Pioneering Myanmar documentary filmmaker Pe Maung Same died on Monday, three days after being transferring from Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison to a hospital, according to close friends.
He was 51 years old.
Pe Maung Same was arrested at a Myanmar military regime checkpoint in Karenni State’s capital, Loikaw, in late May 2022. Junta officials prosecuted him for allegedly contacting local People’s Defense Force groups and sending his video records to the National Unity Government and local media outlets.
He was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.
He contracted tuberculosis in Loikaw Prison. His condition worsened in April this year, and he had not been able to walk since then.
“He said his lower body was like a stone and sensed nothing,” one of his friends said.
Later, it was found that he had developed spinal tuberculosis. Due to the severity of his condition, he was transferred to Insein Prison in Yangon on July 13 to receive medical treatment in the prison hospital, but he never recovered.
“While he was in Loikaw Prison, four of his ribs were broken during interrogation. He also said he was denied proper food and medical treatment in both prisons,” the friend said.
After over two years in prison, Pe Maung Same was released from Insein Prison on Aug. 16 due to his health condition and transferred to Yangon’s Sakura Hospital.
He died in the hospital on Monday, three days after his release.
“After he underwent a screening test of his stomach on Sunday, his heart stopped. He was [revived and] sent to the ICU but the next day he died of cardiac arrest. He died because of being sent into prison and not receiving proper food or treatment. He would not have died had he not been arrested,” the friend added.
He was cremated at the Yayway Cemetery in Yangon on Wednesday.
Pe Maung Same was a son of prominent Burmese satirical cartoonist Pe Thein, who was widely respected for both his artistic gifts and his political convictions.
Pe Maung Same was among a group of young Myanmar documentary filmmakers who emerged in the early 2000s. He made many documentaries while at Yangon Film School and won many international awards.
His prominent documentaries include “No Laughing Matter”, about his father; and “Nargis—When Time Stopped Breathing”, the first-ever feature-length documentary made by a Myanmar filmmaker, which captured the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which killed nearly 140,000 people in the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008. The film was internationally screened and won four awards.
Another of his documentaries, “The River Our Ayeyarwady”, won plaudits among both local and international audiences.
He was widely admired by his peers in the new generation of Myanmar documentary filmmakers for his willingness to share his documentary filmmaking experiences and teach about filmmaking.
“Pe Maung Same is a pioneer filmmaker in the modern film industry of Myanmar. Everybody loves him,” his friend said.
