Release all Burmese journalists
•PEC
Geneva: Appreciating the release of three digital media workers in
Myanmar recently, the global media safety & rights body Press Emblem
Campaign (PEC) maintains its demand to the Burmese junta for
unconditional release of all detained journalists in the south-east
Asian country. The military rulers of Myanmar (also known as Burma
and Brahmadesh) detained over 125 scribes since 1 February 2021
military coup that deposed the democratically elected Aung San Suu
Kyi-led government in Naypietaw and over 40 are still behind the bars.
The Min Aung Hlaing-led military junta (also known as Tatmadaw)
arrested two reporters (Ko Zaw and Ma Moe Myint) along with a graphic
designer (Ko Thar Gyi) from Dawei, the headquarter of Tanintharyi
region in southern Myanmar, on 18 January and all of them have been
released on 25 January. They work for DaweiWatch Burmese news portal,
which primarily covers socio-political events taking place in the
southern localities of Myanmar.
PEC’s south-east Asia representative Nava Thakuria informed that the
military personnel also raided the portal office and seized some
documents. DaweiWatch employees were also interrogated in custody for
various information before their release. Mentionable is that the
portal recently reported about the worsening human rights situation in
Tanintharyi region as over 50 civilians were killed and nearly 900
were imprisoned in the last 11 months.
“The junta not only threatened the media with brutal laws, but at
least three Burmese journalists lost their lives because of its
atrocities. Freelance photojournalist Ko Soe Naing lost his life on 14
December under military custody. Later journalist Sai Win Aung of
Federal News died of head injuries caused by the Tatmadaw-operated
shells on 25 December and Khonumthung news agency editor Pu Tui Dim
died in military firing on 9 January,” said Blaise Lempen,
secretary-general of PEC.