Protest campaign launched in Myanmar over arrest of journalists

The Protection Committee for Myanmar Journalists said in a statement that its members would be wearing black T-shirts on Saturday in protest at the arrest of two Reuters reporters accused of violating the country’s Official Secrets Act.

The group, which consists of local reporters and has demonstrated against the prosecution of journalists in the past, said the black T-shirts would “signify the dark age of media freedom” in Myanmar.

The committee called for the unconditional and immediate release of the two reporters, Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27.

The protest campaign was launched as pressure across the world has built on the government in Myanmar to release the pair.

Wa and Kyaw were arrested last week after they were allegedly invited to dine with police officers on the outskirts of Yangon, the Southeast Asian country’s largest city.

The Ministry of Information in Myanmar claimed in a statement that the two journalists had “illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media,” and released a photo of the pair in handcuffs.