A resistance fighter arrested by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) for allegedly committing rape and murder remains at large in Sagaing’s Chaung-U Township after escaping detention on July 23, according to the Township People’s Administration and local sources.
Chaung-U’s People Administration told the Irrawaddy on Friday that the main suspect, Naing Myo Zaw, was on the loose while three of his alleged accomplices remained in detention.
“The offender managed to flee while being relocated,” a spokesperson for the People’s Administration said.
Naing Myo Zaw, the former head of a resistance group in Ngar Shan village, arrested seven civilians including teenage girls and boys on suspicion of being junta informants on Aug. 29, 2022.
All of the detainees were slaughtered by the group on Aug. 30 without being interrogated, according to the Chaung-U Township PDF.
The three female detainees were reportedly raped before being killed by the group.
The township’s People Defense Force (PDF) arrested Naing Myo Zaw and the three other suspects on Aug. 31 and transferred them to the local People’s Security Team, or Pa La Pha, in September 2022.
However, the suspects were seen at large after their transfer to the security team.
“They were spotted at checkpoints and in their villages after they were transferred to the Pa La Pha last year. They were eventually arrested in February 2023 when their crime went viral on social media. So, I am quite suspicious about this escape,” a local resistance member said.
Local resistance forces said villagers had spotted the fugitive on Pakokku- Chaung-U Road two days after he escaped last month.
On July 24, the township’s security team, which serves as the local police force, reported that the suspect escaped while being transferred from a detention center after junta infantry were deployed nearby.
Chuang-U’s Pa La Pha declined to answer The Irrawaddy’s inquiry about the escape.
People’s Administrations and People’s Security Teams are formed under the civilian National Unity Government (NUG)’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration.
Chuang-U residents have voiced frustration over the delay in prosecuting the suspects for their alleged crimes.
“We want justice for the victims. It has been almost a year but we haven’t seen any progress in this case. To make matters worse, the main culprit is on the loose now. I’m very upset about it,” a villager said.
The NUG’s ministries of home affairs and of women and children’s affairs released a joint statement on May 4, pledging to take legal action against the suspects.
A series of disputes and conflicts have erupted between local PDF groups in Sagaing Region, where hundreds of resistance groups are active.
The disputes have resulted in more than 140 complaints being filed with the NUG’s Complaint Resolution Committee since it was established in May this year.
