Yangon, March (1)
People across the nation are experiencing insecurity more than two years after the military coup, and the rule of law is now just a show with no real substance, legal experts and the people told Than Lwin Times.
The rule of law has deteriorated to the point where houses and shops are broken into during the day, and bank robberies, pedestrian looting, and murders occur in various regions and states, including Yangon.
The propaganda newspaper of the military council described the first of the five points on the road map as ” Priority will be given to fully realizing peace, stability, and rule of law throughout the Union to safeguard the socioeconomic life of the people.”
The military council, on the other hand, is unable to implement rule of law, and even their subordinate troops and departmental staff are also responsible for their own safety, and the rule of law has been deteriorating due to corruption.
A resident said,” the country’s rule of law is completely gone. People are being held at gunpoint in some areas, and their motorcycles are being taken away. About ten incidents occurred in which couples who were sitting and talking near Ye moat were robbed at gunpoint. The perpetrator was not apprehended”.
One of the reasons for the failure of rule of law is that the military council has granted amnesty to criminals, and there has been an increase in theft and robbery in the city’s neighborhoods and villages.
An official of a civil organization said that during the military regime, even if the people complained to the responsible officials, they would not take any action.
The police, who are supposed to protect the people’s lives and property, have been criticized for suppressing and arresting armed resistance forces that opposed the military coup.
Since the military coup, armed conflicts have been on the rise day by day, and the revolutionary forces have been conducting targeted attacks on the members of the military council, battalions, police stations, and their supporters.
On the other hand, members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and individuals who support the revolutionary forces are also being attacked by militia groups such as Pyu Saw Htee, Thwe Thout (Blood Brothers) and Sun Ye.
According to a legal expert, the nation is unstable, crimes are prevalent, and the rule of law has collapsed because it is no longer possible to provide for the private security of individual residents.
The rule of law must be in effect with all existing laws enacted in the country, and the existence of the rule of law is measured by the country’s stability, private freedom, and individual’s security.
According to a report by the World Justice Project (WJP), published in October 2021, Myanmar is ranked 128th out of 139 countries in the rule of law index.
Former political prisoner U Tun Kyi complains that any rule of law no longer exists because the police and those involved in the judiciary system do not respect the existing laws and only follow the directives of the military council.
Democracy activists and political analysts say that after the military coup, the right to freedom of judgment, the right to defend themselves, and the right to appeal have been lost in the judiciary, which is part of the rule of law.
The 24th coordination meeting of the courts on February 24 announced that the military council received 1,076 criminal cases at the Supreme Court of the Union in 2022, and 936 cases were examined.
The regional and state courts have received more than 4,500 criminal cases, including 157 unresolved cases from the previous year, and more than 4,660 criminal investigations have been conducted.
Similarly, more than 28,200 criminal cases—including the remaining 1,049 proceedings from the previous year—were submitted to autonomous regional courts, regional courts, and district courts, which were able to examine more than 29,300 cases.
News-Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes