The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) has promised to do something against a group posing as the People’s Defence Forces to extort money from civilians in Myitkyina and Mogaung townships.

According to a KIO officer in Myitkyina District, the fake group calling themselves PDF (MIS) has been threatening shopkeepers, asking them to send them money or they’d attack their shops with landmines. ”They aren’t members of the Kachin PDF under the KIO/KIA (Kachin Independence Army) or the other PDFs under the NUG (National Unity Government), so we’ve started to investigate the situation and will take action against these people.”

“They called us and threatened us to pay them tax money or they’d attack us with a landmine,” said a shopkeeper from Kachin State capital Myitkyina, who said he became suspicious because he’d never heard of the group. ”They told us they were members of the PDF, but their logo wasn’t that of the PDF. That’s why we don’t believe them.” The source said that a gold shop and motorcycle repair business have already transferred hundreds of thousands of funds to them via Kpay.

There are reports that a group has been harassing people in Namti, KIA Battalion 11 in Mogaung Township. The KIO officer told KNG that the real PDFs in the area are working under the KIA and fighting against the regime and therefore they wouldn’t be allowed to commit such racketeering against the townspeople.

A PDF member from Myitkyina said the group could be criminals or Burma Army soldiers posing as a civilian resistance group to tarnish the PDF’s image.