Soe Moe Tun

Soe Moe Tun (ca. 1981 – 13 December 2016) was a Burmese investigative journalist for the Daily Eleven in Monywa, Sagaing Region, Myanmar (also known as Burma). He was best known for his investigative reporting about sensitive issues, such as illegal logging, the Letpadaung Copper Mine project, and illegal karaoke lounges in his local area.[1][2] He was murdered in 2016 in Monywa, but the case has not been solved.[3]

Soe Moe Tun
Bornca. 1981
DiedDecember 13, 2016(2016-12-13) (aged 34–35)
Monywa, Sagaing Region, Myanmar
Cause of deathFractured skull from being beaten with a blunt object
Body discoveredPyidaungsu Road, Union Highway, near the Monywa Golf Course, Monywa
Resting placeSarkyin Cemetery, Monywa
NationalityBurmese
OccupationInvestigative journalist
Years active2015-2016
EmployerThe Daily Eleven
Known forInvestigative work on copper mining, illegal karaoke, illegal logging, and timber smuggling
Spouse(s)Khin Cho Latt
Children1
Parent(s)
  • Ye Ye Htay (mother)

Personal life

At the time of his murder, Soe Moe Tun was 35 years old.[4] His mother, Ye Ye Htay, said that her son "was doing his work for the benefit of others."[2] He was married to Khin Cho Latt, and the couple had an eight-year-old son.[1][5] His wife and one of the locals stated that he had "no enemies" and testified to the genuine nature of his character.[2]

His funeral services were held on 14 December 2016 in the Sarkyin Cemetery in Monywa, Sagaing Region.[2][6]

Career

Soe Moe Tun was a prolific reporter in Monywa who was employed by the Daily Eleven and the Eleven Media Group. He began working for the media company in January 2015 and continued reporting for them until his death in December 2016. His most notable investigative reports involved sensitive subjects, such as seizures of narcotic stimulants;[7][8] the Chinese-funded Letpadaung Copper Mine project;[1][2][6] illegal karaoke lounges, or KTV, which were being used as brothels;[4][6] and illegal logging operations involving timber smuggling in the Sagaing region, the last of which many suspect could be related to his murder.[4][9] The editor of Eleven Media said his most recent assignment involved illegal logging.[7][10]

Death
Naypyidaw
Monywa
Location of Monywa relative to the capital Naypyidaw

Soe Moe Tun was found dead on 13 December 2016 at around 12:20 a.m. with injuries to his head, left eyebrow, and face near Pyidaungsu Road, Union Highway, close to the Monywa Golf Course in Aung Chanthar Ward in Monywa.[2][7][11] The Sagaing Region police force formed a special team to investigate the crime scene and kept a sentry to prevent the clues from being erased. Soe Moe Tun was found face down. Roughly five feet away from him, various clues were found that implied that he had been murdered on site. Among these clues were a 1.22-meter-long stick, his bike helmet, and slippers. However, none of his personal belongings were taken.[2][3] Police Captain Thein Swe Myint concluded that his murder was premeditated and very thoroughly planned. When the Criminal Investigation Department looked for forensic evidence, they discovered that the murderers destroyed their fingerprints on the stick.[2][12] His phone contacts and calls were also analyzed.[13]

In the aftermath of the murder, authorities suspected two people were involved and proceeded to question about 30–40 people, many of whom were staff members at a karaoke establishment called the Blue Sky KTV in Monywa, in order to narrow down suspects.[6][9][14] This karaoke was one of the last places Soe Moe Tun visited on the day of his death. Finally, two people from the KTV were identified as suspects and arrested. Two weeks later, in January 2017, another person, who used to be a logging truck driver, was also arrested.[14][15][16] However, those suspects were later released from custody as there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute them. Much of the progress on the case was made within the first month and, in the midst of the investigation, the police chief of Monywa Central Police Station was moved to Rangoon. The case is still unsolved.[3]

Context

Soe Moe Tun was best known for reporting on serious, sensitive issues within his homeland such as illegal logging and timber smuggling. Myanmar’s forests are among the world's most diverse, and have been a target for loggers, often working illegally, since the late 1980s.[17] The Sagaing Region is a well-known hub for illegal logging. These activities are so frequent that even some local citizens within the town seem to have investments in the logging trade, making it harder to police.[5]

The Myanmar Journalist Network issued a statement after Soe Moe Tun's murder that fellow journalist Tin Zaw Oo, who was reporting on illegal logging in the Mandalay region, had been threatened.[18] In project Green Blood Forbidden Stories recognized Sun Moe Tun as 1 of 13 reporters killed while investigating environmental issues between 2009 and 2019.[19]

Since 1999, Myanmar has seen five journalism-related killings, including that of Soe Moe Tun, according to Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.[4][3][8][20][21]

See also

References
  1. "Reporter Killed in Sagaing Division". The Irrawaddy. December 13, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  2. "Death of EMG's reporter was premeditated". www.elevenmyanmar.com. Eleven Myanmar. December 14, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  3. "Widow, Friends of Murdered Journalist Urge For Progress in Case". The Irrawaddy. 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  4. "Myanmar reporter who covered logging industry found beaten to death". Reuters. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  5. "Attacks on journalists in Myanmar highlight complications, dangers for the media". Mongabay. 16 December 2016.
  6. "Police interrogate suspects in murder of EMG reporter Soe Moe Tun". The Nation. December 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  7. "Soe Moe Tun - Journalists Killed". Committee to Protect Journalists. December 13, 2016.
  8. "Myanmar reporter who covered logging industry found beaten to death: INSI".
  9. "Burma: Murder of Soe Moe Tun". Worldwide Movement for Human Rights (in French). Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  10. "Wildlife Conservation News - Environmental Conservation Articles - Sanctuary Asia - The Voice of Wild India".
  11. "Eleven Media Group made a press release concerning the dead of Monywa based reporter Soe Moe Tun - Eleven Myanmar".
  12. "Murder of Eleven reporter in Monywa was premeditated: police". 14 December 2016.
  13. "Myanmar (ex-Burma): Recent development in the investigation of Mr. Soe Moe Tun's murder / January 19, 2017 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT".
  14. "Myanmar police arrest 3 over reporter's murder". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  15. mizzima (3 January 2017). "Third suspect in murder of reporter Soe Moe Tun arrested".
  16. "Police Arrest Third Suspect in Death of Myanmar Reporter".
  17. Phillips, Tom (2015-09-17). "Surge in illegal logging by Chinese in Myanmar alarms activists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  18. "Myanmar Journalist Found Beaten to Death in Monywa".
  19. "Green Blood". Forbidden Stories. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  20. "Myanmar reporter killed while investigating illegal logging". 13 December 2016.
  21. "Committee to Protect Journalists". cpj.org.
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