The Publish What You Pay Global Council strongly condemns the arrest of Man Zar Myay Mo, EITI advocate in Myanmar, and calls for his immediate release.

On the morning of June 8th, Man Zar Myay Mo was shot and detained at a roadblock whilst he travelled to a meeting and he is currently being detained at Northwest Division Military Headquarters. There are serious concerns for his safety.

Along with the Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA), Man Zar Myay Mo has worked tirelessly to promote good governance of Myanmar’s natural resources and ensure benefit to local communities. He has also acted as a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Subnational Coordination Unit (SNU) member for the Sagaing Region in Myanmar. As such, he is connected to a global network of organisations working for better natural resource governance.

We call for the immediate and safe release of Man Zar Myay Mo. We also encourage all companies, investors and other stakeholders with activities in Myanmar to use their leverage to secure Man Zar Myay Mo’s release.