Even children not spared by Myanmar military regime

Khalid Umar Malik
25 Nov 2021, 11:48 GMT+10

According to a source close to the family, Junta soldiers detained and interrogated the seven-year-old daughter of a journalist accused of possessing explosives by the coup administration.
Htet Htet, a news editor for the Yangon-based Thingangyun Post, and Wai Lin Yu, a reporter for the publication, were arrested by soldiers.
They also transported Htet Htet's daughter, Lin Demo, and a distant relative of Htet Htet to the questioning center in Hlaing Tharyar Township.

YANGON, Myanmar - According to a source close to the family, Junta soldiers detained and interrogated the seven-year-old daughter of a journalist accused of possessing explosives by the coup administration.

Htet Htet, a news editor for the Yangon-based Thingangyun Post, and Wai Lin Yu, a reporter for the publication, were arrested by soldiers.

They also transported Htet Htet's daughter, Lin Demo, and a distant relative of Htet Htet to the questioning center in Hlaing Tharyar Township.

The authorities released the child and the distant relative after interrogating for two days. The two journalists are now detained in Insein Prison.

"The girl said that she was asked if she saw her mother buying guns. She said that she answered that her mother didn't do anything like that and that she never even bought her toy guns," the source close to the family said.

The source said that officers from the Thaketa Township police station told the family that explosive materials were found in the journalists' custody when they were arrested.

"Her family said that it didn't make sense that they were pressing charges against journalists for possession of explosives instead of charges that have to do with journalism," she said.

According to the source, the two journalists are charged under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, which carries a punishment of 10 years to life in jail.

Up until early September, the Facebook page of Thingangyun Post published news about anti-dictatorship protests.

In recent weeks, the junta has accused numerous other arrested journalists of encouraging violence.

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