The professional membership of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand condemns in the strongest possible terms the wrongful imprisonment of Toru Kubota, a Japanese video journalist.
Kubota was sentenced on Wednesday by a military tribunal to seven years in prison for violating the electronic transactions law, and three years for incitement – irrespective of the fact that his documentary work has yet to be shown and could therefore not have incited anyone. At worst, he should be fined and deported for any infringement of Myanmar’s onerous immigration laws.
As with Ukraine and North Korea, Myanmar is in desperate need of good coverage by responsible journalists. Kubota deserves only praise for his efforts to bring world attention to the dire situation in this failed state in the heart of Southeast Asia, not least because it poses a direct threat to regional stability.
Kubota’s intention was to make the world more aware of the true situation in Myanmar, and that is no crime. He should be released immediately – along with at least 40 Burmese journalists currently imprisoned from among 116 known to have been detained for simply doing their jobs. They included photographer Aye Kyaw, who was reported on July 30 to have died in police custody.
Stay Connected With FCCT
Join our mailing list or visit our events page to see what’s coming up at the club.
