Bangladesh court sends two Myanmar journalists to jail for 'concealing identity'

A court in Cox’s Bazar has ordered to send to jail two Myanmar journalists, who are arrested on charges of concealing identity and providing false information to Bangladesh authorities amid Rohingya crisis.

Police said the law enforcers arrested the duo - Minzayar Oo and Hkun Lat - near the border at Ukhia on Sept 13 when they entered into Bangladesh as tourists and started taking photos apparently as part of their 'journalistic assignment'. They were produced before the court on the following day.

Cox’s Bazar Assistant Superintendent of Police Afruzul Haque Tutul told bdnews24.com on Saturday that Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Kumar Deb denied them bail and ordered the law enforcers to send them to jail.

“They concealed their identity as journalists. They came to Bangladesh on the tourist visa. They were taking photos along the border in Cox’s Bazar and collecting information from government officials by providing false information,” the police officer said.

The two Myanmar citizens said they work for Germany-based magazine GEO as its photographer, according to the ASP.

According to reports, GEO magazine authorities expressed concern over the arrest of the two photographers who were covering the exodus of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Rakhine State into Bangladesh.

Jotirmoy Barua, the lawyer for the two, told bdnews24.com that they would file bail petitions at the court again on Tuesday. They would move the High Court if the court denied them bail again, he added.