Military raids Narinjara’s Sittwe office

Narinjara News, 7 May 2022

A group of members belonging to the military council of Myanmar raided the office of Narinjara News Agency in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, this morning and looked for journalists on duty.

The 20 members team including some intelligence officials, police personnel and female officers in plain clothes searched the old office of Narinjara with an aim to arrest scribes but nobody was there.

“The military council members came to the old office of Narinjara in Ma Kyi Myaing ward at about 8:30 this morning. Some of them were armed and in uniforms, but a few were in civilian clothes too. Locals informed them that the Narinjara office was already shifted to a different location,” said the manager Ma Myat Hnin Khin.

The former office owner was reportedly asked to produce  the mortgage (renting agreement) between him and Narinjara News Agency.

As the military personnel continued their search for journalists, the news agency temporarily suspended its operation for sometimes. Presently they are running activities from the new location.

"We are still facing troubles in publishing and producing news stories. Most of our members are on the run. We are trying our best to make it regular,” said Narinjara’s deputy editor  Man Yu Kyaw.

The actual motive for the raid is yet to be known as the military has not informed anything about it.

According to a source, which is close to the police, a case was  filed against some reporters in connection with the news stories against the military under section 66 (d) of the Communications Act at Sittwe number one police station.

"The reason is not clear but it is understood that the military personnel was looking for the reporters,” added the source.

Mentionable is that Narinjara is a registered media organization under the Myanmar information ministry.

Earlier on 31 March 2020, the police raided the Narinjara office in Sittwe and picked up three journalists. They were kept in the custody for about eight hours for interrogations relating to a news item on the incident of military-bombing over a village. Narinjara’s chief editor Khaing Mrat Kyaw and another senior reporter were charged under the anti-terrorist and communications laws.