Myanmar courts extend detention of AP journalist, five others

[rooster59]

Myanmar courts extend detention of AP journalist, five others

Police officers and lawyers are seen outside Kamayut township court where the hearing of a group of journalists who were detained during anti-coup protests is scheduled, including that of Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw, in Yangon March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reuters) - A court in Myanmar extended custody on Friday for five journalists, including one from U.S. news agency the Associated Press, who were arrested while covering anti-junta protests in the biggest city of Yangon last month, a lawyer said.

More than 70 people have been killed and about 2,000 arrested in a crackdown on protests since Myanmar's military took power in a coup on Feb. 1, advocacy body the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says.

The six journalists, all arrested on Feb. 27, were not brought to court but attended the hearing via teleconference from prison. They have not been allowed to see their families or lawyers in person since the arrest.

Lawyer Tin Zar Oo said the case of her client, Thein Zaw of the Associated Press, and four others, would next be heard on March 24.

"He seems OK, but he said he has asthma, so he is a bit uncomfortable," she said, speaking of Thein Zaw. "His family members got to talk to him."

Another court extended detention until March 25 for a sixth journalist, from Myanmar Now, the group's editor-in-chief, Swe Win, said.

Court officials did not comment.

The U.S. state department has voiced concern at the arrests and urged the immediate release of the journalists.

Authorities in Myanmar have raided the offices of four independent news organisations during the last few days. The government has also stripped the licences of five organisations that have been active in covering the protests.

At least 35 journalists have been arrested since the Feb. 1 coup, Myanmar Now reported, of whom 19 have been released.

A junta spokesman told a news conference on Thursday that the military respected and valued press freedom but that the arrested journalists were provoking unrest.

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Clarence Fernandez)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-13

 

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[PatOngo]

More Asian authoritarian suppression of free speech, there'll always be a Third World!

[asiaexpat]

Where is the free world? Why has the UN not acted? Time to free Myanmar for good and put the Generals on trial in the Hague.

[Enzian]

1 hour ago, asiaexpat said:

Where is the free world? Why has the UN not acted? Time to free Myanmar for good and put the Generals on trial in the Hague.

What will the UN do? Invade? Is there any precedent in recent memory for the invasion of a sovereign country? Not a rhetorical question, maybe there's one I'm not thinking of. I guess the US in Iraq applies. The problem is that when you invade then you own the place and all its issues. We're still in Iraq. 

But maybe someone should take over Burma. I've always wanted to see Yangon.

[nausea]

A third force at work here, methinks; no way 10% (at max, probably more like 5% or less) rules over 90%., without outside help. Mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn., if you ask me. Is the game worth the candle? We'll see. One thing's for sure, if the third force pulls the plug it will implode very fast.

Edited March 13, 2021 by nausea
Grammar

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the military respected and valued press freedom

Utter rubbish!!

[hotchilli]

On 3/13/2021 at 6:09 AM, PatOngo said:

More Asian authoritarian suppression of free speech, there'll always be a Third World!

There will always be an Asian authoritarian regime.... 

[DerbyDan]

On 3/12/2021 at 7:49 PM, Enzian said:

What will the UN do? Invade? Is there any precedent in recent memory for the invasion of a sovereign country? Not a rhetorical question, maybe there's one I'm not thinking of. I guess the US in Iraq applies. The problem is that when you invade then you own the place and all its issues. We're still in Iraq. 

But maybe someone should take over Burma. I've always wanted to see Yangon.

 

You don't really need to invade. You just cut them off so they can't maintain their infrastructure and defenses.

 

Factories close, the troops become jaded because they are not eating well or getting paid. They start to defect and move to the other side, or join rebel groups.

 

When the general population receives little or nothing, the main brunt of the cutoff is on those in power anyhow.

 

You can also back these dissatisfied groups, cia style, by funneling in arms and support unofficially. Funneling rice through Thailand for example, so certain troops can eat, and not others. Troops start defecting into groups where there is rice, they are happier.

 

Who cares who the leader is when your eating fresh rice!

 

You can also facilitaye the population in general or those favorable to your cause with ekectronic means, such as disposable smart ohones and SiM cards, from a neighboring country where the signal reaches through, if the internet has been cutoff.

 

Peolle start posting pictures on Youtube etc rallyinh international support. Places like China get nervous and are not as comfortable backing what's going on.

 

On an individual level people can organize and do things like remain at their facrory jobs and work slowly or not at all, or introduce defects into equipment that cause failures in the field or fatal accidents, rather then just deserting their jobs so soldiers can replace them.

 

Anytime you have access to food soldiers are eating you have a red carpet into their bodies that no helmet or vest can offer protection. You can spoil food with some really nasty stuff if you have the right chemicals or access on how to use those found in many kitchens, there is always a kitchen around. There's all kinds of really nasty stuff you can do, that's why these types of dictatorships are so exclusive, they usually live in compounds,l sealed off from the people they are exploiting.

Edited March 31, 2021 by DerbyDan

[simon43]

[quote]

You don't really need to invade. You just cut them off so they can't maintain their infrastructure and defenses.

[/quote]

 

Well, that didn't seem to work for the previous decades in Myanmar when the military were in 100% charge.  Because there is always some greedy country that will sell whatever is needed to the military, (think Russia, China and a whole host of other countries).

 

I lived in Yangon many years ago when western sanctions were in place previously.  I was able to find cheese in the shops from New Zealand that had been shipped first to Cyprus, then to Lebanon and finally to Myanmar..... 

 

Sanctions don't work because they are never watertight.