Arakan News Agency
A group of journalists in Myanmar said the group asked the government on Monday details of the arrest of two Reuters journalists last month, arguing that the case could have implications for the ability of journalists to do their jobs.
The two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, are being investigated on suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act, a little-used law that has been on the books from the days of British colonial rule.
They had worked on Reuters coverage of a crisis in the western state of Arakan, where an estimated 655,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from a military crackdown that followed militant attacks on security forces.
The two are due to appear in court on Wednesday. It will be their second appearance in court and the prosecutor could request that charges are filed against them.
Twelve reporters based in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, said they had made their request to the interior ministry for more information about the case in accordance with the media law.
“The government hasn’t given a proper enough explanation to the country,” Nyan Hlaing Lynn, Naypyitaw bureau chief for the Frontier Myanmar magazine told Reuters.
”We’re worried that this will set a bad example of what happens when someone gives information to the media.”
