Kani Township judges fired over infighting, NUG says

The acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG) has reportedly dismissed four members of the Kani Township judiciary team in Sagaing Region on July 17, including the team’s chairman. A decree signed by Acting President Duwa Lashi La, stated that the dismissals were made because the individuals were no longer deemed fit for duty due to internal issues. One of the dismissed members told Myanmar Now that despite repeated attempts to settle the dispute, no agreement was reached. “Among the four members, three were aligned together while the fourth was isolated,” the team member said. “Numerous negotiations took place on the ground, with assistance from the ministry, to resolve their differences. However, by mid-2024, despite talks involving the township Pa Thone Lone groups, judiciary judges, and the ministry, no agreement was reached.” Formed in 2022, the NUG-backed Kani Township judiciary team began experiencing internal tensions within a year of its conception. By August 2024, the team had split into two groups—one led by the chairman and the other by the three remaining members—each functioning independently. According to sources close to the group, following a split between the chairman and three other members, the ministry gave the chairman sole authority to issue rulings, while the remaining members continued to operate under standard procedures. This created an internal division within the office. The chairman’s unilateral decisions, which bypassed established protocols, drew criticism from the People’s Administration Teams, local administrative units established by the NUG to govern resistance-controlled areas.Yet despite the pushback, the practice continued until the chairman's special authority was ultimately rescinded after repeated objections. Residents of Kani Township said that internal disagreements within the team had undermined its effectiveness in managing cases. “Based on the current situation, we are disappointed with the judiciary team’s performance,” a resident of Kani Township said. Myanmar Now reached out to the Ministry of Justice and NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt for comment on the dismissal of the entire township judiciary team. As of the evening of July 25, no response had been received. Kani Township is a stronghold of resistance forces, and while junta troops are stationed in the town, the surrounding rural areas remain under resistance control.Although Kani Town, located about 30 miles from the junta Northwestern Command, was seized by resistance forces on March 7, 2024, they were forced to retreat in the following days.The same NUG department faced public scrutiny last year following a high-profile case involving the murder of Win Htay—an NUG education officer for Kani Township—along with his wife and young daughter, who were killed in their home in November. The case remains open and unresolved. At a late 2024 press conference, the NUG’s Ministry of Justice announced the establishment of 28 courts—25 in conflict-prone Sagaing Region and three in Magway—along with the appointment of 107 township judges. Since operations began in late 2022, more than 1,600 criminal and civil cases have been filed, with over 840 resolved and around 750 still pending.Township judiciary teams were formed through nominations by the local People’s Administration Teams, selecting legal experts, CDM officers, and respected community members. The Ministry of Justice reviewed the nominations, and final appointments were approved by the NUG president. Each team typically included three to five members. “We hope for a stronger, more capable judiciary that can deliver true justice,” a Kani Township resident said. “Only when the justice system is firmly established can real progress be made.”

Kani Township judges fired over infighting, NUG says

A power struggle and protocol breaches lead to the dismissal of four judiciary members in a key resistance-held area of Sagaing Region

Subscribe for full access

After 100 days of ‘civilian’ rule, Myanmar remains a bastion of oppression

‘We cannot write as before’: Women poets of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution

Sent to die: Myanmar’s conscripts caught between a junta’s war and a nation’s collapse

Magway emerges as key front in junta’s strategy to claw back control of western Myanmar

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Ethnic armed groups say ASEAN envoy meeting was not dialogue with Myanmar junta

Flooding compounds humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State as aid needs grow

MNDAA hands 41 POWs to Myanmar junta in Lashio amid ongoing talks

Myanmar resistance resumes attacks north of Mandalay as junta expands offensives to the south