December 27, 2017
Two
Reuters journalists who have been detained in Myanmar for the past two weeks
appeared in court yesterday and were remanded in custody for a further two
weeks.
“They
will be remanded in custody at the Insein Prison for further probe. The current
period is for taking time to probe into the allegations, the step before taking
charges,” said Judge U Ohn Myint of the Mingaladon Township Court.
The
judge granted the 14-day extension in the case of the journalists, Wa Lone, 31,
and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, at the request of the police. Their attorney said the
journalists were only performing their duties as reporters.
“The
file opened for the two journalists should not be under the official secrets
act because they do their job as journalists,” U Than Zaw Aung, the lawyer for
the Reuters journalists.
The
two Reuters journalists were arrested on 12 December in Yangon for illegally
obtaining and possessing government documents, according to the Myanmar Police
Force (MPF). Two policemen allegedly involved in the case were also arrested,
said the MPF.
“Wa
Lone, also known as Thet Oo Maung Maung, and Kyaw Soe Oo, also known as Moe
Aung, with the Yangon-based Reuters News Agency, were arrested for possessing
important and secret government documents related to Rakhine State and security
forces (with the intent) to send them to a foreign news agency,” said the news
release from the MPF.
The
two journalists obtained the documents by deception from the two policemen, who
came back from Rakhine State after serving security duties in Maungtaw and
Buthidaung in Rakhine State, said the MPF.
The
two journalists have been charged under the Official Secrets Act.
When
they appeared at the Mingaladon court for the proceedings, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe
Oo were allowed to meet their families and their lawyers but Wa Lone maintained
his innocence.
“We
will face it the best we can because we have never done anything wrong,” Wa
Lone said after yesterday’s hearing.
Zaw
Gyi
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
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