The Warriors of Liberation Force (Wolf) armed resistance group has issued a plea to the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) over the detention of their leader and six other members in KIA territory on suspicion of being junta informants.
In a petition addressed to the NUG and KIA, 63 members of the Wolf asked the organizations to revoke the “wrongful arrests” and immediately release their leader and comrades, who have been detained for over a month. The KIA is the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization.
The commander of Magwe Region’s Wolf PDF, formerly known as Moe Gyoe Guerilla Force (101), was arrested along with six comrades in KIA territory on April 11 on suspicion of spying for the junta’s military, according to the resistance groups statement on Tuesday. The seven were detained when they went to meet a KIA official to resolve the allegations, the statement said.
The Wolf commander, known as Saigon, is a former junta military captain who defected to the civil disobedience movement (CDM) three months after the coup and joined the armed struggle against the regime.
The allegation was made by the People’s Militia Strategy Advisory Bureau (PMSAB), an umbrella organisation that helped found Moe Gyoe Guerilla Force. The resistance group then split from PMSAB and changed its name to Wolf after a dispute with PMSAB leaders, 88-generation activist U Maung Maung Wan and military defector Ko Min Maung Maung, according to group members.
Members of Wolf PDF claimed two PMSAB leaders had fabricated the allegations motivated by personal animosity. They said the accusations were also an attempt to cause divisions to weaken revolutionary groups.
The Irrawaddy was unable to reach the PMSAB, NUG, or KIA for comment on this issue.
On Tuesday, leading military defectors to the resistance called on the KIA and NUG to conduct a transparent investigation into the arrests.
“If an open and transparent investigation finds the spying allegation is true, then action must be taken. But if it finds evidence of wrongful arrest, then those who made the false accusations must face consequences,” military defector captain Nyi Thuta wrote.
Wolf members this week launched an online campaign of video and photos demanding the release of their seven comrades.
The group explained they were forced to take their protest online as the delay in resolving the issue was threatening their security, adding that they had received reports that junta troops were approaching their area.
“Our commander and six comrades were arrested unjustly. It has now been 43 days, and the arrests were made based on unfounded accusations. We demand that the NUG and KIA intervene in this matter,” the members said in a video posted online on Tuesday.
