Sport journal editors arrested

DVB ( July 21,2003 )

While the people of Burma are concentrating on the arrests of political activists, five editorial members of a sport journal were arrested by the military intelligence (MI). They were arrested on the 17th of July.

DVB’s Khin Maung Soe Minn reports on why they were arrested:

Khin Maung Soe Minn : The people arrested were the editor in chief Ko Zaw Thet Htway (aka) Ko Thet Zaw, the editorial team members Ko Zaw Myint, Dr Tun Aung, Ko Myint Zaw, Ma Win Pa Pa Hlaing. They are all of ‘First Eleven’, a famous sport ournal from Rangoon. Among them, Ko Zaw Thet Htway [aka] Ko Thet Zaw was a leader of Minbu Township’s Democratic Party for New Society [DPNS] and he was a political prisoner who was incarcerated in Taungoo Prison. The reason for their arrest is said to be writing an article about the football team of Custom and Excise Department which was fined in an ASEAN competition for failing to take part in the tournament after enrolling for it.

Last month, ‘First Eleven’ was warned by the military intelligence (MI) after featuring an article by a ‘Khin Maung Toe’ on the disappearance of $40,000 donation from a world organisation for the improvements of Burmese sporting teams. DVB contacted ‘First Eleven’ sport journal to find out about the arrests, but it declined to answer the queries. All the editors were arrested with handcuffs by the MI agents but it is not known where they are being detained, according to the sporting circles in Rangoon.