Myanmar: Landlord bans journalists holding news conferences
Event- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 25, 2018
- Event Description
The owner of the offices of the Myanmar Journalist Network has banned future events at the venue after the Anti-Adhamma Committee tried to hold a news conference there on Sunday that sparked a confrontation, said network information officer U Kaung Htet San. Titled "Encouraging monks to take action against U Wirathu," the news conference at the office in Kyauktada township, Yangon, was cancelled after an argument broke out on Sunday in front of the venue between Anti-Adhamma members and supporters of U Wirathu, the spiritual leader of the anti-Muslim movement in Myanmar. "A crowd gathered on Sunday in front of our office, which seemed to frighten people on the street. The property owner told us not to do it again because the event was about politics and religion, and it might affect him," U Kaung Htet San said. Negotiations are ongoing with the landlord, he said, adding that their group leased the building for one year from January 2018. The committee wants to take legal action against the controversial monk from Mandalay for hate speech, causing religious division and encouraging lawlessness. It also accuses him of making biased comments about political parties, which violate the instructions of the Sangha Maha Nayaka, the country's top religious organisation. Committee members alleged that U Wirathu supports Kyi Lin, who killed lawyer U Ko Ni, and had made a video of himself warning politicians who oppose nationalist monks that they risk being killed like U Ko Ni. The group also alleged that U Wirathu raised his fists in anger in a recent video marking the birthday of the Sayadaw of Insein Ywama Pariyatti monastery. Some nationalist monks argued on Sunday that U Wirathu has done nothing wrong and lay people cannot take action against him. The dispute became more heated, and people on upper 34th street gathered to ask the two sides to stop arguing.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Censorship
- Rights Concerned
- Media freedom
- HRD
- Media Worker
- NGO
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 21.916221000000004
Longitude: 95.95597399999998
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On Feburary 25 2018, the owner of the offices of the Myanmar Journalist Network has banned future events at the venue after the Anti-Adhamma Committee tried to hold a news conference there on Sunday that sparked a confrontation.