The life of journalists turned hostile in Myanmar since military coup on February 1. The number of journalists jailed increased dramatically and now it is only next to China. After the coup, case of first journalist died in custody causing concern.
According to global media watch-dog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on December 10, soldiers in Myanmar arrested photographer Soe Naing after he photographed a “silent strike” protest in Yangon against the country’s military junta government.
Citing anonymous friends, colleagues, and family members of the photographer, media reports stated on Tuesday that Soe Naing had died in custody. Those reports did not state any suspected cause of death for the journalist, who was in his 30s.
Also in Myanmar, about 20 soldiers raided the home of Democratic Voice of Burma reporter Aung San Li and arrested him, and a court in Shan state sentenced three Kanbawza Tai News journalists to three years each in prison.
This year, Myanmar became the world’s second-worst jailer of journalists, according to CPJ’s prison census. Read this analysis by Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, to see how that crackdown took place.
Philip Smucker in his article in The Diplomat, said in the past year since the military takeover, the oppression of the media in Myanmar must be ranked as the world’s worst. Since the junta also has control and oversight of almost all the wifi and other modes of communication in Myanmar, he said, it can muster these resources to spy on and attack the press.
Journalists are often caught through their messages, even when they send them over encrypted platforms. The military, when it raids a home, makes a point to seize smartphones and gather files before they can be erased, he added.
