Help for Myanmar Journalists in Hiding

These are two young journalists setting up a newsroom in the early days of press freedom in Myanmar, only nine years ago. Sadly, the taste of democracy, so heady back then, has been yanked away in a military coup. Newspapers and independent television stations have been shut down. Their editors and reporters are being hunted, arrested and thrown in prison. Several of them are friends from my 12 trips to Myanmar.  Some have left the country. Others have gone into hiding. Some are at home, nowhere to go, dreading a midnight knock on the door. Fear is pervasive. They struggle to pay rent and support their families. Their plight is made worse by the scourge of Covid ravaging the country. This fundraiser is for them and other Myanmar journalists in need.

One of my friends and her husband were editor/reporters at one of the biggest independent newspapers. They have two children. She sent me this (edited lightly for clarity):

"We had to relocate and hide after the coup Feb. 6. Journalists were on the top of the list to be detained and arrested. The dictators did not want the public to know the truth. Many journalists went underground and continued their reporting to present what was happening on the ground. Some friends fled to the border areas and to other countries. The journalism we built has totally collapsed and we are back in the dark ages. The past five months have brought terror and constant pressure. Now we are struggling with both the coup and Covid. Some of our family members, relatives and friends are sick. We've already lost some of them. It's a totally horrific nightmare."

When I told her we would try to help, she said: "Thank you for your kind heart."

Thanks for considering a donation. Even a little goes a long way in Myanmar.