evidence, they discovered that the murderers destroyed their fingerprints on the stick. His phone contacts and calls were also analyzed. In the aftermath of the murder, authorities suspected two people were involved and proceeded to question about 30–40 people, many of whom were staff members at a karaoke establishment called the Blue Sky KTV in Monywa, in order to narrow down suspects. This karaoke was one of the last places Soe Moe Tun visited on the day of his death. Finally, two people from the KTV were identified as suspects and arrested. Two weeks later, in January 2017, another person, who used to be a logging truck driver, was also arrested. However, those suspects were later released from custody as there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute them. Much of the progress on the case was made within the first month and, in the midst of the investigation, the police chief of Monywa Central Police Station was moved to Rangoon. The case is still unsolved. Context Soe Moe Tun was best known for reporting on serious, sensitive issues within his homeland such as illegal logging and timber smuggling. Myanmar’s forests are among the world's most diverse, and have been a target for loggers, often working illegally, since the late 1980s. The Sagaing Region is a well-known hub for illegal logging. These activities are so frequent that even some local citizens within the town seem to have investments in the logging trade, making it harder to police. The Myanmar Journalist Network issued a statement after Soe Moe Tun's murder that fellow journalist Tin Zaw Oo, who was reporting on illegal logging in the Mandalay region, had been threatened. In project Green Blood Forbidden Stories recognized Sun Moe Tun as 1 of 13 reporters killed while investigating environmental issues between 2009 and 2019. Since 1999, Myanmar has seen five journalism-related killings, including that of Soe Moe Tun, according to Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists. See also Censorship in Myanmar List of unsolved murders Media of Myanmar References External links Soe Moe Tun at the Committee to Protect Journalists 1981 births 2016 deaths Assassinated Burmese journalists Deaths by beating Investigative journalists Male murder victims People from Sagaing Region Unsolved murders in Asia