Myanmar court jails two journalists for defamation

YANGON

A court in Myanmar has sentenced two staff from The Myanmar Post to two months’ prison with hard labour for defamation.

The Myanmar Times reported Thursday that Mawlamyine Township Court had found Chief Editor U Than Htike Thu and Deputy Chief Reporter U Sann Moe Tun guilty Wednesday under section 500 of the penal code for a story titled “Military representatives have to take part in the workshop due to the country’s low education”.

MP Major Thein Zaw, a representative of the Mon State Hluttaw, said that the article - published last year - had quoted him as saying things he did not say.

Myanmar Post Editor-in-charge Ko Zin Thaw Naing called the decision unfair, and said that the journal planned to appeal to the Union Supreme Court.

“We wouldn’t have quoted him if he didn’t say it," he told The Myanmar Times.

"We wrote exactly what he said at the workshop. He should have contacted us if the story was wrong and we would have written a correction, but he never did that."

YANGON

A court in Myanmar has sentenced two staff from The Myanmar Post to two months’ prison with hard labour for defamation.

MP Major Thein Zaw, a representative of the Mon State Hluttaw, said that the article - published last year - had quoted him as saying things he did not say.

Myanmar Post Editor-in-charge Ko Zin Thaw Naing called the decision unfair, and said that the journal planned to appeal to the Union Supreme Court.

“We wouldn’t have quoted him if he didn’t say it," he told The Myanmar Times.

"We wrote exactly what he said at the workshop. He should have contacted us if the story was wrong and we would have written a correction, but he never did that."