Press freedom on trial

YANGON: The judge in the trial of two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar on accusations of obtaining secret state documents yesterday said he would deliver his verdict next Monday. The trial of the journalists is seen as a test of press freedom in the fledgling democracy.

The court has been holding hearings since January to decide whether, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are guilty of breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.