American editor detained in Myanmar

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 4 years ago

YANGON—An American editor of a Myanmar-based news outlet was detained by authorities in Yangon as he attempted to board a flight out of the country on Monday (May 24), his employers said.

Danny Fenster, a US citizen and managing editor of Frontier Myanmar was detained at Yangon International Airport, his employers said in a statement on their verified Twitter account.

"We do not know why Danny was detained and have not been able to contact him since this morning. We are concerned for his wellbeing and call for his immediate release," Frontier said.

"Our priorities right now are to make sure he is safe and to provide him with whatever assistance he needs."

Myanmar has been in uproar since the Feb 1 coup, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. More than 800 people have been killed by the military, according to a local monitoring group.

The press has been caught in the junta's crackdown as the military attempts to tighten control over the flow of information, throttling Internet access and revoking the licenses of five local media outlets.

Fenster, 37, had been working for the outlet for around a year and was heading home to see his family, Frontier's chief editor Thomas Kean told AFP.

"We learned about 10 am that Danny had not been allowed to board his flight from Yangon airport," he said.

In a message shared with AFP, Fenster's brother Bryan said the family was "stunned and extremely confused" by the detention. "We've been assured that there is no concern for his safety but no doubt we are very worried," he said.

At least 34 journalists and photographers remain in custody across Myanmar, according to monitoring group Reporting ASEAN.—AFP