Myanmar Arrests 2 More Local Journalists As Media Crackdown Continues

Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist for news site Frontier Myanmar and a commentator with Voice of America radio, and Htet Htet Khine, a freelancer who has worked for the BBC Burmese service, were among those arrested, a report said.

Myanmar's military government has arrested two more local journalists, the army-owned television reported on Saturday, in the latest in a sweeping crackdown on the media since a February 1 coup. Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist for news site Frontier Myanmar and a commentator with Voice of America radio, and Htet Htet Khine, a freelancer who has worked for the BBC Burmese service, were arrested on August 15, Myawaddy TV reported. Sithu Aung Myint was charged with sedition and spreading false information in social media posts that Myawaddy said were critical of the junta and urged people to join strikes and back outlawed opposition movements. Htet Htet Khine was accused of harbouring Sithu Aung Myint, a wanted criminal suspect, and for working for and supporting a shadow National Unity Government.