by Maddy Howard, 3 April 2011
A Perth journalist has been arrested in Myanmar and kept in Insein prison for 47 days without the opportunity of bail.
Ross Dunkley, publisher of the Myanmar Times, was arrested on the 10th of February for the possession of illegal drugs, detaining a prostitute, and immigration charges.
However he was only allowed to post bail on the 29th of March.
“They would do the trial, and then lock him back up again,” said Mr. Dunkley’s wife, Cynda Dunkley.
“They claimed they he was healthy so there was no reason to let him out.”
Myanmar Times shareholder Dr. Tin Tun Oo is suspected to have been involved with Mr. Dunkley’s arrest and has now replaced Mr. Dunkley as CEO of the company.
After suspicion of his involvement was released in the press, Mr. Oo posted bail for Mr. Dunkley as a way to prove his loyalty to his partner.
The only evidence against Mr. Dunkley is a complainant’s statement about alleged offences.
Mr. Dunkley’s house in Myanmar has two guards who have testified saying the alleged woman was only in the house for 20 minutes.
The taxi driver and next-door neighbours’ guards have also make statements supporting Mr. Dunkley’s denial of the charges, says Mrs Dunkley.
“All of the witnesses have been supportive of the story.
“The woman who made the statement has tried to withdraw it many times, but someone in the junta is pressuring her not to withdraw.
“They don’t want to ‘lose face’,” said Mrs. Dunkley.
The police in Myanmar have agreed to let the complainant drop the charges, but it is suspected that she is too afraid of being locked up by the government to withdraw the statement.
“Corruption is actually a very big problem, it is everywhere, at every level,” said Mee Mee Zaw. said a lecturer at University of Western Australia who specialises in Burmese studies, Mee Mee Zaw..
“There is many politics and conflict of interest in this case.
“The government is favouring other people’s word over Mr. Dunkley’s because of his status in Burma,” she said.
The Australian Embassy has told Mrs. Dunkley that they have to wait until the legal procedures in Burma have been finalised, before they can lobby for him to get taken out of Burma or deported.
It is estimated he could get up to 10 years in prison.
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