MYANMAR COURT EXTENDS DETENTION OF JOURNALISTS
They have yet to be charged, but face proceedings under Official Secrets Act
YANGON
TWO Reuters journalists were remanded in custody for another fortnight by a Myanmar court yesterday, following their first public appearance since being arrested under a secrecy law that carries up to 14 years in jail.
Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, Myanmar nationals who had been reporting for the global news agency on a military-led crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, were arrested after being invited to meet police for dinner on the outskirts of the capital.
They have yet to be charged by a court, but they are facing proceedings under the draconian colonial-era Official Secrets Act for allegedly possessing documents related to the army crackdown in Rakhine State, a highly sensitive issue in Myanmar.
The United Nations said the army was likely guilty of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority, some 655,000 of whom have fled the country since the military launched a crackdown on Rohingya rebels in late August.
Myanmar denied the allegation and had tightly controlled media and UN access to the conflict area.
Myanmar officials have refused to comment on where the journalists were being detained or when they would be released.
Yesterday, the pair appeared in public for the first time in a court on the outskirts of here, where they were embraced by tearful relatives who have been denied any contact with the two men.
“They have not mistreated me,” Wa Lone said.
The other reporter, Kyaw Soe Oo, urged other journalists to be cautious.
“Please tell journalist friends to be careful. It’s really scary. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
Judge Ohn Myint extended their remand period until Jan 10, telling the court “the interrogation is ongoing”.
Two police officers were also arrested over the case, but were not present at the court yesterday.
Reuters had denied any wrongdoing on behalf of their reporters, defending their right to report on an issue of global significance.
The journalists’ arrests had deepened global alarm over vanishing press freedom in Myanmar, which is still shedding a 50year legacy of junta rule.
The emerging democracy is now led by former activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept into office in 2015 elections that were a euphoric moment for a nation brutalised by decades of military rule.
A slew of legal cases against journalists had compounded disappointment among those hoping Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of freedom.
But her civilian administration must still share power with an army that retains firm control of security policy and other key levers of government.
Suu Kyi’s time in office has also been dominated by the Rohingya crisis, with criticism pouring in from around the globe over her refusal to denounce the army’s crackdown and allow in international investigators.
“These journalists were arrested while they were doing their jobs,” Than Zaw Aung, a lawyer for the Reuters journalists, said outside the court house.
“It’s likely to shut down the voices of the accused as they have been held for long time... We are worried about that.” AFP