Myanmar military arrests film critic, alleging threat to stability

Military authorities announced that they had detained a Yangon resident this week after he criticised a film poster’s portrayal of people of Indian descent, accusing him of inciting instability. Shein Htet Aung, also known as Vee Htet Kumar, a Hindu man in his 30s living in Yangon’s Hlaing Township, had expressed his disapproval on Facebook after seeing a poster for a newly released film. The first half of the film’s title translated to “Have you ever ridden a jeep?” in Burmese, while a second phrase was a stereotypical mimicry of the language or accent of Myanmar’s Indian minority. Although many critics have been arrested in the years since the coup, Shein Htet Aung is the first to be detained for his opinions about a film. Shein Htet Aung’s family lost communication with him after he went to the Khaweichan School for the Blind in Mayangone Township on October 27 to record his reading of an audio book. In a statement released on Wednesday, the military council announced that he had been detained for ‘destabilising’ communications and charged at the Hlaing Township Police Station. According to a family friend who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, Shein Htet Aung’s family went to a nearby police station to make enquiries after hearing that military personnel had taken him. They were unable to obtain information about him and only later learned that he had been charged from a newspaper, he said. “His family is allowed to see him now. They’ve said he’s in good condition. We don’t know all the specific charges against him. When he criticised the film, a lot of people shared the post, and I think some people who were hostile to him edited it and reposted the modified version. That’s how he ended up in custody and facing charges,” the family friend said. Shein Htet Aung is a philanthropist known for his extensive involvement in social welfare causes. In his social media post, he wrote that the title, costumes, and poster of the film—which was scheduled for release on November 1, during the Hindu festival of Diwali—were demeaning to generations of adherents to Hinduism. “This movie poster broadcasts derogatory language intended to belittle and mock people of Indian descent. I even suspect this was deliberately timed to provoke something during the upcoming festival. None of us are in festive spirits. This is a festival of lights, not a celebration,” Shein Htet Aung wrote. “At a time when we should be lighting candles and praying for an end to each other’s troubles, I can’t accept the release of such an ugly spectacle,” he added. His post was shared about 6,200 times on social media. The Myanmar Hindu Union released a statement on October 29 expressing their own objections to the film, saying that it was an insult to Hindu traditions and cultural practices and made a mockery of the religious community’s traditional dress. The film was directed by Ko Zaw (Aryone Oo), who told various news outlets that he had cut the offensive portion from the film’s title in response to the criticism of its original name and poster. Films made in Myanmar often draw criticism for their inclusion of stories and scenes with stereotypical or mocking depictions of ethnic minorities' dress, language, culture, and religious practices, or for demeaning people with disabilities, in the LGBTQ+ community, or living in poverty. According to the monitoring group Data for Myanmar, nearly 1,700 internet users were arrested between February 2022 and July 2024 for criticising the military junta or expressing support for the resistance on social media. Although not all the charges against Shein Htet Aung have been confirmed, the military council announced in early 2022 that people inciting instability, disseminating propaganda, or issuing threats on social media would be subject to prosecution under relevant laws, including those against incitement and terrorism.

Myanmar military arrests film critic, alleging threat to stability

The junta announced that Shein Htet Aung had been detained and charged after he condemned a film poster’s mocking portrayal of Myanmar’s Indian minority on social media

Subscribe for full access

How the global fuel crisis is upending Myanmar’s rice supply chain

No way out: Junta airstrike leaves prisoners burned alive in AA camp

Killing their own: How Myanmar’s military targets those left behind

The costly resistance operation that saved hundreds of civilian hostages

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Junta assaults displace thousands during Myanmar’s Thingyan New Year’s festival

More than a third of junta chief’s new cabinet under Western sanctions

AA vows to take all of Rakhine State by end of next year

Myanmar dictator names members of new ‘super council’