On May 3, 2020, the Myanmar government restored internet access in Maungdaw township, one of Myanmar’s nine townships in Arakan (formally known as Rakhine State) and Chin State without internet access for almost a year. The reason, they reported, was due to more stability in the area. But in reality, the grounds for reinstalling the internet are different from the reported reason. In fact, the government and military are using the internet shutdown to monopolize information, thereby robbing people of the truth on Arakan conflicts.

For the government of Myanmar, there are two burning political issues in Arakan: the question of armed revolution by the Arakan Army (AA), which the government has declared a terrorist group, and the case of ethnic Rohingya Muslims, who the UN International Court of Justice said should be protected from genocide and military violence. The two issues are related to each other – the self-determination of the Arakan region must consider the group rights of Rohingya Muslims, while the group rights of Rohingya Muslims must also be compatible with the autonomy of the Arakan community.

Countering AA through information and media

The military strategy to fight the AA and other rebel groups in the country can be summarised into cutting them off in four key areas: recruitment, food, budget, and information. The first three parts of this strategy have resulted in tens of thousands of innocent civilians displaced and moved to internal refugee camps. A number of villages have also been burned down in order to separate rebels and local supporters. From December 2019 to mid-April 2020, the nongovernment organization Burma Monitor reported over 163,000 displacements, 366 deaths, 406 injuries, and 45 arrests in Arakan and Chin State alone.

The fourth part, information, means to censor news and media about the Arakan conflicts. To do this, the government has sued and continues to sue local and international media under different laws such as counter-terrorism and unlawful association. Among the media outfits sued were national organisations Voice of Myanmar and Khit-Thit Media, as well as local media like Narinjara and Development Media Group (DMG). On top of this, websites by the AA and local media remain blocked in the country, meaning audiences cannot access information on them through locally operated telecommunication channels.

Due to the lawsuits, domestic media no longer interview the AA to get their side of the story, which in turn has led to one-sided or biased news, and even government and military propaganda. Here are four prominent examples of this, all within April 2020.

The April 29 shooting of a World Food Programme truck in Paletwa Town, Chin State was reported differently by national media (left) and state media. Whatever the truth is, it is alarming that the Arakan Army is automatically blamed without prior investigation, and the people in the conflict-stricken area not consulted.

On the morning of April 13, 2020, artillery shelling from the military’s Battalion No. 550 hit the Yangon-Sittwe Highway near the village of Kyauk-Sike, Ponnagyun township. Eight innocent civilians were killed and seven more were injured. This story was covered by a number of regional and international media like Reuters, Aljazeera, Radio Free Asia (RFA), and The Irrawaddy, which highlighted the event while also interviewing family members of the deceased. There was also evidence showing that the artillery and weapon marks were from Myanmar military products. However, the state media, especially military-owned ones like Myawaddy TV, reported there was no such event that day and that all news and information on it were fake and fabricated.

The second most prominent example is the April 20 killing of the World Health Organization (WHO) driver in Min-Bra Township, one of the conflict areas with no internet access, while carrying COVID-19 samples to be tested in Yangon. Both the government and the AA denied being behind the attack. Whatever the truth is, international media remained neutral in their coverage of the attack. But state media coverage and messaging to the local community concluded it was an AA attack, citing only statements from the government and military. The one-sided nature of the story has reportedly made the local people in Arakan angry and disappointed. Weeks later, the Myanmar government formed a committee to investigate the attack. The investigation is still ongoing, but based on previous statements, it is clear the commission will say it is an AA attack. In fact, presidential spokesperson U Zaw Htay already said even before the end of the investigation: “It (WHO car) was attacked by AA and we formed a committee to investigate it in order to fulfil the international demand”.

Monopolizing the news

These four examples have shown us how the government and military manipulate and monopolize news and information on conflicts in Arakan. Continuing to do so, however, can potentially escalate this conflict in the future. After all, the real motive of restoring the internet is less about the armed conflict or stability, and more about addressing international pressure, such as allowing the Rohingya Muslims’ voluntary repatriation. These efforts have since been suspended due to COVID-19 and the increasing number of cases in neighbouring Bangladesh. On top of that, the armed conflict in Arakan shows no sign of ceasing or reducing despite the AA’s declaration of a unilateral ceasefire till the end of May 2020 due to the pandemic. These recent decisions have led to criticism of Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, thought by most democratic Burmese and non-Burmese ethnic people to be a moderator or mediator between the two sides of the armed conflict. It is also clear that these events have led to more identity-based politics, like Burmese vs non-Burmese people.

Let me highlight three sentences from the book 1984 by English novelist George Orwell: “War is Peace”, “Freedom is Slavery”, and “Ignorance is Strength”. The Myanmar government and military, like the book’s Ministry of Truth, are trying to rob the truth in Arakan conflicts, thus making people “more fearful” and “less knowing”. As the local people in Arakan become more fearful, they become mute. As the people in Myanmar become less knowing, they become blind and deaf.

Covering up these atrocities in Arakan makes “Wrong into Right” and “Right into Wrong”.

Kyaw Lynn is a postgraduate student majoring in Political Science at the University of Yangon in Myanmar. He is also the chairperson of his university’s Political Science Association and one of the founders of Amnesty Arakan Team.

May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, a day to commemorate the importance of freedom of the press.

This year’s theme, “journalism without fear or favour“, is particularly apt considering the world today, when reporting on the coronavirus has become “the new scapegoat for media censorship“. Around the world, journalists have gone missing or have been arrested for reporting on COVID-19 and government responses to the pandemic. On top of these events, journalists are also combatting the equally contagious infodemic and governments’ strategy of media capture to stifle editorial independence.

Despite new challenges in covering issues of public interest during the pandemic, journalists continue to persevere in reporting news that matters, without fear or favour, by adapting to the “new normal” through using more digital means to pursue leads and stories. They press on despite attacks on press freedom, harassment, scarce access to government information, and other challenges. With this, support and advocacy related to journalists and media freedom should be sustained during and after the pandemic.

In celebration of World Press Freedom Day, we shine the spotlight on the Coconet community’s journalists and media workers who are working in the Asia-Pacific.  We asked them to respond to one question, so that we in civil society can help them continue their work without fear or favour.

How can civil society support journalists to continue reporting without fear or favour, especially in the time of COVID-19?

Vicheika Kann, a journalist with Voice of America Cambodia and vice president of Cambodian Journalists Alliance, stresses the importance of advocating for journalists. “Civil society is a group of people who always stay behind journalists to report the sensitive stories without fear or favour. They have advocated for journalists rights and the truth for society. Especially the truth about COVID-19 epidemic.”

Zevonia Vieira, a journalist with Tafara.tl and president of the Timor-Leste Journalist Association, echoes Vicheika’s sentiments. Civil society, she says, should be “fighting against false or fake information about COVID-19 and defending human rights, especially the people affected by the coronavirus and during the lockdown.” In a separate interview, Zevonia also talks about her experience on the frontlines as a journalist and working parent.

With COVID-19, such use of emergency powers to silence media is not uncommon. One such state of emergency is in Thailand, which critics say has resulted in a clamping down of free speech. Similar decrees have been used to arrest critics in Vietnam and Laos.

“One of the most important things that civil society can do to help journalists to fulfil their mission is to monitor the governments’ decisions, to question and challenge any ill intent from governments in keeping journalist from information, from the truth,” she adds.

Aie Balagtas See, an investigative journalist from the Philippines, echoes Bui’s call for civil society to “oppose moves that muzzle free press and free speech”. She adds: “Defend the press, stand with them. Especially each time fake news peddlers or autocrats attack them. A society is not free unless the press is truly free.”

Aie also says civil society can “donate or subscribe to newspapers or media outlets. Don’t let lack of advertisers kill legitimate media firms, and if you can, pay for the news you consume”. Because the internet allows us to access information without payment, particularly on social media, newsrooms around the world have been struggling with getting audiences to pay for their content.

Kathryn Raymundo, media specialist with Internews Philippines, also stresses the need to validate journalists, whether through protecting them or paying for the news. She writes: “The best way to support journalism is to validate their good work — share the stories that made an impact, news that mattered to me and my community. I value independent, quality reporting. I subscribe to news organizations and promote their innovation, especially those of the local news’.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen journalists around the globe collaborate on collective resources to better their coverage of the pandemic.

She adds: “Finally, I advocate for free expression and press freedom. Our journalists are the most curious, hardworking, and passionate people I know. I hope people realize how important journalism is in our society. Media help make sense of what is happening around us.

“For keeping us informed, thank you.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked the degree of freedom available to journalists in 180 countries through the 2020 World Press Freedom Index. You may check out the rankings here. Learn more about World Press Freedom Day here.

Coconet is a community of changemakers in the Asia-Pacific dedicated to digital rights movement building in the region. Among the members of the network are journalists from the region who continue reporting with fear or favour.