Taungup: A complainant who accused a senior NLD leader of defamation left the town of Taungup for Sittwe secretly after a group of local residents attempted to attack him after the NLD leader was sentenced to two years in prison, reports one youth leader in the town.
 
"U Than Pe left our town for Sittwe, the capital of Arakan, secretly after some local people managed to attack him when one senior leader was sentenced to two years in prison because of his accusations in a defamation case," the youth said.
 
87-year-old U Kyaw Khaing, who is president of the Taungup Township NLD, was sentenced to two years in prison by the township court on 13 July on charges of defamation that were filed by Than Pe. Than Pe is also a member of the NLD in Taungup Township.
 
"There is a rumor in our town that some of the local people tried to assassinate Than Pe in the night after U Kyaw Khaing was sentenced to two years in prison. So Than Pe likely fled to avoid the attack," he added.
 
Most of the people in the town, including U Kyaw Khaing's relatives, are angry with Than Pe after his charges of defamation resulted in the prison sentence for U Kyaw Khaing.
 
Than Pe charged U Kyaw Khaing in the Taungup court with defamation after U Kyaw Khaing dismissed him from the NLD due to misbehavior.
 
According to an NLD source, Than Pe was dismissed from the NLD after he collected donations from local residents in Taungup for Cyclone Nargis victims without the party's approval.
 
U Kyaw Khaing prohibited Than Pe from collecting the donations from local residents, but he failed to comply with the order. Later, U Kyaw Khaing dispelled him from the NLD in accordance with an agreement by the party's central committee.
 
After Than Pe was dismissed from the party, Than Pe charged U Kyaw Khaing with defamation.
 
According to a report from Sittwe, Than Pe is now joining the pro-junta Nationalist Party there.