A man has filed a complaint against Myanmar Now chief editor at the Kyauktada Township court in Yangon, accusing the journalist of “insulting religion”.
The complaint was filed on March 20 by Kyimyindine Township resident Thet Myo Oo, who claims that Swe Win’s remarks during recent press conferences and interviews tarnish the image of Buddhism. Swe Win has frequently criticized the anti-Muslim hate speech of radical nationalist monk Wirathu.
“I first brought the case to the Kyauktada Township police station on Friday, but they told me this matter did not concern them. Then, I filed the complaint at the court, which accepted it. I and Swe Win bear no grudge against each other. But his critical remarks against a Buddhist monk and an organization like Ma Ba Tha (Association for the Protection of Race and Religion) make me, as a devout Buddhist, deeply disappointed,” Thet Myo Oo told Eleven.
Khin Maung Myint, a legal advisor to Swe Win, said that while the court accepted the complaint, it has will not decide whether to prosecute Swe Win until police investigate the complaint.
“There is no firm evidence that Swe Win has insulted religion. He is also planning to defend himself under the law. We have written a letter about this to the News Media Council,” the lawyer told Eleven.
Swe Win is also facing a lawsuit filed by Kyaw Myo Shwe under section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law. Kyaw Myo Shwe filed the case after the journalist accused radical nationalist monk Wirathu of violating the tenets of Buddhism when he praised the murderer of prominent Muslim lawyer U Ko Ni.
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