Maungdaw: A businessman from Maungdaw was sentenced to one year in prison by the Maungdaw district court on Monday for sending information to an exiled media group in Bangladesh, said a monk from Maungdaw.

"He was sentenced to one year in prison as he was sending out information abroad through an exiled Burmese news agency, but authorities in Maungdaw charged him under immigration law," the monk said.

Ko Nyunt Maung, age 45, was arrested by military intelligence on 2 January, 2009, during a night raid on his home. Intelligence officials reportedly accused him of sending information to Bangladesh from Burma.

He was transferred to the police department after being interrogated by intelligence officials for seven days.

"He declared through his lawyers before the court that he was innocent and was not involved in any anti-government activities but the judge sentenced him to one year in prison because the intelligence officials forced the judge to punish him," the monk said.

Ko Nyunt Maung was shifted to Buthidaung prison from Maungdaw on Wednesday and will serve out his jail term there. Ko Nyunt Maung is the third person in Arakan State that has been punished for alleged connections with exiled media groups in Bangladesh. Before his sentencing, San Lwin and Tha Tun were each sentenced to five years in prison.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comments