Court to rule in case against Taungup philanthropist at end of month

By DMG 14 Dec 2021

DMG Newsroom
14 December 2021, Taungup

The plaintiff and prosecution witnesses in the case of Ko Aung Win Naing, chair of the Moe Pyinnyar Dana Philanthropic Association in Arakan State’s Taungup town, who was charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act, have all been examined, so it will be decided at the next court hearing whether the charges should be filed or not, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

A prosecution witness from Special Branch police, one of seven prosecution witnesses, was examined during the latest court hearing on December 14, said U Aung Kyi Naing, a lawyer representing the defendant.

“The plaintiff and seven prosecution witnesses have already been examined. A ruling will be made on December 28 to decide whether to file charges or not,” the lawyer explained.

Members of the military arrested Ko Aung Win Hlaing on June 5 near Phone Nyo Taung security checkpoint on the Taungup-Thandwe road. He was charged on August 6 under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA).

Ko Aung Win Hlaing has had nothing to do with the Arakan Army, family members said.

The Moe Pyinnyar Dana Philanthropic Association, led by Ko Aung Win Hlaing, was formed in April of this year and currently runs the Moe Pyinnyar Dana training school. The school offers vocational training, including computer training and English-language proficiency courses.

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) were declared terrorist groups and illegal organisations on March 23, 2020, by the Central Committee for Counter Terrorism and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Myanmar junta announced that it had rescinded the terrorist group designation for the ULA/AA on March 11 of this year.