Tuesday 10 June 2008

Burmese TV reporter briefly held by Indian police

Khonumthung, May 6, 2008. - The Indian police today briefly detained a TV reporter of Mizzima News, a Burmese media in exile based in India during the protest by Burmese pro-democracy activists outside the Burmese embassy in New Delhi today.

The Mizzima TV reporter Zaw Shan arrived outside the Burmese embassy after protesters left the area.

Zaw Shan was arrested while he along with other Indian TV reporters and cameramen were shooting footage of the wall of the Burmese Embassy which had been spray painted by the Burmese activists with the words "Free Aung San Suu Kyi". He was taken to Chanakyapuri police station in New Delhi.

"They asked me who were protesting and if I had any connection with the protesters. They also wanted to take my video tape," Zaw Shan said.

The police re-recorded the video tape as Zaw Shan kept refusing to handover the tape to the police.

Finally, the Burmese TV reporter was freed after he signed a bond saying he would not shoot video footage in a restricted area in the future.

He was detained in Chanakyapuri police station for almost three hours.

Around 35 Delhi based Burmese pro-democracy activists today staged a protest outside the Burma Embassy urging the Burmese regime to free detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

The protesters also urged the regime to allow international aid workers free access to cyclone affected areas.

The protesters left the area before the police arrived.

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