PDF groups increasingly active along Yangon-Mandalay highway, travelers' security threatened
325
Phyo (NP News) - Jan 12
PDF groups become active often around Yangon-Mandalay expressway and travelers’ security become threatened by their manner.
Recently, it was reported by their media outlets that six individuals, including Fire Brigade Director General Shwe Ba and his wife, the wife of a captain, Daw Yu Yu Khine, a corporal, a soldier, and a police officer, were arrested during a military inspection on the Yangon-Mandalay highway by the PDF group.
It is said that the arrests occurred during an inspection carried out by the PDF group on December 27 and 31, 2024, near mile marker (262) of the Yangon-Mandalay highway.
Likewise, it was reported by media outlets on January 9 that U Than Tun, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Construction, was arrested near Natmauk- Pyawbwe road, close to the Yangon-Mandalay highway.
It has been reported that U Than Tun was arrested during an inspection near mile marker 262 of the Yangon-Mandalay highway, on Natmauk- Pyawbwe road. It is also known that U Than Tun, originally from Shwedaung township, was arrested while on his way to Taunggyi, which is his assigned duty location.
During the nearly four years of the State Administration Council's control, the PDF groups, which have gained more control over territories, have been conducting inspections on sections of the Yangon-Mandalay highway.
On December 23, 2024, a PDF group also conducted road inspections near mile marker (318) of the Yangon-Mandalay highway.
The actions of these PDF armed groups, even reaching the highway where the public frequently travels, have not yet prompted a swift and effective response from the SAC government. As a result, the situation remains concerning for those traveling on the highway, raising the question of whether the government can maintain its rule of law in urban areas. –