Tanintharyi govt sues journalist without knowing what law he allegedly violated

The editor of the Tanintharyi Weekly Journal is being sued by a member of the Tanintharyi Region government over a satirical article that has been interpreted as a personal attack on Chief Minister Dr. Le Le Maw. However, neither the plaintiff nor the police know what law the article might have broken.

Aye Lu, the deputy director of the regional government, filed a lawsuit against chief editor Myo Aung on Nov. 23 in response to an article titled “A smile for the election campaign.” The article was written by columnist Mue Say Oo and published on November 20.

The satirical article explains how an imaginary elected village administrator manages her village. Although neither the chief minister nor regional government are mentioned, the article has been interpreted as an attack on the chief minister’s inability to end the region’s constant blackouts and exorbitant electricity bills.

“This columnist has insulted the regional government many times in their articles, and it is apparent that the article on the electricity issue was aimed at the chief minister,” Aye Lu told the Myanmar Times.

Tanintharyi Region is not connected to the national power grid, so residents’ electricity bills are six times higher than those in other parts of the country. The power shortages have sparked protests this year against the regional government and the Dawei Development Public Company, which distributes electricity to the region.

Although Aye Lu filed his case under the 2014 Media Law, Judge Kyaw Myint, who is presiding over the case, has said that neither the plaintiff nor the police are sure which law the article might have violated. The judge has instructed police to collect more evidence before he decides whether to indict the journal’s editor on Dec. 7.

Aye Lu told the Myanmar Times: “We will not negotiate with the paper or accept an apology. We will just go on with this according to the law.”

No one from the journal has yet been summoned to court, but the staff say they are ready to face the lawsuit.

Chief editor Myo Aung told BBC Burmese: “That satirical article is about what’s happening here, not about deriding a specific person.”