The security forces have arrested two journalists from Myanmar as they were collecting secret information in the guise of tourists in Cox’s Bazar district.

Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-charge Mr. Ranjit Barua told the Bangla Tribune that the journalists came to Bangladesh on a tourist visa but went to border areas to collect information and take photographs of border areas.

The Myanmar nationals, namely Minzayar Oo and Hkun Lat, were kept in Cox's Bazar District Jail as they were arrested under Section 419 and 177 of the Penal Code and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.

Their lawyer Barrister Mr. Jyotirmoy Barua told the Bangla Tribune, 'The two journalists were arrested on September 13 and Cox's Bazar’s Senior Judicial Magistrate Mr. Rajib Kumar Deb rejected the bail application on September 15. We will appeal to the High Court.’

Both the journalists work for Germany's Hamburg-based magazine ‘Geo’.

Quoting AFP, Geo magazine reported that they came to Cox's Bazar in early September to collect information about Rohingya refugees. Out of the two journalists, Minzayar Oo is an award-winning international photographer. His photo was printed in various international media including New York Times, The Guardian, National Geography, etc.

On September 8, the two Myanmar journalists and a local photographer, Saiful Huq Omi, were taken into custody. The next day, Cox's Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Afroozul Haque Tutul told the Bangla Tribune that they were taken into custody for interrogation.

The two Myanmar journalists came to Bangladesh on a tourist visa and were working without permission. Saiful Huq Omi was helping them.

After the interrogation, three of them were sent back to Dhaka, said the police official. “If necessary, they will be further interrogated in Dhaka,” he added.

When contacted with Omi to know how he met the two journalists, he said, "I cannot answer these questions right now. As I do not have any contact with them, I cannot make any comment.”