Myanmar’s occupation by Junta continues to get worse as it was revealed that the military outfit has seized the licenses of media outlets. This is a further attempt to mitigate the mass protests happening in the country.
7Day News, Mizzima, Khit Thit Media, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), and Myanmar Now were the ones that saw their licenses revoked. They were ordered through a public broadcast to cease any further attempts at spreading information on any medium.
The five outlets have been crucial in documenting and releasing footage of the brutality going on at the hands of Junta. The civil uprising is caused by the forceful deposition of Aung San Suu Kyi from her democratically elected chair. The military power has since resorted to killing people on sight in order to quell the unrest.
The Worsening Situation In Myanmar
There have also been reports of raids being conducted at the headquarters of the press outlets, even before the order had come out. The offices had feared an event like that might happen and had evacuated their employees before the coup happened.
The number of people detained in Myanmar is almost 1800 now. This includes journalists and reporters of independent news. In a recent video, a DVB journalist was seen forcefully apprehended from his house by security forces. The video records his screams for help. Six journalists also face charges for reporting on the coup. This could lead to them being imprisoned for about three years.
DVB executive director Aye Chan Naing stated that the proceedings were not unexpected. However, he insisted that currently every citizen is a reporter and so such brutal measures are futile. There has been a flood of social media posts on the ongoing situation, despite Junta’s attempt at a blockade.
There have already been reports of groups of people being surrounded by armed forces. Loud bangs accompanied by desperate screaming can be heard as well. The UN has called for an immediate release of all detained without force. Civil servants are aiming to organize a further strike in refusal of the dictatorship. Junta has warned of grave consequences awaiting the ones who do take part in them.
