RANGOON — Irrawaddy journalist Htet Khung Linn has won the first prize in a contest organized by the British Embassy and environmental group TRAFFIC, which recognized quality reporting on the illegal wildlife trade in Burma.
The reporter, who writes under the name Sanay Lin, won the award for a feature story on the conflict between humans and wild elephants in northern Rangoon Division.
Zaynway Tun Tun and Khine Khine Soe, local reporters with 7 Day News, won the second prize for a story on the rising popularity of wild meat dishes in Rangoon. The Myanmar Times’ deputy editor Aye Sapay Phyu and journalist Myint Kaythi won third place for a piece about the open and illegal sale of endangered species at the Golden Rock in Karen State.
The embassy said Htet Khung Linn’s “two-page special report drew on personal accounts of local investigators looking into the illegal killing of wild elephants… It also covered issues such as the capture of young elephants for the ecotourism trade, the sale of ivory and growing demand for other elephant parts.
“The article made links to local poaching networks, illegal arms ownership and described the challenges of keeping wild elephants safe.”
Htet Khung Linn won a trip to Kaziranga National Park in India, where he will have the opportunity to witness threatened wildlife such as Greater One-horned Rhinos, Asian Elephants and Tigers.
