08/10/2024
Karen State Myawaddy Township The members of the international financial fraud gang called Tiger Pan, which is based in the new city of Shwe K*k Kol, as well as Phyathonezu Township, communicate through social media pages and threaten, lying, They often make deliberate threats until their lives are in danger.
Those who work in the money laundering gang are also not allowed to leave their place of work. In addition to being sexually abused, life threats are happening.
Journalists reporting on such threats face the same threats as those working within the gang.
Saw Zin Maung, a freelance journalist, has also faced threats to his life for writing and uncovering news about the money laundering gang last August, according to the investigation.
Saw Zin Maung, a journalist who personally experienced such threats, was contacted by the Public Myanmar news agency.
Public Myanmar: Hello, before I tell you about your threats, can you tell me a little bit about you?
Saw Zin Maung: I am Saw Zin Maung. I entered the field of journalism from 2018. Since 2018, he has been working in the local news media. The first thing I did was work as a freelance journalist at the Weekly Head Line Journal since 2018. In 2019, she became a junior reporter at The Voice. In 2020, I worked as an election reporter at Hintha Media. From December 2020 to January 2021, I worked as an editor at the Public Myanmar News Agency. That was before the coup. During the coup period from February 2021 to November, he continued to work as an editor at the Public Myanmar News Agency. While working like that, I was arrested for a week on November 4, 2021. After being released, I started writing news as a freelance reporter for Mekong News Agency. After that, I worked as a senior reporter at Development Media Groups (DMG) from mid-December 2021 to December 2023. Currently, I am still working as a freelance journalist. In terms of working experience, it can be said that it has been almost 7 years.
Public Myanmar: Why did you have to deal with such a situation because your life was threatened by the money laundering gang?
Saw Zin Maung - Before I started writing news about the online money scam gang, I had to thoroughly investigate for about a month. I am currently working as a local reporter for the Irrawaddy Division, so it is quite difficult to test. But with the help of the local people and the people who were forced to participate in the tiger distribution work, it was convenient for them to report many cases. Through that, the first news from Ayeyarwaddy Times was published. The news started in May. In addition, I was able to issue news from the Young Age News Department again. That was in June.
After that, it was also published in the Public Myanmar news agency. I have been receiving calls from unknown phone numbers through Telegram. It has been since June. I had encountered this before, so I just assumed it was normal and ignored it. In addition to those threats, I was given an appointment in the previous month of August until my life was in danger. Also, in this month, they threatened me and my wife by sending messages through Telegram.
Public Myanmar: What kind of things are they doing on their side, including being threatened with death and being assassinated?
Saw Zin Maung: First, they sent me messages via Telegram and then Facebook. As for me, I have experienced things in the past, so I pretended not to know. But he started doing it in a different way.
And that's just a joke, I remember. That is from May to the end of June. Around July, I stopped making contact. But near the end of the month, an unknown person made a video call to me through Telegram. Called suddenly and dropped back.
When I looked at the account, the blog was gone. The number doesn't show up when I check in. I didn't even have time to take a screenshot. Instant account deletion. It was only then that I realized something special.
And then, in August, the first week or so, nothing has changed. But it must have been around August 11th. At that time, I started sending letters. The phone calls came in. I remember the news interview calls.
The letters already know who I am. He said that over and over again. Also, don't write news about the tiger spread gang again. If you do, you will risk your life. I didn't inform my wife about those issues either. What about other family members? Just kidding, I deleted the messages they sent. But on August 20th, he started sending messages from Signal under the name Yat Kha. I was surprised at that. Sent again the next day. But as soon as the letters were sent, they were canceled. I didn't say that, and on August 22nd, I made an appointment with No. (2) Bridge under the name of Yak. When I said that I couldn't come, I asked where I was, and I said Hon Fai Village.
I remember because I wanted to fight. They said that Hon Fai village would come to the dam at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. They made an appointment and went. When I got there, I was attacked.
Public Myanmar: After making an appointment, I met with Saw Zin Maung. How many people were there? What kind of risk did it take?
Saw Zin Maung: People don't know how to say there are about 7 people. In their letter, at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, they met in the forest on the side of Hon Fai village dam. I went because I wanted to know who they were and what kind of people they were. I don't think it's enough to do anything to me either. They came with two Hilux models. I saw that they were calm when they came.
I was waiting an hour earlier than them, so I could see it. Then I came out from behind them. At that time, the two of them held my hands back. Also, I noticed that they had guns in their hands. I think it's a pistol type. I can't get out. I don't know who is the leader of them. A tall, fair-skinned man started punching my face.
Then he showed me screenshots on his phone. He showed the articles I wrote about the money laundering gang and the pictures of their workers. Do I know those people? He asked if you had written the news.
I answered yes. Not long after I answered, two of the arrested men bent my knees. The other three punched my face and head. When I fell down, I couldn't tell who it was. What about round kicking?
Then I took my phone and checked. They didn't take the phone. I think it's because they can't find anything. Before they left, they must have heard me. They held me up with a gun and said, "This is the last warning. It won't be easy if I write more news." "Dead." After saying that, they left. I was so unconscious that I couldn't tell where they were going. I think they went to the side of the dam.
Public Myanmar: Why did you go to the appointment place after being harassed like this? How did you make the decision to go knowing that you were in danger?
Saw Zin Maung - Why do I have to go to such an appointment because it's my family members rather than me? Also, I want to know the people who threatened me. I want to know more about why they threatened me like this. That's why I went. And after making a decision, mainly because my wife, I thought to myself that it would be better to deal with it myself because I was afraid that my family members would be in danger. Just decide for myself and go.
In addition, I have faced threats before, These are considered normal, Like normal, I thought nothing was enough, I thought it was a normal phenomenon. But in the actual process, I was threatened until my life was in danger.
Also, I contacted my friends to see if I could do something like this. In fact, they knew me. At the Phyathonezu , and then at Maw Taung , with Myawaddy. When I faced them, I thought it was a normal fight. Actually, I didn't think they were the ones who hurt me. Whether it actually happened or not, I and the friends who are helping me know best.
Public Myanmar: You mean, You did this because You was afraid it would hurt Saw Zin Maung's family. Who among the family members is still being persecuted?
Saw Zin Maung: Yes. After I was attacked, there were no further threats until the end of August. But in the previous month of September, my wife and I were sent threatening messages via Telegram again. He sent me a message first. And then he sent threatening messages to my wife again. It was under the account name Yakha. I sent a threatening letter not to write news about the main propaganda and if I continued, my life and my family's lives would be in danger. After that letter was published, I didn't do anything again. I think they are monitoring the situation. I am also monitoring it.
Public Myanmar-Saw Zin Maung, what did you do to contact the first people you encountered? Also, have you done anything to connect the organizations yet?
Saw Zin Maung: Faced with this, I returned home first. Later, I called my wife to inform her. My wife is currently helping out at the clinic in the internal war camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, so I could only contact her via Viber. I was very scared. My mental health condition is not good anymore, so I asked a doctor friend for help. I also tried to ask for help from journalist organizations. Recently, we are working to contact organizations like the UN. At present, let me say that I am still trying to get in touch.
Public Myanmar: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to add?
Saw Zin Maung: As a journalist and a freelance reporter, I will always report the truth to the people. He has been arrested for that too. The house was sealed. Also, when I was working at the Development Media Group (DMG) news station, the military council was not satisfied with the reports of other journalists, including the 1027 operation, and the office was raided. Section 52(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Law; He was charged with Section 67 of the Communications Act. An arrest warrant has been issued. Now, I'm putting my life in danger for publishing news about the money laundering gang. Before facing this situation, I asked people who knew for sure about the terrorist organizations and the armed groups associated with them, whether or not this kind of arrangement was really going on.
They were able to confirm that it was correct from them. Because of this situation, it feels very dangerous for both me and my wife to live in Thailand. In addition, We are worried about being arrested by the Thai immigration authorities and then sent back to Myanmar. For that, I want to live safely.
I hope it will be good if I can leave to a safe country. Regardless, I will continue to expose and write about injustice.