A total of 1,327 Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) party members and supporters have been killed since the military coup, said Than Htay, the chairman of the military-aligned USDP as he unveiled a monument honouring party members killed since the coup.
The unveiling ceremony was held in Naypyidaw on the morning of Saturday 26 March, the day before the Armed Forces Day celebrations.
"In some towns and villages, (pro-junta) militia groups have been formed and armed. We have to work with them and take care of our own safety", Than Htay said.
Than Htay said that People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) formed by the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) were responsible for the deaths and other damage.
He said that 34 party offices had been destroyed, more than 200 party members’ and supporters’ houses had been set on fire and more than 600 supporters had fled to safer areas.
The inscription on the memorial monument said that the USDP and the deceased’s family members were all deeply saddened by the deaths that were a result of the dangerous situation caused by the NLD’s desire for power.
In the 2020 general election, the NLD and the USDP contested almost all constituencies. The NLD won 920 constituencies and the USDP won just 71.
The USDP and the military repeatedly complained that the NLD won because of vote-rigging, and the military seized power on 1 February 2021, citing voter list irregularities.
Junta troops and armed groups destroyed more than 7,700 houses from the military coup on 1 February 2021 until 8 March 2022, according to the Data for Myanmar research group.
A total of 832 NLD party members have been arrested since the military coup, and 645 party members, including party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, remain in detention, the NLD said on 18 March.
A total of 16 NLD members, including a member of parliament, were tortured and killed during interrogations or because of inadequate access to health care in prisons, according to the NLD statement.
