Two Reuters journalists arrested in December while investigating the military crackdown in Rakhine State have been formally charged under the Official Secrets Act, after several months of pre-trial hearings. Ko Wa Lone and Ko Kyaw Soe Oo appeared in Insein Court on July 9, where the judge ruled that their trial would go ahead. The pair, who have been held at nearby Insein Prison for seven months, were arrested at a Yangon restaurant for handling “official documents”. While the prosecution says the pair were arrested after a routine patrol, the reporters said they were invited to a dinner by police, where they were handed the papers before being arrested. “We will not retreat, give up, or be shaken by this,” Wa Lone told reporters after the hearing. Reuters President and Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler said the organisation was “deeply disappointed” with the development, and called the case against the reporters “baseless”.