New Delhi (Mizzima) – A Burmese political party – United Democratic Party of Myanmar (UDP) – said it has filed a defamation lawsuit against an exile Burmese News Agency for publishing “baseless accusations” against the group.
UDP, in a statement on March 24, said it has filed a lawsuit against the Chiang Mai-based ‘The Irrawaddy’, which publishes a monthly magazine and runs daily online news, for producing baseless accusations against one of its leaders, Kyaw Myint, a businessman based in Canada.
UDP said it has filed a lawsuit against The Irrawaddy and its Editor-in-Chief, Aung Zaw, in a Thai court under the Thai Libel and Defamatory Act.
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| Irrawaddy English Website |
But Aung Zaw, on Thursday, denied having published articles that “baselessly accuse” Kyaw Myint (a.k.a Micheal Hua Hu) or the UDP, equivocating that he is confident of the sources quoted.
“With regards to the stories that we have distributed, we have sources, and we do not publish any accusations,” Aung Zaw said.
The Irrawaddy, in December, ran a story regarding the UDP’s link with Kyaw Myint and described him as a former head of the Rangoon-based Myanmar Kyone Yeom Company.
The Irrawaddy said Kyone Yeom was accused of ‘Money Laundering’ for the United Wa State Army, an armed rebel group, and that Kyaw Myint had been blacklisted by Burmese authorities for flouting Burmese business laws and regulations.
The Irrawaddy, in its report, cited their sources as the now-defunct Asian Week Magazine’s January 1998 issue and Jane’s Intelligence Review’s November 1998 issue.
The Irrawaddy further released two more articles about the UDP and Kyaw Myint last month, one on the UDP’s threat to sue The Irrawaddy and another on Kyaw Myint’s involvement in drug and money laundering, based on an interview between an ex-Burmese military intelligence officer and the Voice of America (VOA) Burmese radio service.
Meanwhile, the UDP, which provided a contact address and telephone number in Canada, was not available for comment, its statement said the party was forced to file a libel suit against The Irrawaddy for defaming its leader after failing to get any response to requests to prove the accusations.
However, the statement failed to mention at which court in Thailand the UDP has filed the lawsuit.
Further, Aung Zaw, on Thursday, told Mizzima that he has yet to receive any court notice.
The UDP, according to their website, is based in Canada but has its leaders – including veteran politicians Thu Wai and Ye Tun – based in Burma. Nonetheless, in an interview with a Bangkok-based Burmese news agency, Khitpyaing, Thu Wai denied having established the UDP.
Thu Wai said the UDP is a party that will be established with an aim to participate in the Junta’s 2010 election once the government announces the electoral law. He explicitly denied having formed the UDP, saying he is not aware of and is not a member of the Canadian-based UDP, if it in fact exists at all. But he admits having connections with Kyaw Myint.
In a separate interview with Mizzima, Ye Tun admitted having links with Kyaw Myint and explained that they have urged Kyaw Myint to clarify, prior to the announcement of the electoral law for 2010, accusations as per his involvement in drug and money laundering.
