BANGKOK (AP) – Myanmar’s military government is cracking down on media coverage of protests against its takeover, as journalists and ordinary citizens struggle to inform people inside and outside the country of what is happening.
Authorities searched two media companies on Tuesday and arrested two people. On Monday, they canceled licenses from five local media outlets that had been offering extensive coverage of the protests, in an attempt to completely reverse those freedoms a decade after the country began its faltering transition to democracy.
The government has arrested dozens of journalists since the February 1 coup, including Thein Zaw of the Associated Press.
The repression comes at a time when the military is increasing violence against mass protests. Independent media reports still provide vital information about arrests and shootings by soldiers in Myanmar cities. And they are using other platforms to distribute their reports, such as social media.
Here is a look at the media situation in Myanmar:
HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSING NEWS?
Authorities raided Kamayut Media’s offices on Monday, arresting its co-founder, Han Thar Nyein, and editor-in-chief, Nathan Maung. Witnesses said seven military trucks were involved in the operation, according to a member of Han Thar Nyein’s family. The military also broke into the offices of Mizzima News. The day before, five local channels – Mizzima, DVB, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now and 7Day News – were banned from broadcasting or providing any information on any media platform or using any technology after their licenses were canceled, the state broadcaster reported. MRTV. Everyone covered the protests extensively and often broadcast live videos. Myanmar Now, an independent news service, reported that police broke into his office door on Monday and seized computers, printers and parts of the newsroom’s data server. He cited unidentified witnesses and showed a photo of a CCTV footage. But he said the office was evacuated in late January. The government arrested dozens of journalists, including Thein Zaw of the Associated Press. “This ban is clearly part of a much larger attack by the military junta on press freedom and the ability of journalists to do their jobs without harassment, intimidation or imprisonment,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement Tuesday. The International Press Institute, which promotes press freedom, strongly condemned the measure and urged the international community to “strongly oppose the continued attack on independent media”.
HOW ARE THE MEDIA OUTLETS RESPONDING?
Myanmar journalists are at risk of being killed or imprisoned for doing their job, and Swe Win, editor-in-chief of Myanmar Now, said the operation has demonstrated that the government intends to show zero tolerance for press freedom. “What is certain is that we will not fail to cover the enormous crimes that the regime has been committing throughout the country,” he said. Mizzima, another local independent and private news agency, published a statement on its website saying that “it continues to fight the military coup and the restoration of democracy and human rights” using various online and multimedia platforms. Other media also reported protests on Tuesday. Some media outlets already have experience working abroad.
WHAT TYPE OF MEDIA IS STILL LEGALLY OPERATING ON MYANMAR?
Myanmar appears to be returning to a situation in which its officially sanctioned media are fully controlled by the state, as they were before the coup d’état, arrest and harassment for reporting on sensitive topics, such as abuses against its ethnic Muslim minority Rohingya. Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in prison, but later pardoned, for trying to investigate a massacre of Rohingya civilians. Myanmar ranked 139th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders 2020 world press freedom index. Journalists often face criminal defamation lawsuits online. The Myanmar Times, in English, announced that it had suspended all publications for three months, starting on February 21. That move came after many of its employees resigned to protest the newspaper’s agreement to follow an order from the junta not to use the word “coup” to describe the military takeover. Another state-controlled newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar, is still being published. Other state-owned media include the Myanmar News Agency and the army-controlled Myawaddy TV.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM BRANCHES?
Suppressing all reports would likely require a complete blackout of all Internet and satellite communications. In addition to the legal and human rights implications, this would be a major setback for the country’s economy. Myanmar companies are highly dependent on the internet and digital platforms like Facebook, having developed rapidly in recent years, after decades of relative isolation under previous military governments. So far, the board has decided to shut down Internet links at night, making it difficult, but not completely interrupting, these communications. As modern companies depend heavily on the Internet and the free flow of communications and information, military actions are further damaging the business and investment environment already devastated by the coup and its consequences.