Myanmar reporter killed while investigating illegal logging

YANGON, Myanmar – A Myanmar government official says a journalist has been killed while reporting on illegal logging in the northwest of the country. The local police say they are investigating the death.

The journalist, Soe Moe Tun, was a local-based journalist in Monywa in the Sagaing region where he was killed early Tuesday. He had worked for the Daily Eleven Newspaper, part of Eleven Media Group, since early 2015.

The government official, who declined to be named, did not immediately provide any details.

The Myanmar Press Council says threats against journalists are common and that five journalists have been killed in Myanmar since 1999.

Eleven Media issued a statement urging the police and local government to quickly investigate the case.