NLD: 573 party members arrested, 13 killed since military coup

By DMG 01 Dec 2021

DMG Newsroom
1 December 2021, Yangon 

A total of 573 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), including several senior party figures, were arrested and 13 were killed in the 10 months between when Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1 and November 30, the NLD Central Working Committee said in a statement on December 1. 

Of those detainees, 128 NLD members have been released and 432 are still in custody, the statement said. 

Eight NLD party members died during interrogations, another three died in custody and an NLD party member died shortly after his release from prison, according to the Facebook page of the NLD Central Working Committee. 

Among the deceased while in military custody were U Nyan Win, a Central Executive Committee member and chairman of the NLD Central Information Committee, and senior party members U Aye Hla, U Nyunt Shwe and U Win Kyaing. 

According to the party, the eight NLD members who died during interrogation were U Khin Maung Latt; U Zaw Myat Lin; U Kyaw Kyaw aka Agga Moe Nyo; U Soe San; U Phyo Wai Tun; Khun Bwar Hto Thway; U Kyaw Hsan Oo; and U Than Tun Oo aka Min Ko Thein aka U Phet Tee.

The secretary of the NLD Central Information Committee, Monywa Aung Shin aka U Aye Kyu, died of a heart attack on the morning of November 28, about one month after he was released from prison. 

Seventy-five party offices in Kayah, Mon and Kayin states, and Magway, Tanintharyi, Ayeyawady, Bago, Sagaing, Mandalay and Yangon regions, including the NLD headquarters in Yangon, have been bombed and/or destroyed, according to a statement from the NLD Central Committee. 

Junta troops sealed off 57 homes owned by NLD members and supporters, as well as confiscating public property and torched belongings, the party said. 

The number of arrests, death toll and destruction of offices and other property may be higher than the data compiled by the NLD Central Working Committee indicates, it acknowledged. 

A court in Naypyidaw on November 30 postponed verdicts in cases filed against NLD leaders and former State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. The verdicts were expected on Tuesday but have been pushed to December 6, said a source close to the state counsellor’s legal team.