A Monywa-based local journalist was found dead on Tuesday morning by Monywa police. Authorities believe that he was murdered. According to the Associated Press, he was investigating illegal logging in the northwest of the country before he was killed.
The journalist, Soe Moe Tun, worked for Eleven Media Group. Eleven issued an official press release earlier today.
The document notes that Soe Moe Tun started working at Eleven on January 1, 2015, covering Monywa and the surrounding areas.
The release also stated that according to the Monywa police station’s records, he was found dead on Pyidaungsu Road in the city’s Aung Chan Than quarter at 12:20 am on December 13. He had two head wounds and a swollen forehead, and his left eyebrow was split open. Authorities found his body face down on the ground.
The police have opened a report under Section 302 (“Punishment for murder”) of the Myanmar Penal Code.
“Eleven Media Group is carrying out the necessary investigations into the death of Ko Soe Moe Tun, and we request that the police investigate Ko Soe Moe Tun’s murder and find out what happened as soon as possible,” the press release stated.
The Myanmar Journalist Network also released a statement expressing their condolences to Soe Moe Tun’s family and urging the government to investigate the killing.
“This is the fifth case that a journalist has been killed since 1999,” Zayar Hlaing, a member of the Myanmar Press Council, told AP. “The government must make sure there is no impunity for the culprits and the rule of law should be implemented.”
