Australian editor [Ross Dunkley] in Burma again denied bail

Thursday, March 24, 2011
By South-East Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel
ABC News (Australia)

An Australian newspaper editor has again been denied bail by a court in Burma following an appearance in a Rangoon court.

Ross Dunkley, who works as a publisher for the Myanmar Times and Cambodia's Phnom Penh Post, has been in jail since being arrested for breaching his visa in mid-February.

The court is expected to deliver judgment on his case next week.

A prostitute initially accused the 55-year-old of assault but later withdrew the claim. The case has proceeded anyway.

Dunkley has been held at Burma's notorious Insein prison since his arrest on February 10.

Some analysts suggest the case is tied to a fight for control of the Rangoon-based publishing company Myanmar Consolidated Media (MCM).

A business partner in Cambodia says Dunkley is the victim of a work dispute and the charges against him are politically motivated.

But speculation about a local business dispute with a government-aligned business partner has been denied by officials.

Investors in MCM include Australian mining magnate Bill Clough. A 51 per cent share is held by Burmese businessman Dr Tin Htun Oo.

The court will hear closing arguments from prosecution and defence teams next Tuesday when it is also expected to hand down a judgment.