Explainer: Myanmar wields colonial-era law against Reuters journalists(Reuters) - Myanmar has accused Reuters reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, of breaching the country s Official Secrets Act, a little-used hangover from colonial rule. Sam Zarifi, secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), said the law can ensnare working journalists  at any time . The two reporters were arrested on Tuesday evening after they were invited to meet police officers for dinner in the north of Yangon. The Ministry of Information said they had  illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media , and published a photo of the pair in handcuffs standing behind a table with documents laid on it. The law dates back to 1923, when Myanmar, then known as Burma, was a province of British India. At the time British administrators worried that rival powers could seek to exploit anti-colonial unrest in its South Asian empire.  The act, which amended earlier anti-spying legislation, was controversial in India even at the time, according to a history published in 2009 by the United Service Institution of India, a New Delhi-based think tank. British military officers pushed for the stronger law over concerns about an  increase in Bolshevik activity , along with geopolitical threats including  the possibility of racial war between Japan and the USA affecting India , the history said. The Official Secrets Act covers trespassing in prohibited areas, handling documents deemed secret and communicating with  foreign agents . It carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Zarifi of the Geneva-based ICJ - a human rights group made up of 60 senior international judges, lawyers and legal academics - said the definition of an official secret in the act is  incredibly broad .  Just about anyone in possession of unpublished government documents could find themselves facing prosecution and the harsh penalties a conviction may carry,  Zarifi said.  Under this law many good journalists could be prosecuted at any time.  In India, where the same law also remains on the statute book, courts have ruled that it even applies to parliamentary papers such as budget proposals if they are leaked before they are presented in the legislature. Legal experts say prosecutions under the act have been rare in Myanmar in recent decades.  The military junta that ruled until 2011 frequently used other laws or the Penal Code - also inherited from the colonial era - to lock up its critics alongside common criminals. The sprawling code was drafted in 1860, and gives magistrates more than 500 sections under which to charge alleged offenders. In 1990, a military court sentenced two leaders of the then opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) to 10 years in prison under the Official Secrets Act after they passed an official letter to foreign embassies. The prosecution was part of a broad crackdown following an election won by the NLD that the junta ignored.  They were freed in 1992, in an amnesty, according to a New York Times report at the time. Reports of at least two other cases brought under the act are recorded in the online archives of the Asian Human Rights Commission in 2009 and 2010.  The first case involved a man jailed for trespassing on military land and recording video footage to allegedly send abroad. He had been helping a farmer file a land grab complaint against the military. The second concerned a former army officer who was jailed in 2010 for allegedly having secret information on his laptop that he passed to foreign news agencies. The most well-documented recent case involving the Official Secrets Act came in January of 2014, when the Yangon-based weekly, Unity Journal, published a front page article it said exposed a secret chemical weapons factory run by the military in central Myanmar.  Police arrested the newspaper s CEO and four journalists involved in publishing the story, raided its offices, and attempted to seize all copies of the edition from newsstands. A civilian court in Pakkoku, near the alleged factory, sentenced them in July 2014 to 10 years in prison with hard labor - later reduced to seven years. The case was widely seen by the domestic media as a warning that military affairs remained off-limits even though direct military rule had ended. The  Unity Five  were released in an amnesty in April 2016, soon after the NLD, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had come to power following an election in 2015. The Unity Journal subsequently closed.  Reuters was unable to reach government legal officials over the weekend and a Monday public holiday to request details of any other past cases in which the Official Secrets Act was used. Little is known of the allegations against the two Reuters journalists, other than that police said they were  arrested for possessing important and secret government documents related to Rakhine State and security forces  and are charged under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act. Two policemen are also being investigated in the case, according to police. Section 3 covers entering prohibited places, taking images or handling secret official documents that  might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy . Human Rights Watch in 2016 said Section 3  defines the offence of  spying  extremely broadly .   Where a military establishment is involved, section 3(2) of the statute effectively places the burden on the defendant to prove that they are not guilty,  the group said. In May 2016, the month after Suu Kyi took power, the 1975 State Protection Act that had been used to keep her under house arrest for years was repealed. The Emergency Provisions Act, introduced in 1950 and frequently used against activists after the military seized power in a 1962 coup, was swept away in October the same year. But the Official Secrets Act and other laws, such as the 1908 Unlawful Associations Act, that have been used to jail journalists and activists, remain in force. Reuters was unable to reach Suu Kyi s spokesman to seek comment from Suu Kyi on the use of the Official Secrets Act to detain the two Reuters journalists. worldnews
explained myanmar wields law reuters journalists reuters myanmar accused reuters reporters wa lone kya soe oo breaching country official secrets act hangover colonial rule sam tariff secretary general international commission jurists ice said law ensure working journalists time the two reporters arrested tuesday evening invited meet police officers dinner north canton the ministry information said illegally acquired information intention share foreign media published photo pair handcuffs standing behind table documents laid the law dates back myanmar known burma province british india at time british administrators worried rival powers could seek exploit unrest south asian empire the act amended earlier legislation controversial india even time according history published united service institution india new think tank british military officers pushed stronger law concerns increase bolshevik activity along geopolitical threats including possibility racial war japan usa affecting india history said the official secrets act covers trespassing prohibited areas handling documents deemed secret communicating foreign agents it carries maximum penalty years prison tariff ice human rights group made senior international judges lawyers legal academics said definition official secret act incredibly broad just anyone possession unpublished government documents could find facing prosecution harsh penalties conviction may carry tariff said under law many good journalists could prosecuted time in india law also remains statute book courts ruled even applies parliamentary papers budget proposals leaked presented legislature legal experts say prosecutions act rare myanmar recent decades the military junta ruled frequently used laws penal code also inherited colonial era lock critics alongside common criminals the sprawling code drafted gives magistrates sections charge alleged offenders in military court sentenced two leaders opposition national league democracy nld years prison official secrets act passed official letter foreign embassies the prosecution part broad crackdown following election nld junta ignored they freed amnesty according new york times report time reports least two cases brought act recorded online archives asian human rights commission the first case involved man jailed trespassing military land recording video footage allegedly send abroad he helping farmer file land grab complaint military the second concerned former army officer jailed allegedly secret information laptop passed foreign news agencies the recent case involving official secrets act came january weekly unity journal published front page article said exposed secret chemical weapons factory run military central myanmar police arrested newspaper ceo four journalists involved publishing story raided offices attempted seize copies edition newsstands a civilian court pakkoku near alleged factory sentenced july years prison hard labor later reduced seven years the case widely seen domestic media warning military affairs remained even though direct military rule ended the unity five released amnesty april soon nld led nobel laureate sung san sup kyi come power following election the unity journal subsequently closed reuters unable reach government legal officials weekend monday public holiday request details past cases official secrets act used little known allegations two reuters journalists police said arrested possessing important secret government documents related machine state security forces charged section official secrets act two policemen also investigated case according police section covers entering prohibited places taking images handling secret official documents might intended directly indirectly useful enemy human rights watch said section defines offence spying extremely broadly where military establishment involved section statute effectively places burden defendant prove guilty group said in may month sup kyi took power state protection act used keep house arrest years repealed the emergency provisions act introduced frequently used activists military seized power coup swept away october year but official secrets act laws unlawful associations act used jail journalists activists remain force reuters unable reach sup kyi spokesman seek comment sup kyi use official secrets act detain two reuters journalists worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: Explainer: Myanmar wields colonial-era law against Reuters journalists(Reuters) - Myanmar has accused Reuters reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, of breaching the country s Official Secrets Act, a little-used hangover from colonial rule. Sam Zarifi, secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), said the law can ensnare working journalists  at any time . The two reporters were arrested on Tuesday evening after they were invited to meet police officers for dinner in the north of Yangon. The Ministry of Information said they had  illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media , and published a photo of the pair in handcuffs standing behind a table with documents laid on it. The law dates back to 1923, when Myanmar, then known as Burma, was a province of British India. At the time British administrators worried that rival powers could seek to exploit anti-colonial unrest in its South Asian empire.  The act, which amended earlier anti-spying legislation, was controversial in India even at the time, according to a history published in 2009 by the United Service Institution of India, a New Delhi-based think tank. British military officers pushed for the stronger law over concerns about an  increase in Bolshevik activity , along with geopolitical threats including  the possibility of racial war between Japan and the USA affecting India , the history said. The Official Secrets Act covers trespassing in prohibited areas, handling documents deemed secret and communicating with  foreign agents . It carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Zarifi of the Geneva-based ICJ - a human rights group made up of 60 senior international judges, lawyers and legal academics - said the definition of an official secret in the act is  incredibly broad .  Just about anyone in possession of unpublished government documents could find themselves facing prosecution and the harsh penalties a conviction may carry,  Zarifi said.  Under this law many good journalists could be prosecuted at any time.  In India, where the same law also remains on the statute book, courts have ruled that it even applies to parliamentary papers such as budget proposals if they are leaked before they are presented in the legislature. Legal experts say prosecutions under the act have been rare in Myanmar in recent decades.  The military junta that ruled until 2011 frequently used other laws or the Penal Code - also inherited from the colonial era - to lock up its critics alongside common criminals. The sprawling code was drafted in 1860, and gives magistrates more than 500 sections under which to charge alleged offenders. In 1990, a military court sentenced two leaders of the then opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) to 10 years in prison under the Official Secrets Act after they passed an official letter to foreign embassies. The prosecution was part of a broad crackdown following an election won by the NLD that the junta ignored.  They were freed in 1992, in an amnesty, according to a New York Times report at the time. Reports of at least two other cases brought under the act are recorded in the online archives of the Asian Human Rights Commission in 2009 and 2010.  The first case involved a man jailed for trespassing on military land and recording video footage to allegedly send abroad. He had been helping a farmer file a land grab complaint against the military. The second concerned a former army officer who was jailed in 2010 for allegedly having secret information on his laptop that he passed to foreign news agencies. The most well-documented recent case involving the Official Secrets Act came in January of 2014, when the Yangon-based weekly, Unity Journal, published a front page article it said exposed a secret chemical weapons factory run by the military in central Myanmar.  Police arrested the newspaper s CEO and four journalists involved in publishing the story, raided its offices, and attempted to seize all copies of the edition from newsstands. A civilian court in Pakkoku, near the alleged factory, sentenced them in July 2014 to 10 years in prison with hard labor - later reduced to seven years. The case was widely seen by the domestic media as a warning that military affairs remained off-limits even though direct military rule had ended. The  Unity Five  were released in an amnesty in April 2016, soon after the NLD, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had come to power following an election in 2015. The Unity Journal subsequently closed.  Reuters was unable to reach government legal officials over the weekend and a Monday public holiday to request details of any other past cases in which the Official Secrets Act was used. Little is known of the allegations against the two Reuters journalists, other than that police said they were  arrested for possessing important and secret government documents related to Rakhine State and security forces  and are charged under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act. Two policemen are also being investigated in the case, according to police. Section 3 covers entering prohibited places, taking images or handling secret official documents that  might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy . Human Rights Watch in 2016 said Section 3  defines the offence of  spying  extremely broadly .   Where a military establishment is involved, section 3(2) of the statute effectively places the burden on the defendant to prove that they are not guilty,  the group said. In May 2016, the month after Suu Kyi took power, the 1975 State Protection Act that had been used to keep her under house arrest for years was repealed. The Emergency Provisions Act, introduced in 1950 and frequently used against activists after the military seized power in a 1962 coup, was swept away in October the same year. But the Official Secrets Act and other laws, such as the 1908 Unlawful Associations Act, that have been used to jail journalists and activists, remain in force. Reuters was unable to reach Suu Kyi s spokesman to seek comment from Suu Kyi on the use of the Official Secrets Act to detain the two Reuters journalists. worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: explained myanmar wields law reuters journalists reuters myanmar accused reuters reporters wa lone kya soe oo breaching country official secrets act hangover colonial rule sam tariff secretary general international commission jurists ice said law ensure working journalists time the two reporters arrested tuesday evening invited meet police officers dinner north canton the ministry information said illegally acquired information intention share foreign media published photo pair handcuffs standing behind table documents laid the law dates back myanmar known burma province british india at time british administrators worried rival powers could seek exploit unrest south asian empire the act amended earlier legislation controversial india even time according history published united service institution india new think tank british military officers pushed stronger law concerns increase bolshevik activity along geopolitical threats including possibility racial war japan usa affecting india history said the official secrets act covers trespassing prohibited areas handling documents deemed secret communicating foreign agents it carries maximum penalty years prison tariff ice human rights group made senior international judges lawyers legal academics said definition official secret act incredibly broad just anyone possession unpublished government documents could find facing prosecution harsh penalties conviction may carry tariff said under law many good journalists could prosecuted time in india law also remains statute book courts ruled even applies parliamentary papers budget proposals leaked presented legislature legal experts say prosecutions act rare myanmar recent decades the military junta ruled frequently used laws penal code also inherited colonial era lock critics alongside common criminals the sprawling code drafted gives magistrates sections charge alleged offenders in military court sentenced two leaders opposition national league democracy nld years prison official secrets act passed official letter foreign embassies the prosecution part broad crackdown following election nld junta ignored they freed amnesty according new york times report time reports least two cases brought act recorded online archives asian human rights commission the first case involved man jailed trespassing military land recording video footage allegedly send abroad he helping farmer file land grab complaint military the second concerned former army officer jailed allegedly secret information laptop passed foreign news agencies the recent case involving official secrets act came january weekly unity journal published front page article said exposed secret chemical weapons factory run military central myanmar police arrested newspaper ceo four journalists involved publishing story raided offices attempted seize copies edition newsstands a civilian court pakkoku near alleged factory sentenced july years prison hard labor later reduced seven years the case widely seen domestic media warning military affairs remained even though direct military rule ended the unity five released amnesty april soon nld led nobel laureate sung san sup kyi come power following election the unity journal subsequently closed reuters unable reach government legal officials weekend monday public holiday request details past cases official secrets act used little known allegations two reuters journalists police said arrested possessing important secret government documents related machine state security forces charged section official secrets act two policemen also investigated case according police section covers entering prohibited places taking images handling secret official documents might intended directly indirectly useful enemy human rights watch said section defines offence spying extremely broadly where military establishment involved section statute effectively places burden defendant prove guilty group said in may month sup kyi took power state protection act used keep house arrest years repealed the emergency provisions act introduced frequently used activists military seized power coup swept away october year but official secrets act laws unlawful associations act used jail journalists activists remain force reuters unable reach sup kyi spokesman seek comment sup kyi use official secrets act detain two reuters journalists worldnews