Arrested DMG reporter charged under section 65 of Communications Act

The arrested Development Media Group (DMG) reporter has been charged under section 65 of the Communications Act by the junta authority in Sittwe township court, said the family members of Ko Thet Aung, who was arrested on 29 October.

He was produced in Sittwe township court on Monday and later brought back Sittwe no one police station.

"We have not had an opportunity to meet him since his arrest. We waited for a long time at the police station,” said a lady family member of Thet Aung.

Thet Aung along with night watchman Ko Soe Win Aung were arrested on 29 October. There is no information under which section the watchman is charged.

On 30 October, they were brought to the office of Military Affairs Security Forces. Family members are worried as they may be tortured by soldiers during the interrogation.  

"We are really worried. His mother is sick and we can not contact him. His examinations are also approaching for the distance university courses. We want his release as early as possible,” added the lady member.

The DMG office was raided by a group of 20 soldiers including special police personnel. They confiscated the cameras, computers and office accessories. Later the office was also sealed.

The particular section, under which the reporter is charged, says that ‘anyone who is convicted of operating a telecommunication service without a business license shall be sentenced to not more than five years in prison and may also be fined’.

Western News editor-in-chief Wunna Khur Nyo alleged that the military council was treating the journalists as enemies to the nation.

“They consider media persons as enemies. They are actually afraid of the media reports which expose their real characters to the common people,” he added.

Mentionable is that DMG editor-in-chief U Aung Min Oo was charged under section 17 (2) of the Unlawful Association Act by the Rakhine police in 2019.  Similarly, an editor-in-charge and a reporter of DMG were charged under section 66 (d) of the Communications Act in 2021.