BANGKOK: Three journalists from military-ruled Myanmar who were convicted of illegal entry after they fled to Thailand have been sent to a third country where they are safe, their employer said Monday.
The three staff members of the Democratic Voice of Burma, better known as DVB, were arrested on May 9 in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai along with two other people from Myanmar described as activists. On May 28, they were each sentenced to a 4,000 baht ($128) fine and seven months’ imprisonment, suspended for a year.
Rights groups and journalists’ associations had urged Thai authorities not to send them back to Myanmar, where it was feared that their safety would be at risk from the authorities. Thailand’s government has relatively cordial relations with Myanmar’s military regime.
Myanmar’s junta seized power in February by ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and has attempted to crush widespread opposition to its takeover with a brutal crackdown that has left hundreds dead. It has tried to silence independent news media by withdrawing their licenses and by arresting journalists.
All five people convicted in Chiang Mai of illegal entry left Thailand recently for the third country, Aye Chan Naing, DVB’s executive director and chief editor, said in an emailed statement. He said, without elaborating, that he could not mention where they had been sent “as the entire case remains very sensitive.”
He expressed gratitude to “everyone in Thailand and around the world that helped to make their safe passage possible and for campaigning for a positive outcome,” and said the employees would resume their duties in the near future after “recovering from their ordeal.”
According to Myanmar’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, about 90 journalists have been arrested since the takeover, with more than half still in detention, and 33 in hiding. Those still being held include two UScitizens, Danny Fenster and Nathan Maung, who worked for Myanmar media.
At least two other DVB journalists have been sentenced to prison for their reporting. DVB, an independent broadcast and online news agency, was among five local media outlets that were banned in March from broadcasting or publishing after their licenses were canceled. Like other banned media outlets, it continued operating.
Journalists who fled Myanmar find third-country refuge
https://arab.news/gfsrj
Journalists who fled Myanmar find third-country refuge
- The three journalists of the Democratic Voice of Burma were arrested on May 9 in Chiang Mai
- On May 28 they were each fined $128 and handed seven-month suspended imprisonments
Pakistan to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030 in push to modernize economy
- PM says government will introduce AI curriculum in schools nationwide
- The transformation plan will help train 1 million non-IT professionals in AI
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that Pakistan would invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, in a major step to modernize the South Asian nation’s digital economy.
Pakistan, a country of 240 million people, seeks to become a key participant in the global AI economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness AI for productivity, skills development and innovation.
The South Asian nation has been actively developing its AI landscape and approved its National AI Policy in July last year, which was followed by the launch of the country’s sovereign AI cloud and a startup fund.
Speaking at the launch of the Indus AI Week 2026 in Islamabad, Sharif unveiled a multi-pronged roadmap intended to transform Pakistan from a provider of IT technicians into a global hub for AI expertise.
“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Pakistan is committed to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030, which will go a long way in building AI ecosystem in our country,” he told policymakers and international tech experts at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center.
Sharif detailed several flagship initiatives to support this transformation, including a sweeping educational reform, at the event organized by the Information Technology (IT) Ministry, which will be running until Feb. 15, featuring strategic dialogues on sovereign AI and technical showcases.
“AI curriculum will be introduced not only in all federally controlled or run schools, but also in all schools of AJK, that is Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as remote parts of Balochistan,” he said.
The government will provide 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI to postgraduates to bolster high-level research, according to the PM. It plans to launch a nationwide program to train 1 million “non-IT professionals in AI skills” to enhance productivity and improve livelihoods across traditional sectors of the economy.
Sharif emphasized that the focus would remain on high-impact sectors, including agriculture, mines and minerals, and the empowerment of Pakistan’s youth which makes up 60 percent of its 240 million population.
“We will, God willing, bring in programs to transform them from IT technicians to AI experts, which will lead to our agriculture production in terms of its yield, its quality, its efficiency, like never before,” he said.
Drawing parallels to previous digitization efforts in the Punjab province, such as land record digitization and the establishment of the first IT university in Lahore, Sharif framed the AI push as a “gamechanger” for national governance. He noted the Federal Board of Revenue is already undergoing a digital overhaul to curb smuggling and tax evasion.
“Pakistan is absolutely ready to accept the challenge and walk with our global partners absolutely with great commitment and dedication,” he said. “Our commitment is solid, unwavering. We will never look back.”
