Allegations of massacre of about 20 local people by members of the People's Defense Forces (YMB PDF), one of the People's Defense Forces that emerged after the military coup, have recently surfaced on social media.
A letter dated March 14, entitled Local Defense Forces, said the Yingluck People's Liberation Army (PLA) had illegally killed 21 local people between October and early March last year, including the killing of four people in Lapo village in November last year and five other local defense chiefs and five soldiers.
The RFA said in a statement that the four were the first to be arrested by the Yinmarpin Defense Force, and that six other members of the local defense force and five other members of the armed forces had been arrested in connection with their release. There have been clashes between the detainees and the Yingluck Defenders.
One of the problems was that the detainee once detonated a landmine on the military council, which almost did not harm the military council, but almost destroyed the defense force. Earlier, six members of the armed forces arrested in connection with the earlier hostilities were killed by the Yinmarpin Defense Forces, and four more were detained in silence. According to RFA, the names of the three members of the Yinmarpin Defense Forces were the main culprits in the killings, but their names and positions are not yet known. A joint statement from local PDF groups said 13 people, including Yin Mar Pin, the leader of the Yinmarpin Defense Force, were responsible for the killings.
The accused leader of the Yinmarpin Defense Force, Than Mani, was once known for his anti-military protests. It is true that Bo Than Mani, who became the leader of the Defense Forces after the military coup, committed some of these illegal acts. They told RFA that they were fully cooperating with the NUG government's investigation into the matter.
"It is true that this happened at the bottom," he said. But now it has diminished. This happened in November last year. Nowadays, such incidents are much less common. Because it happens at the bottom, some things happen unknowingly. However, directives have been issued to prevent such incidents in the future. It has been said that if there is a truth in these cases, the perpetrators will be held accountable and all will be punished. But this will only work if there is a systematic investigation after the revolution. Now is the time for the revolution, so it will be difficult to take concrete action in this regard. If you are imprisoned, where will you be imprisoned? There is no prison. Bo Steel
He said he had never ordered the killings.
"I was not ordered to be killed at all," he said. It has never been there before and it is not now. Even prisoners of war captured during the war are well cared for. An army officer and soldiers guarded the police. It is a completely false accusation that such an order was issued. However, some comrades from the lower ranks lost their temper and killed. "Because it is a time of war, war crimes are more or less committed."
Joint statement issued on March 14, 2022 by 63 local defense forces.
NUG's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Naing Htoo Aung said that a commission of inquiry had been set up online to investigate the murder in December last year, and that the findings were presented to NUG Interim President Duwal Sheila and Prime Minister Man Win Khaing Than on March 17.
"A commission of inquiry has been set up by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice to investigate the case," he said. The inspection report has been submitted to the National Unity Government. According to the findings of our commission, there may be illegal activities. We will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that justice is done in accordance with the law. Even though it was a revolutionary period for the National Unity Government, if there are any violations of the law, everyone is responsible for the rule of law. We will continue to adhere to the principle of accountability. "
This is the first massacre by a local PDF group that emerged during the Spring Revolution. Than Soe Naing, a Burmese political analyst, said the military council could use the issue to launch propaganda attacks. NUG criticizes the need for effective action, as such illegal activities could affect the Spring Revolution, including images of PDFs.
"In this case, the PDF could be divisive," he said. NUG's image could be severely tarnished if Western diplomats and Western lawyers talk about why extrajudicial killings are being carried out, just like the military council's security forces. Therefore, we hope that the NUG government will address this issue effectively and decisively. "If we do not do this, we will be misunderstood, not only domestically but also internationally, and our aid will be reduced."
Meanwhile, some local defense forces are calling on the Yingmaraping People's Defense Force to disarm and take action against those responsible. Despite rumors that the NUG government will issue a statement on the matter soon, Naing Htoo Aung said he did not know if he would make such a statement.
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