Female reporter held by AA for nearly a week

By Admin 26 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom

26 September 2025, Maungdaw

Mudra, a female journalist with the Border News Agency (BNA) based in Maungdaw, Arakan State, who was detained by the Arakan Army's intelligence unit, had not been released as of the morning of September 26.

Mudra was taken from her home in Maungdaw Township by Arakan Army (AA) intelligence agents at around 11 a.m. on September 20, claiming to have questions. Ko Kaung Myat Naing, BNA's Editor-in-Chief, said she has been detained for almost a week.

"We are waiting because the Arakan Army officials said they would release her. I am surprised that she has been detained for so long. The world is watching this case, so the world will decide why she has not been released yet," he said.

The exact circumstances surrounding Mudra's arrest and ongoing detention are not yet known.

AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha told the media that Mudra was being investigated for activities that violated the rules of war and jeopardised public safety.

She had been brought in for questioning over the news story headlined "Ethnic Mro children in Thihoaye Village, Maungdaw Township, needing school supplies," which was published on September 9, BNA said.

"It has been six days since she was taken from her home, so her family must be worried because she is a woman. So I think the Arakan Army should quickly complete the interrogation and release her. I also demand her release," said a female journalist in Arakan State who did not want to be named.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Independent Myanmar Journalists Association (IMJA) issued statements on September 23 calling for Mudra's immediate release.

"The [advocacy] groups and media are also watching this case," said another anonymous reporter from Arakan State. "So I think the Arakan Army should quickly investigate what needs to be investigated and release her. If it takes longer than this, it will be bad for the Arakan Army that detained her."

DMG has reached out to ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha for an update on the status of Mudra's detention, but has not yet received a response.

BNA issued a statement on September 22 indicating that the news organisation hopes the relevant parties will be able to resolve any misunderstandings regarding their reporter Mudra.

The BNA statement said that the family members are concerned about Mudra and are appealing for her return on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with international law.

More than 200 journalists have been arrested in Myanmar in the four-plus years since the 2021 military coup, and as of January 25, 2025, 43 journalists were still imprisoned, according to the Independent Press Council Myanmar (IPCM). Though not unheard of, cases of ethnic armed groups detaining journalists are uncommon, with the vast majority of cases involving arrests by Myanmar's military regime.