BANGKOK – Three Myanmar journalists have been arrested in Thailand after fleeing across the border to escape a crackdown by the military, said their employer.
The trio are set to appear in court today, added their editor, urging Thai authorities not to repatriate them to the coup-hit country.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering a mass uprising as large swathes of the population take to the streets to demand democracy.
The junta has responded with force – shooting protesters, arresting suspected dissidents in night raids, and targeting journalists and news outlets by shutting them down.
“They were arrested during a random search by police and charged (with) illegal entry in Thailand,” said a statement yesterday by Aye Chan Naing, chief editor of Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), which had its broadcasting licence revoked in March, sending its journalists into hiding.
“DVB strongly urges Thai authorities not to deport them back to Burma, as their life would be in serious danger if they were to return,” said the Oslo-based editor, referring to Myanmar by its old name.
He told AFP that the group is set to appear in court today.
Thai authorities today confirmed the arrests, but did not say if they are journalists.
DVB confirmed in a statement last night that three of its reporters – along with two Myanmar activists –escaped to neighbouring Thailand and were arrested by authorities on Sunday in the northern city of Chiang Mai.
A well-known news organisation in Myanmar, DVB started as an exile media outlet during the previous junta, broadcasting uncensored reports on TV and radio.
It moved into Myanmar in 2012, a year after the military dictatorship loosened its grip.
Despite losing its broadcasting licence in March, it has continued to report, posting regular updates on its Facebook page on the daily protests and crackdowns across the country.
It also broadcasts via satellite TV – a move that the junta attempted to halt when it banned homes from having satellite dishes.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in a statement today said if the arrested Myanmar nationals are deported, they will face “certain arrest and persecution, if not worse”.
“The world is watching what Thai authorities do in this important case for press freedom in Myanmar and the region.”
More than 70 journalists have been detained since the February 1 coup, according to a local monitoring group that has tracked a total of nearly 5,000 arrests nationwide. – AFP, May 11, 2021
