowns that still makes comedians here chuckle was directed at an elderly comedienne and actress who had the exact same name as junta leader Gen. Than Shwe.

According to Zargana, the comedienne Than Shwe was barred from performing when she refused the regime's demand in 1997 that she change her name. She died 2004 in a village outside Yangon, away from the limelight.

Even faced with a performance ban, Zargana seems resolute and brash. He speaks of a "whispering campaign" and insists under-the-table humor will persist in Myanmar's taxicabs, teashops and dining rooms.

"Burmese people love to laugh," he said. "But if I can't speak, jokes will still spread. The people will make them up themselves."