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Military increasing in Ye Township

HURFOM, Ye: Starting in the 3rd week of September of this year, the Burmese military authorities have begun actively recruiting from villages in Ye Township, Mons state, in order to increase the number of security officers, local militia, and policemen’s troops in the area.

Over 1,000 households each are located in the villages of Mawkanin and Hangan in Ye Township, and between 500 and 1,000 households are each attributed to the villages of Kaloh, Balaingkee, Chaung Gone, and Arutaung. HURFROM’s reporters found that villagers from the villages mentioned are being increasingly recruited into their local security, militia and police forces.

Nai Mg Nee, a 40 years old Hangan villager said, “before, just ten militia and 5 security troops were based in our village. Now they try to involve villagers in security and militia troops. They [the military authorities] need about 50 [extra] people in the different groups. Also, the policemen are increasing in the village. Before there were only 3 or 4 police in our village, now they will bring 10 more policemen from Ye Town.”

Some Ye residents claimed that the Burmese military groups in their villages, including the militias, security guards and police units are currently being supported largely from extortion money that they get from village residents.

“We have been forced to pay the monthly militia extortion money for 5 years. The government couldn’t offer the militia food supplies and uniforms. Those materials are just got by collecting residents’ extortion taxes. For their costs, they collect 1,200 to 1,500 Kyat per household in a month. They just had 20 troops in the militia troop before. Now they are trying to recruit 30 more people to involve in the militia forces, so we don’t know yet how much extortion money we need more for paying them. At the moment, they have not achieved that amount of people they want to recruit yet. We heard from our village headman said that they will increase the militia taxes until to 3,000 Kyat a month. It is a huge amount of money for our lower class population. That money does not include the money for the locally based military army’s food supplies and security costs. Both cost would be another 1,000 to 2,000 Kyat more in a month,” said Ma Than Htay, a 45-year-old shopkeeper in Kaloh village.

“Even though for rich people, it does not affect their income and survival to pay for the extortion money, as for the lower class residents, we face obstacles to get money and to pay for that amount of extortion money,” she added.

Mawkanin village, containing about 1,500 to 2,000 households in Northern Ye Township, has also reportedly been facing the same problems as Kaloh and Hangan villages. Sources from the area claimed that the Light infantry battalion No. 106, which is based on the Mawkanin village, went to the village and persuaded villagers to join the local militia and security forces.

Nai Thean Sin, a rice trader from the area, said, “their systems are run by getting extortion taxes from our residents. I believe that if they have more troops they will collect more money from our residents. Before they collected about 1,500 Kyat each household in a month. If we combine all the extortion money that is including for VIP trips, militia, security costs and battalion extortion money a months, it costs about 4,000 to 5,000 for a month. Now they are increasing the troops so they would increase taxes to more than they are normally collect. But, we don’t know how much money they will increase the taxes.”

A former member of the New Mon State Party’s (NMSP) central executive committee (CEC), who lives in Ye Township claims that the Burmese Army’s attempts to increase the militias and security guards in different villages and towns are part of preparations for the upcoming 2010 elections; he believes that by recruiting a few village residents into militias run by the Burmese military, these villagers can pressure their fellow villagers to support the Burmese junta in the 2010 elections. “In my perception, it [the Burmese Government] is preparing for 2010 election by recruiting the area’s residents. Then they hope they will pressure their fellow residents by using their [militia, security troops] power. Another reason they are doing this is they will use those militia people to recruit and persuade the community people.”

“They have the way to get the residents involved in their system. We can see that the authorities give the power to jobless people in the village and offer them a chance to control the resident in the areas around them, and then they will persuade those [that they give military jobs to] people to work with them whatever they would like to do.” He added.

HURFOM’s field reporter in Ye township reports that second Senior General Yel Myint from Naypidaw went began traveling around Mon state in the 3rd week of September of this year, discussing preparations for the 2010 elections with local military and security authorities.

HURFOM’s reporter also claimed that in preparation for the coming 2010 election, the Burmese government’s regional staff have been taking on the responsibility of persuading the members of their workplaces, and the residents of their villages, to support the Burmese State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) during the elections. Recruitments for local militias and security forces in Ye Township are ongoing.

(Editors Note: All names have been changed for security reasons)

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