Arrest of university lecturer marks embarrassment for PDF group
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Phyo/Pearl (NP News) - May 10
Academic staff have commented that the arrest of the university lecturer is an act that undermines the reputation of the PDF.
Daw Win Win Aung, a lecturer at the Department of Zoology at Yangon University of Distance Education (YUDE), was arrested by the Natogyi PDF group in Meiktila Township, Mandalay Region in the last day.
An education staff told The Statesman Journal, “We’re not sure whether she went to Myingyan for family or university-related matters. However, we do know for certain that she was arrested by the Natogyi PDF group in Myingyan. Acts such as kidnapping, labeling individuals as ‘Dalan’ (meaning traitor or informant) and killing them, and extorting civilians seriously damage the image of the PDF's so-called revolution. If they continue with such actions, public support for them will inevitably decline.”
The PDF group's actions contradict its slogan of fighting for democracy, and the above-mentioned academic staff has appealed to them not to commit further acts of violence against innocent people and civil personnel.
“They may claim to be following their own path, but education and healthcare workers are innocent civilians. Please don’t harm them. As teachers, we sincerely appeal to you — follow your beliefs, but don’t target innocent teachers and lecturers like this. No matter which government is in power, educators simply do the work of teaching. These actions by the Natogyi PDF are disgraceful, and they don’t even realize how much damage they’re doing to their group’s credibility,” the source continued.
We contacted the Mandalay Regional Administration’s spokesperson to inquire about the status of the incident, but there was no response.
Over the past four years, a total of 87 Buddhist monks and nuns, 6,489 civilians including war veterans and political party members, 76 teachers, 17 healthcare workers, and 289 other public servants have reportedly been killed by the PDF group under various pretexts of violence.