The exiled National Unity Government (NUG) has promised to take action if any of the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), some of which are under NUG’s command, violated its military rules after a video recently circulated showing a young woman being beaten and shot dead in broad daylight in Tamu town in Sagaing Region last Spring.
In a statement, the NUG ordered PDFs to investigate this incident to find out if anyone from their respective groups was responsible for the breach of the military code of conduct.
It stressed that they must follow military orders while fighting the military regime, which is trying to portray the PDFs as terrorists, and therefore they must not fall into the regime’s trap. The PDFs should not behave like the armed forces of the regime that has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, NUG said.
Many people have criticised the video, which has spread on Facebook and through the messaging service Telegram. It shows people in military uniforms accusing the bloodied woman of working as a regime informant before killing her.
NUG described the killing as “unacceptable” and will take full responsibility if any of its PDFs were involved in the incident so that such a thing never happens again.