Burmese Army strengthens militia by forcibly training locals

May 31, 2007

HURFOM

Training is being forcibly imparted to local people to strengthen the militia at the Burmese military base in Hpa-an township, the capital of Karen state. The idea is to have a strong militia to defend the country.

The Light Infantry Battalion No. 310 of the Burmese Army is conducting the training for the first time in all villages in the capital of Karen State in keeping with the Burmese military government’s decision. The battalion has directed the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) to arrange the training for them.

Each village has sent 20 to 30 trainees to be included in the militia in the village, according to sources close to VPDC.

The VPDC’s in the township do not have enough members in the militia so villagers are being trained.

But most villagers in the township denied this because VPDC are hiring people for the training, a source revealed. To pay the hire charges VPDC’s are collecting money from the people.

Ma Ma Hlaing from a family which paid up, said, “I paid Kyat 3,000 to the VPDC of Kyone Pe village. Every family in my village paid Kyat 3,000 for 30 trainees.”

The training has been on for the last 16 days and the VPDC had to pay for all those sent for the training.

The VPDC’s had to buy shirts and shoes for the militia members. And they had to pay Kyat 2,000 per day for the trainees as ordered by the battalion. “We paid Kyat 6,000 to the army for a uniform for the militia members, a VPDC member said.

Most VPDC’s don’t want to do the training because they have shell out a lot of money. However they have no option but to accept because they cannot defy the order, a VPDC source said.

The training has already been held in neighbouring Mon state. The military regime started the training as of 2003 after the assassination attempt on Daw Aung Sun Su Kyi in Depayin, upper Burma.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News