{"id":1630428,"date":"2024-04-25T21:56:55","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T21:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html"},"modified":"2024-04-25T21:56:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T21:56:55","slug":"video-shows-rebel-group-sentencing-own-fighters-to-death-for-abuse-of-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/04\/25\/video-shows-rebel-group-sentencing-own-fighters-to-death-for-abuse-of-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Video shows rebel group sentencing own fighters to death for \u2018abuse of power\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        \n        <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The video opens with an overhead shot of 10 individuals wearing blue jumpsuits on a stage adorned with banners in Chinese and large loudspeakers before slowly pulling back to reveal hundreds of spectators \u2013 several of them clutching brightly colored umbrellas to keep the sun off their faces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But this is not a performance. The images captured in northeastern Myanmar\u2019s Kokang region, in Shan state near China, show a public trial in the capital Laukkai by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, of members of their own ethnic army accused of \u201cabuse of power.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among them is a 36-year-old district commander and two other guerrillas who the ethnic army said in a statement on Thursday it had executed following the trial on April 24. The remaining seven fighters received prison sentences, the MNDAA said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><iframe height=\"314\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qc1Ro0yWQIc\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The highly produced three-minute video provides a rare look at how the rebel army metes out justice to its own in the Kokang region after it captured Laukkai on Jan. 4.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The group is one of three ethnic militias making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance \u2013 along with the Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army \u2013 that has dealt the junta\u2019s military forces a series of defeats since late last October. Their offensive has turned the tide in the civil war that broke out after the military overthrew a democratically elected government in a February 2021 coup d\u2019etat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the video, which features a rousing, militaristic soundtrack, onlookers snap photos with their cellphones while officials in fatigues read out the alleged crimes of the 10 soldiers and their punishments. Within the crowd are families with young children, as well as groups of students with their instructors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><b>EU condemns executions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the conclusion of the trial, the soldiers are led away in arm and leg shackles with signs hung around their necks identifying them as criminals in bold Chinese characters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three of the signs sport red Xs on them, marking those condemned to death. These men are made to stand in vehicles as they are driven through Laukkai to a field on the outskirts of the capital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><figure class=\"image-richtext image-inline captioned\" style=\"width:768px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-2.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img alt=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-2.jpg\/@@images\/701c1e29-8a00-4922-8bd4-b48089a76bcc.jpeg\" title=\"ENG_BUR_PublicSentencing_04252024.2.jpg\" width=\"768\"\/><\/a>\n<figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)<\/figcaption>\n<small><\/small>\n<div id=\"zoomattribute\">\n<a data-caption=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" data-fancybox=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-2.jpg\" id=\"single_image\" title=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/++plone++rfa-resources\/img\/icon-zoom.png\"\/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next segment shows the three being led into the field before the picture fades to black. An order is heard and shots ring out, although no execution is shown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a statement on Thursday, the European Union condemned the executions \u201cin the strongest terms,\u201d calling them \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an inhuman and degrading punishment that represents an ultimate denial of human dignity<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EU added that upholding the rule of law in accordance with international standards is an \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">effort integral to the aspirations for federal democracy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><figure class=\"image-richtext image-inline captioned\" style=\"width:768px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-3.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img alt=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-3.jpg\/@@images\/12aed161-5b8a-439b-9186-b3cd31b01049.jpeg\" title=\"ENG_BUR_PublicSentencing_04252024.3.jpg\" width=\"768\"\/><\/a>\n<figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)<\/figcaption>\n<small><\/small>\n<div id=\"zoomattribute\">\n<a data-caption=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" data-fancybox=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-3.jpg\" id=\"single_image\" title=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/++plone++rfa-resources\/img\/icon-zoom.png\"\/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attempts by RFA to contact MNDAA spokesperson Lee Kyar Win for additional information went unanswered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/conflict-01162024171117.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kokang has long been in China\u2019s orbit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and many of its residents are ethnically Chinese. In the mid-20th century, Kokang served as a base for Myanmar communists, before the Communist Party of Burma collapsed in 1989.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent months, China had expressed increasing frustration with organized crime rings that had been allowed to operate in Kokang by junta-aligned forces. An estimated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2023\/08\/hundreds-thousands-trafficked-work-online-scammers-se-asia-says-un-report\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">120,000 people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are being held in Myanmar against their will. Chinese nationals have both been trafficked by these groups and fleeced by them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><figure class=\"image-richtext image-inline captioned\" style=\"width:768px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-4.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img alt=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-4.jpg\/@@images\/2be00efc-dc1d-4f6d-a292-c23ee6730748.jpeg\" title=\"ENG_BUR_PublicSentencing_04252024.4.jpg\" width=\"768\"\/><\/a>\n<figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)<\/figcaption>\n<small><\/small>\n<div id=\"zoomattribute\">\n<a data-caption=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" data-fancybox=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-4.jpg\" id=\"single_image\" title=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/++plone++rfa-resources\/img\/icon-zoom.png\"\/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its statement, the MNDAA said that the district commander who was sentenced to death had been involved in the kidnapping of two Burmese drivers, more than 10 Chinese nationals and six Vietnamese nationals between July and September of 2023. He also took part in the murder of two Chinese nationals, it said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other two fighters sentenced to death had served in the Logistics Department of Brigade 311 and were convicted of the theft and sale of weapons, as well as their involvement in \u201cdeadly kidnappings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><figure class=\"image-richtext image-inline captioned\" style=\"width:768px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-5.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img alt=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-5.jpg\/@@images\/3800e5d0-176f-462b-a17e-a506a7cc4579.jpeg\" title=\"ENG_BUR_PublicSentencing_04252024.5.jpg\" width=\"768\"\/><\/a>\n<figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)<\/figcaption>\n<small><\/small>\n<div id=\"zoomattribute\">\n<a data-caption=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\" data-fancybox=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\/eng_bur_publicsentencing_04252024-5.jpg\" id=\"single_image\" title=\"Screen capture from video of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army sentencing former Kokang rebels, April 2024. (Kokang Information Network via Facebook)\">\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/++plone++rfa-resources\/img\/icon-zoom.png\"\/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the remaining seven soldiers, a deputy battalion commander of an MNDAA-aligned militia force and the deputy commander of Battalion 191 were sentenced to 15 and 20 years in prison, respectively. The other five were sentenced to terms ranging from two to five years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The MNDAA publicly executed four people on May 2, 2023, after convicting them of kidnapping and murdering Chinese nationals in Shan state\u2019s largest town, Lashio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n        \n    \n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\"><br>\r\nThis content originally appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/myanmar\/sentencing-04252024165850.html\" >Radio Free Asia<\/a> and was authored by By RFA Burmese.  <br><\/p>\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/2024\/04\/25\/video-shows-rebel-group-sentencing-own-fighters-to-death-for-abuse-of-power\/\">Radio Free<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Footage of public spectacle provides a rare look at how the ethnic army metes out justice to its own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21984,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2135,2242,3718,66649,42614,42620,44840,46210,983,785,27149,76949,4140,43782,27150,162],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630428"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21984"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1630428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1630429,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630428\/revisions\/1630429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1630428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1630428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1630428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}