By AFP
Two Reuters journalists were remanded in custody for
another fortnight by a Myanmar court on Wednesday, following their first public
appearance since being arrested under a secrecy law that carries up to 14 years
in jail.
They are yet to be charged by a court. But they are
facing proceedings under the draconian colonial-era Official Secrets Act for
allegedly possessing documents related to the army crackdown in Rakhine state
-- a highly sensitive issue in Myanmar.
The UN says the army is likely guilty of ethnic cleansing
of the Muslim minority, some 655,000 of whom have fled the country since the
military launched a crackdown on Rohingya rebels in late August.
Myanmar denies the allegation and has tightly controlled
media and UN access to the conflict area.
Myanmar officials have refused to comment on where the
Reuters journalists were being detained or when they would be released.
- Held incommunicado -
On Wednesday, the pair appeared in public for the first
time in a court on the outskirts of Yangon, where they were embraced by tearful
relatives who have been denied any contact with the two men.
"They have not mistreated me," Wa Lone told AFP
inside the courthouse.
The other reporter, Kyaw Soe Oo, urged other journalists
to be cautious in brief comments to AFP.
"Please tell journalist friends to be careful. It's
really scary. We didn't do anything wrong," he said after an emotional
reunion with his sister.
Judge Ohn Myint extended their remand period until
January 10, telling the court "the interrogation is still ongoing."
Two police officers were also arrested over the case but
were not present at the court on Wednesday.
Reuters has denied any wrong-doing on behalf of their
reporters, defending their right to report on an issue of global significance.
The journalists' arrests have deepened global alarm over
vanishing press freedom in Myanmar, which is still shedding a 50-year legacy of
junta rule.
The emerging democracy is now led by former activist Aung
San Suu Kyi, who was swept into office in 2015 elections that were a euphoric
moment for a nation brutalised by decades of military rule.
A slew of legal cases against journalists have compounded
disappointment among those hoping Suu Kyi would usher in a new era of freedom.
But her civilian administration must still share power
with an army that retains firm control of security policy and other key levers
of government.
Suu Kyi's time in office has also been dominated by the
Rohingya crisis, with criticism pouring in from around the globe over her
refusal to denounce the army's crackdown and allow in international
investigators.
"These journalists were arrested while they were
doing their jobs," Than Zaw Aung, a lawyer for the Reuters journalists,
said outside the court house.
"It's likely to shut down the voices of accused as
they are being held for long time... We are worried about that," he added.
At least 11 journalists have been arrested in Myanmar in
2017, including two foreign reporters and a local journalist working for
Turkish state broadcaster TRT.
The trio-were sentenced to two months in prison alongside
their driver for flying a drone close to Myanmar's parliament building in
October.