Any journalist knows to prepare for the worst when calling a government official to comment on a rumor, especially a rumor that might be embarrassing to the government, and especially when that government is in Myanmar, where disdain for the press seems to have grown since Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy took power earlier this year.
But a reporter for local newspaper Public Image Journal probably wasn’t expecting his call to NLD central executive committee member and sometimes spokesman U Win Htein – who is notoriously blunt with journalists – to go so spectacularly wrong that a transcript of the whole exchange would end up on the front page.
The weekly journal published the interview – during which the reporter was called a sauk yuu, which can be translated as “fucking idiot” or “idiot,” six times – on its front page on Wednesday.
Public Image Journal also included a random photo of Win Htein that suggests he is the sort of individual who really doesn’t like doing interviews.
The reporter had called to ask for comment on rumors that recently appointed ministers being might be shifted around or even removed.
Myanmar journalists who shared a photo of the front page online collectively sighed at the exchange, while others shrugged it off as par for the course for the tough-talking, pities no fools Win Htein, who ended an interview with Radio Free Asia earlier this year by telling the journalist: “Don’t thank me, think seriously before you ask me questions.”
But why was he so angry? Was it because of the questions themselves? Was it the subject matter?
Here’s a roughly translated version of the front-page exchange as it appeared in the paper. Judge for yourself. PI stands for Public Image Journal and WH stands for Win Htein.
PI: Is that Uncle U Win Htein?
WH: Yes
PI: I am reporter Sai Wunna from the Public Image Journal.
WH: Yes.
PI: Yes… there has been some news that there will be changes in the government. I want to know about that.
WH: What am I supposed to say?
PI: Yes, we want to know what the situation is about that?
WH: Sauk yuu [“fucking idiot” or “idiot”]… sauk yuu. You are asking about this to me… You are a sauk yuu.
PI: I mean…
WH: Yes, you are…
PI: Yes, please tell me.
WH: Yes, I said you are a sauk yuu.
PI: Because news has come out that some ministers will be changed.
WH: I am saying you are a sauk yuu. I already said “sauk yuu” about six times.
PI: Yes.
WH: You will only understand if I say it like this.
PI: So the news isn’t true?
WH: I said you are sauk yuu. Write: “U Win Htein said the reporter was ‘sauk yuu’ when the questions were asked.”
