{"id":8116,"date":"2025-10-19T21:40:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T15:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=8116"},"modified":"2025-10-19T21:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T15:10:54","slug":"is-public-trust-in-the-revolutionary-armed-forces-starting-to-fade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/10\/is-public-trust-in-the-revolutionary-armed-forces-starting-to-fade\/","title":{"rendered":"Is public trust in the revolutionary armed forces starting to fade?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 October 18 Perspective<\/strong>
(MoeMaKa, October 19, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n

Is public trust in the revolutionary armed forces starting to fade?<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a DVB report, in Moteit Village, Inn Taung Township, Sagaing Region, a civilian was arrested by the People\u2019s Defense Force (PDF) on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle, and just hours later, the family was informed to come retrieve his body. The NUG government reportedly said it would take action against the responsible deputy commander involved.<\/p>\n

The deceased, identified as Ko Zaw Thwe, in his 30s, was found with multiple signs of severe torture and injuries, including major wounds on his head, consistent with brutal beatings during interrogation by the PDF.<\/p>\n

Under the DVB Facebook post, hundreds of comments poured in, with many criticizing the PDFs and local defense groups for human rights abuses, extortion at roadside checkpoints, and coercive control over civilians. Within about six hours, nearly 500 comments were posted, the majority expressing distrust toward the justice and accountability mechanisms supposedly overseeing the PDFs, citing intimidation, arbitrary punishment, and corruption.<\/p>\n

Some comments even alleged that PDFs in Wetlet Township, also in Sagaing Region, were engaged in worse behavior\u2014using expensive iPhones and dismantling railway tracks to sell the metal. Others recounted similar incidents where civilians were wrongly accused, detained, and killed, with families suffering in silence out of fear.<\/p>\n

Many commenters voiced skepticism about the NUG\u2019s claim that it would punish the deputy commander, noting that in similar past cases involving wrongful killings or abuses, perpetrators were never held accountable. They expressed growing doubt about the NUG\u2019s ability to enforce justice among its forces.<\/p>\n

It would not be wrong to say that the public increasingly feels there are no effective systems for oversight, justice, or punishment regarding abuses by PDFs and other local defense forces.<\/p>\n

Some might argue that such online comments could come from junta propaganda accounts. However, with nearly 500 comments posted within six hours after the news broke, it\u2019s difficult to attribute all of them to military-linked troll networks. It is more reasonable to assume that many were written by regular DVB followers\u2014ordinary viewers expressing genuine frustration.<\/p>\n

Labeling all critical comments under exiled media reports as paid junta-lobby propaganda risks silencing legitimate public criticism and ignoring people\u2019s real perceptions and concerns.<\/p>\n

For the NUG, it is time to urgently find effective ways to deal with the declining central control over local defense forces in regions like Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, and Bago.<\/p>\n

While human rights abuses have drawn public attention, excessive extraction of natural resources is also occurring in these same regions. Overexploitation of natural resources brings serious consequences\u2014environmental degradation, poisoning of local water sources, destruction of livelihoods in agriculture, and heightened risks of flooding and landslides.<\/p>\n

Such unchecked exploitation and extortion could stem from growing financial pressures\u2014or, more troublingly, from abuse of power for personal gain. Both human rights violations and extrajudicial killings are forms of power abuse.<\/p>\n

Since early 2021, when the armed revolution began, there have been reports of extrajudicial killings in places like Yinmarbin Township, Sagaing. The failure to address those cases effectively likely encouraged similar incidents to recur.<\/p>\n

The NUG\u2019s inability so far to establish a clear administrative system capable of curbing corruption, abuses, and local authoritarian behavior by its subordinate groups has become increasingly apparent.<\/p>\n

Even if the public may not fully understand the root causes of these systemic weaknesses, accountability ultimately falls upon the NUG. The goal of the Spring Revolution was never about loyalty or hatred toward any individual or party\u2014it was about dismantling authoritarian systems, upholding human rights, and building a government and armed forces that take responsibility for their actions.<\/p>\n

Therefore, to avoid becoming the very thing it set out to fight against\u2014\u201coverthrowing tyrants only to become tyrants themselves\u201d<\/em>\u2014the revolutionary movement must now make full and earnest efforts to ensure accountability and responsibility at every level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 October 18 Perspective(MoeMaKa, October 19, 2025) Is public trust in the revolutionary armed forces starting to fade? According to a DVB report, in Moteit Village, Inn Taung Township, Sagaing Region, a civilian was arrested by the…<\/p>\n

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