Armed Force of Citizens Kills Myanmar Junta Personnel 

The PDF model of self-defence can serve as an inspiration for citizens in other autocratic nations where police and security forces attack civilians and peaceful protesters.

As the U.N. bureaucrats and world leaders have failed to protect civilians from the cruelty of Myanmar Junta regime, a self-defence force – called People’s Defence Force (PDF) – established by citizens is engaged in an armed battle with the dictators.

Reports suggest that PDF has killed nearly 20 Myanmar junta personnel in retaliation for the military regime’s execution of four anti-coup activists. In July, the junta executed former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, veteran democracy activist Ko Jimmy, Ko Hla Myo Aung, and Ko Aung Thura Zaw at Yangon’s Insein Prison, after accusing them of masterminding armed resistance against the regime and being involved in anti-junta activities.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, on July 24 condemned the Myanmar junta’s execution. Similarly, on July 28, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., and the High Representative of the European Union, issued a casual statement to condemn the four executions by the military junta in Myanmar.

But the Myanmar junta has been ignoring such perfunctory statements by world leaders and unleashing terror on citizens of the Southeast Asian nation. At least 1,600 people have been killed by security forces and their affiliates and more than 12,500 people have been detained in Myanmar. At least 440,000 others have been displaced and 14 million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, the delivery of which has largely been blocked by the military in new and pre-existing areas of need.

Since international efforts have failed to protect the people of Myanmar, a People’s Defence Force (PDF) has been constituted in the troubled nation. PDF is the armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG) comprising youth and pro-democracy activists who resist attacks by the autocratic military junta. Estimates suggest that PDF’s membership reached 50,000 in February 2022. [ Click here to watch a related video. ]

The PDF model of self-defence can serve as an inspiration for citizens in other autocratic nations where police and security forces attack civilians and peaceful protesters and the world community has failed to protect them.