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Updated August 22nd, 2021 at 13:49 IST

Myanmar's military govt arrests 2 more journalists as media crackdown continues: Report

In the latest sweeping crackdown on the media since the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s military government has arrested two more local journalists.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Myanmar
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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In the latest sweeping crackdown on the media since the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s military government arrested two more local journalists. Myawaddy TV on August 21 reported that Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist for news site Frontier Myanmar and a commentator with Voice of America radio, and Htet Htet Khine, a freelancer who has worked for the BBC Burmese service, were arrested on August 15. 

As per the army-owned media outlet, Sithu Aung Myint was charged with sedition and spreading false information in social media posts that were critical of the junta. He even reportedly urged people to join strikes and back outlawed opposition movements. Htet Htet Khine, on the other hand, was accused of harbouring Sithu Aung Myint, a wanted criminal suspect, and for working for and supporting a shadow National Unity Government.

Myanmar military coup 

Since the February 1 coup, Myanmar remains drought with instability and opposition to army rule, under which over 1,000 people have been killed. The junta has revoked the licenses of many news outlets and it says that it respects the role of media. However, it also added that it will not tolerate the reporting of news it believes to be false or likely to create public unrest. 

As Myanmar’s military has taken steps to undermine the country's democratic transition, including the arrest of the nation’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and few other civilian officials in Burma, several governments and human rights groups across the globe expressed concern and urged the military to immediately release all those who have been detained unlawfully. The Myanmar Army, on the other hand, has said that it carried out the detentions in response to fraud in last November’s general election that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide. On August 1, Military Commander Min Aung Hlaing declared that he would remain in charge until 2023, when he plans to hold an election.

The coup d'etat triggered a wave of protests and paved the way for mass violence in the country resulting in a steep surge of COVID-19 cases and subsequent deaths. According to data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), as many as 945 people have been killed since the military takeover took place in February. Additionally, more than 2 lakh people have been displaced due to flashfloods and another 1.8 lakh people have been reported as COVID infected in the country.

UN chief concerned about Myanmar cisis 

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) has expressed its concerns over the compounded situation of conflict, pandemic, and natural disaster. UN Chief Antonio Guterres, in his statement on August 20, said that the flash floods and the COVID-19 cases have continued to "exacerbate people's vulnerabilities".

Speaking about the UN agenda for Myanmar, Guterres said that the United Nations looks forward to "continuing cooperation with ASEAN on coherent response to Myanmar crisis". He reiterated his call to the Myanmar military to respect the will of people and refrain from violence. The UN has also focused on extending "humanitarian and life-saving assistance" along with unimpeded support to all the international communities which tend to cooperate on the same, spokesperson Dujarric added.

(Image: AP)

 

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Published August 22nd, 2021 at 13:49 IST

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