Notorious killing of a reporter
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Killing of reporter sparks candlelight vigil in Mandalay, after a protest in Yangon
Residents of Mandalay held a candlelight vigil to denounce the October 4 killing of freelance reporter Aung Kyaw Naing, also known as Par Gyi, by the military in Mon State.
Par Gyi was arrested on September 30 for his coverage of the clashes between the military and the rebel Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), according to the Myanmar-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
In a statement released yesterday, AAPP said “The death … comes as a shocking reminder of how extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention and torture are still being used against citizens in Burma.”
The vigil took place at the corner of 80th and 26th streets near Mandalay Palace. Participants chanted slogans demanding justice for the slaying of the reporter. He had been covering clashes between an armed ethnic group and the Tatmadaw when he was detained by the latter on September 26.
Mandalay-based reporters, social organisations, staff of non-governmental organisations, as well as members of groups advocating for democracy and students’ and women’s rights joined the vigil, organiser Thein Myint Aung said.
He said the vigil took place without permission from the authorities, but said they had been informed in advance. “Democracy activists organised the vigil to call for justice in the case,” Thein Aung Myint said. “We want our president to know that we are protesting because Par Gyi was killed illegally,” he added.
Thein Aung Myint said the vigil was also intended to send a message to the commander-in-chief of Defence Services.
“Such problems occur due to a lack of the rule of law and the collapse of the judicial pillar. If we keep silent about the murder of Par Gyi, that will give the [military] the chance to torture and kill people from all walks of life in our country,” said protestor Aye Thein.
An official from Mahaaungmyay Township Police Force said legal action would be taken against those participating in the vigil because they did not seek permission to hold it.
Thein Aung Myint, also a member of advocacy group Movement for Democracy Current Force, said he was told by the township police station and administrator’s office not to stage the protest in the designated place.
The wife of Par Gyi sent a complaint to Kyaikaraw Township Police Station in Mon State on October 19 saying her husband had been missing since September 30.
The interim Press Council received an emailed statement from the military on October 23, saying the reporter was shot dead on October 4 in Kyaikmaraw Township. He was killed in custody after he tried to seize a gun from a guard and run away, the statement claimed.
Around 1,000 people staged a protest near Sule Pagoda in Yangon on October 26 calling for a probe into the death. The interim Press Council also issued a statement condemning the killing of the reporter.
According to AAPP, Par Gyi worked as a security guard for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during the 1988 Democratic Movement and was a member of the Tri Colour Students Group. He has since been working as a freelance journalist in and around the Thai-Myanmar border.
AAPP noted in a statement that it sees no basis for the Army’s claim that Par Gyi was shot while trying to steal a gun.
“Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention and torture are abhorrent violations of basic human rights and the death of Par Gyi serves to highlight how these practices are systematically being used to oppress people and deny basic civil liberties,” it said.
It demanded an investigation into not only his death but into all accounts of extrajudicial killings.
“If this government wishes to see a free democratic Burma then they must be strong in this issue and end these systematic and inhumane practices,” it concluded.
