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The three journalists and two activists are expected to appear in court on Tuesday on charges of “illegal entry.”
Three journalists and two activists from Myanmar will appear in court in Thailand on Tuesday on charges of “illegal entry”, a news agency told the authorities to not deport Myanmar as it would endanger their lives.
The group was arrested on Sunday in a “random search” in northern Chiang Mai, DVB said in a statement.
“DVB strongly urges the Thai authorities not to deport them to Burma, as their lives will be in grave danger if they return,” said DVB executive director and editor-in-chief Aye Chan Naing.
On February 1, the generals who seized power in Myanmar’s democratically elected government have taken action against the country’s independent media, forced organizations to stop broadcasting and publishing, and arrested dozens of journalists.
DVB’s television license was revoked on March 8 and the media banned any media from working.
Thapanapong Chairangsri, the San Sai district police chief outside Chiang Mai, told Reuters news agency that five Myanmar nationals have been arrested for illegal entry into the country and will be taken to court on Tuesday.
He said they would be deported by law, but added that due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, they would be detained for 14 days before being handed over to immigration authorities.
On Twitter, Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tanee Sangrat said authorities were “coordinating to find humanitarian solutions to the latest case of Myanmar journalists.”
DVB’s Aye Chan Naing, meanwhile, turned to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok to intervene in the case and “help ensure their safety.”
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