Concerns Mount Over Disappearance of NLD MP Amidst Alleged Terrorist Arrest
8 February 2024
An elected member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, U Win Myint Aung, was apprehended and subsequently lost to a terrorist group operating under the NUG. NLD representatives residing in Myanmar have lodged complaints regarding his disappearance with various international organizations and embassies.
U Win Myint Aung, who served as a Member of Parliament for De Pe Pyin Township in the Sagaing Division, was detained by a faction of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), a terrorist organization aligned with the National Unity Government (NUG). The arrest occurred on June 8, 2023, at Mue Ken Gyi Village, 22 miles southeast of De Pe Yin Township, while he was en route to visit his brother in Shwebo prison.
Having been affiliated with the NLD party since its inception, U Win Myint Aung held the position of MP for De Pe Yin Township from 1990 to 2020, with terms served between 2015 and 2020.
According to Nay Pone Latt, a spokesperson for the NUG, the PDF group operating under the NUG’s authority admitted to apprehending and interrogating U Win Myint Aung on June 23, 2023. However, communication with him ceased, and his whereabouts have remained unknown for over eight months. His wife has been afflicted with mental distress upon learning of his purported demise at the hands of the terrorists.
U Win Myint Aung staunchly adhered to the principle of non-violence within the political realm, aligning with the democratic ideals championed by Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s democracy movement.