Myanmar authorities are, once again, trying to protect their reputation not by adapting their behavior but by punishing the messenger.
This week, the Rakhine State government announced that it would bring a lawsuit against the Associated Press (AP) for “falsely” reporting on the discovery of at least five mass graves in Buthidaung Township’s Gutar Pyin village, where security forces allegedly slaughtered between 75 and 400 Rohingya residents on Aug. 28, 2017.
State minister for security and border affairs Col. Phone Tint told the Irrawaddy that the government has instructed the state’s attorney general, Kyaw Hla Tun, to find a way to sue the publication. The government has not yet made public what laws would be used as a basis for the suit.
AP reported on Feb. 1 that it had identified at least five mass graves near the village using timestamped video footage and the testimonies of survivors in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The report said the bodies had been dumped into pits and doused with acid.
The following day, the Myanmar government denied the scale of the violence in Gutar Pyin village, saying only 19 bodies were found in the village and that belonged to “terrorists” who were killed while mounting an assault on security forces. The government statement said the bodies were buried properly and reported to a nearby police station in accordance with Section 50(i) of the Counterterrorism Law.
The statement also said the government would continue to investigate the case and take action against any security personnel who broke the law.
AP told the Irrawaddy that it stands by its reporting.
Myanmar authorities responded similarly to a Reuters investigation into a mass grave in Inn Din village by apparently entrapping and arresting the two reporters working on the story. Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are now being held in Yangon’s Insein Prison while on trial for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act.
The same day the two reporters were formally charged with the crime, the Myanmar army admitted that its troops summarily executed 10 men and dumped their bodies into the mass grave. Its announcement said violators of the Rules of Engagement would be punished, as would security personnel who failed to report the killings sooner.
Ironically, the men who tried to report the killings sooner are expected to remain in prison for at least several months.
