IFJ 07 May 2021
Myanmar: If independent media dies, democracy dies
As chaos flows in Burma, journalists are being forced to hide in plain site by the Burmese military writes senior journalist and Myanmar expert Phil Thornton. Molotov, one of the emerging new media outlets in Myanmar. Credit: Phil Thornton
Journalists in Myanmar are being hunted and arrested by the country’s military for trying to do their job. Independent media outlets have been raided, licenses revoked and offices closed. To avoid arrest, independent journalists have gone into deep hiding, taken refuge in ethnic controlled regions or fled to neighboring countries. The military and its paid informers trawl through neighborhoods, coffee shops and scan social media for evidence to justify arresting journalists. The military appointed State Administration Council revised and inserted a clause in the penal code, specifically tailored to gag its critics, politicians, activists and journalists. Clause 505a of th