A Myanmar court yesterday denied bail to two Reuters journalists charged under a secrecy act that could see them face up to 14 years in jail, in a case that has sparked outcry over shrinking media freedom.

Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, are accused of possessing classified documents thought to relate to the violent military crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The campaign in northern Rakhine state has forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims over the border into Bangladesh since August, many carrying allegations of rape, mass murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar's army.

“The court has decided not to give them bail," judge Ye Lwin told the Yangon court of charges under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act.

The bail decision was crucial as pre-trial hearings are expected to drag on for several months before the court officially decides whether to take on the case or not.

The pair are now expected to remain in jail throughout that period.

Meanwhile, a man threw a petrol bomb at the lakeside Yangon compound of Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, officials said, a rare attack on a national figurehead who enjoys strong domestic support but has drawn global outcry over her reticence to speakup forthe Rohingya.

There was little damage caused by the attack, Kyi Toe, an official from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party wrote in a Facebook posting.