Myanmar hosts ASEAN workshop on government communication

　　YANGON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar launched a workshop on "mastering government communication" in Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday, the state-run daily The Mirror reported Thursday.

　　The report said that the first-day discussions covered skills and challenges of government spokespersons, their roles in their respective countries, the media landscape, and ways to address fake news.

　　Participants also discussed topics such as public communication and research, audio editing, media relations, interviewing, handling classified information, and effectively communicating complex issues through practical exercises, according to the report.

　　The workshop was organized by the Media Development Department under Myanmar's Ministry of Information, with support from the ASEAN Cultural Fund, as part of an ASEAN Information Sub-Committee project.

　　The report said the event aims to strengthen the capacity of government spokespersons in the ASEAN region to effectively communicate with the media and government officials, disseminate key messages, build trust between the government and the public, and exchange skills and knowledge to deal with crises.

　　Officials from the Myanmar Press Council, trainers, representatives from ASEAN countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, and Indonesia, and the Office of the Secretary-General of ASEAN attended the workshop. The report said that representatives from Japan joined as observers, and officials from Myanmar's ministries also attended.

　　The three-day workshop will run until Friday. ■