Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) has confirmed that eight members of a security force operating under its command have been arrested on charges of rape.
The eight suspects, from the People’s Security Team (PST) in Magway Region’s Saw Township, are accused of repeatedly raping a 22-year-old woman in their custody in late April.
The woman, a resident of Yangon who moved to Saw Township five years ago, had been held by the PST since the middle of last year on charges of theft.
“All those who committed the crime have been arrested,” said Dr Kyi Soe Tun, the leader of the Saw Township People’s Administration Team, the NUG’s local civilian authority.
He added that the case had earlier been settled by paying the woman 600,000 kyat (US$288) in compensation. She was then made a member of the PST, which functions as a law-enforcement agency in areas under NUG control.
However, in May, a number of people who were dissatisfied with the way the case was handled filed a complaint with the NUG, resulting in a new investigation that was completed in late June.
Most of the suspects were arrested on June 29, but one was not taken into custody until July 31 because of the presence of military forces in the area, according to Dr Kyi Soe Tun.
“If we had gone around arresting people without solid evidence, it would have been an even bigger problem,” he said, explaining why it took so long to start making arrests.
He added that the woman is currently in a safe place and in good health.
Irregular appointments
The investigation into the case revealed that seven of the accused had previously been detained by the PST on various charges, including theft, assault, and drunk and disorderly conduct, before joining the resistance police force.
According to Dr Kyi Soe Tun, they became members of the PST on a probationary basis at the beginning of this year.
“It is not our policy to appoint people like that to these positions. Township-level teams are instructed to appoint trustworthy young or middle-aged people [to the PST] only with the recommendation of village administrators. This was done without our authorisation,” he said.
Nay Phone Latt, the spokesperson for the NUG’s Prime Minister’s Office, told Myanmar Now that the appointment of unsuitable people to positions of authority would also be thoroughly investigated.
“We are currently conducting a detailed investigation into the incident, and if there has been any wrongful appointment, those responsible will be punished in accordance with the law,” he said.
Saw Township, which borders Chin State, has been a stronghold of the armed resistance movement since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021. Local groups opposed to the regime have been operating an interim local administration in the township since the middle of last year.
PR problems
The Saw Township People’s Administration Team admitted to poor oversight of the four detention centres under its control. It also noted that there was a need for improved communication between township- and village-level officials.
“We apologise to the public for spoiling the image of the revolution, which is to some extent affected by this incident. We will ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” said Dr Kyi Soe Tun.
The incident comes amid growing concern over tensions between some senior resistance figures and local people.
In Magway’s Gangaw District, which includes Saw Township, there have been calls for the removal of Yin Min Hlaing, the leader of the local People’s Defence Team, which operates under the command of the NUG’s Ministry of Defence.
Last Friday, the ministry issued a statement saying that it had established a complaints committee in May to regulate and resolve disputes between anti-junta groups and individuals.
source myanmar-now