Taungup schoolteacher accused of funding PDF sentenced to 10 years in prison

By DMG 29 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
29 April 2022, Taungup 

A senior assistant teacher in Arakan State’s Taungup Township, accused of financing the anti-regime People’s Defence Force (PDF), was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Counter-Terrorism Law on April 28, according to a lawyer involved in the case. 

The accused has been identified as Daw Cherry Thet Chay, who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and was arrested from her home in Taungup’s Kan Paing ward on November 20, 2021. 

“The Thandwe District Court sentenced her [Daw Cherry Thet Chay] to 10 years in prison under Section (j) of the Counter-Terrorism Law yesterday,” U Thaw Zin Tun, the defence lawyer, told DMG on Friday. 

Sergeant Chit San Maung from the Myanmar military filed a lawsuit against Daw Cherry Thet Chay on suspicion of her financing Ko Sithu Lwin, who allegedly trains anti-coup resistance fighters as part of the CDM. 

“The case is groundless because Sithu Lwin is a fake story that does not really exist. This case is baseless because Sithu Lwin could not be presented before the court as a witness. A witness must be presented in court,” said a lawyer involved. 

Daw Cherry Thet Chay is currently being held at Thandwe Prison. 

The military regime has charged at least 10 people from Arakan State’s Taungup, Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships for allegedly providing financial aid to the PDF, or otherwise having illegal ties to the anti-regime militia group. 

Earlier this year, the author Ko Min Di Par from Mrauk-U Township and three women from Thandwe Township were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour under Section 50(j) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.