Two freelance journalists have tragically lost their lives in Myanmar as security forces carried out a raid in the southern state of Mon, according to colleagues and media reports. The journalists, Win Htut Oo, 26, who worked for DVB — the Democratic Voice of Burma, and Htet Myat Thu, 28, were reported as close friends and the latest casualties in a series of attacks on journalists by the ruling military in Myanmar since seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the killings, with their Southeast Asia representative calling it an “atrocity against the free press.” Myanmar is known for being one of the world’s most suppressive countries for journalists, with Reporters Without Borders ranking it 171st out of 180 countries in their 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
The raid in Letpya village in Mon state led to the deaths of the journalists and members of the Kyaikhto Revolution Force, an armed resistance group opposing the military rule. The attack saw Htet Myat Thu’s home surrounded by about 30 security officials. The group made no violent resistance, and eyewitnesses reported that those killed were shot and arrested without provocation.
Since joining DVB and other media outlets last year, Win Htut Oo had been an active participant in anti-coup protests, leading him to evade arrest by going into hiding. Htet Myat Thu, on the other hand, had previously been detained for seven months post his arrest the month following the military takeover in 2021.
The Kyaikhto Revolution Force confirmed the deaths of the journalists and two of its members in the raid, further emphasizing the grave dangers faced by journalists in Myanmar. Despite the ongoing violence against the press, those who survived the raid did not engage in any form of armed confrontation as reported by witnesses. The tragic incident has once again highlighted the risks faced by journalists in Myanmar for simply carrying out their duty to inform the public,