Myanmar Junta Raids News Outlet, Arrests Ex-Information Minister

Myanmar’s military raided a Rakhine-based news outlet and arrested a reporter and an office worker, VOA Burmese reported, underscoring the military’s relentless post-coup crackdown on media around the country.


The raid on the offices of the Development Media Group (DMG) occurred Sunday afternoon. Zaw Zaw, the outlet’s spokesperson, told VOA Burmese that authorities seized equipment and arrested a journalist and a security guard.


That same day, Myanmar’s military announced the arrest of a former army officer who had served as information minister under a previous military-backed government.


Ye Htut, the former minister, was charged with spreading false or inflammatory news on his Facebook account and faces up to three years in prison.


The news outlet raid and the ex-minister’s arrest underscore that Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, is continuing to restrict free expression over 2 ½ years after seizing power in a coup.


Earlier this month, the independent research group Data for Myanmar reported that more than 1,300 people were detained in Myanmar for criticizing the military and showing support for opposition groups on social media between February 2022 and September 2023.


Since the coup, few reporters operate inside Myanmar due to severe safety risks. Myanmar ranks among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, with 42 journalists in prison at the end of 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.


Since the coup, security forces have killed more than 4,100 people in Myanmar, and more than 19,600 people remain detained for resisting the coup, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.


After authorities arrested DMG reporter Htet Aung and night watchman Soe Win Aung, the rest of the staff went into hiding, VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Asia reported.


Launched in 2012 along the Thailand-Myanmar border, DMG later relocated to Sittwe, Rakhine’s capital. The Tatmadaw has targeted DMG in the past.


Like many other media outlets in Myanmar, DMG’s license was revoked following the 2021 coup. The military also filed a criminal case against DMG editor-in-chief Aung Min Oo in 2019.


Myanmar’s military did not immediately reply to VOA’s request for comment.


Some information in this report came from VOA Burmese and The Associated Press.