Early this morning, Myanmar Now chief correspondent Swe Win took to Facebook to confirm that he had an almost-violent encounter with a group of men last night. The individuals were presumably disgruntled with the journalist for his involvement in the Ma Ba Tha case against him.
The incident took place around 9 pm last night at the corner of Baho and Myaung Mya Streets when Swe Win was coming home from dinner with the U.S. ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel.
“Three people approached me and asked me if I was Swe Win. They started shouting at me and I could tell that they were getting ready to beat me up so I avoided them. One of them said ‘If you’re not Swe Win, leave,’ but otherwise, they were about to hit me. I called the Yangon Police Chief right there on the spot,” Swe Win recounted to Eleven.
Although the reason behind the men’s hostility was never revealed, Swe Win believes it has to do with Ma Ba Tha’s lawsuit against him.
“There are people who are disgruntled with me because of what’s happening [with the Ma Ba Tha case], and they’re trying to pick a fight. If it were a small personal disagreement, I’d have no reason to go to the police.”
Following the encounter, a nearby witness informed Swe Win that some of the men lived on Pyar Pone Street in Sanchaung.
In this morning’s Facebook post, Swe Win explained, “When we relayed the information [of their address] to the ward officials, they were able to find out that the men had been drinking beer at a pub since 4 pm that afternoon. When the pub owners replayed the CCTV footage for us, I was able to identify the three men who tried to attack me earlier.”
Swe Win uploaded the acquired CCTV footage, along with the statement (pictured below) that he would be submitting when filing his case at the Sanchaung Court today.
“Although no one was hurt, I’m filing the report as a precautionary measure and taking legal action before a similar thing happens again,” he explained.
Police tracked down the address of one of the men, but when they went to his house, the individual had fled and was avoiding the authorities.
Referring to the controversial nature of his work, Swe Win noted, “In all my time here, wherever I go, whether it’s five out of ten people or two [out of ten], there are always those who aren’t happy with me.”
“I don’t feel safe. I also thought, ‘Even if I myself were safe, who would protect my family? Who’s going to protect my wife and child?’”
