By Zwe Ko / MPA
According to the residents, authorities of villages and wards and the troops of the State Administration Council (SAC) are planning to forcibly establish the Pyu Saw Htee militia force by reasoning to safeguard the villages and wards of Waw township, Bago region.
After the establishment of the Central Committee for Public Security and Anti-terrorism on 16 August 2024, the SAC army is attempting to recruit militia in wards and villages of Waw township.
“The SAC army is facing massive losses in battles happening across the entire country. More and More SAC soldiers killed, surrendered and joined resistance forces. So, the need for manpower is becoming serious and they will surely force people to recruit. Therefore, people should take care of it. And people need to prepare for everything because battles to seize the cities might happen at any time,” in-charge of the people Defense Team – Waw township (Pa Ka Pha – Waw) said.
A 40-year-old man from Latpan village claimed that the militia forces were recruited in some villages of Waw township long before the conscription law was legislated.
“Many villages already have militia forces. But there are not many people in that force. Now, that Pyu Saw Htee militias and village authorities are attempting to collect name lists and instructing people to take basic military training in order to protect their own villages,” he said.
A 45-year-old man from Bagan village, Waw township said that the militia force previously recruited was told to protect their own village but they were forced to obey when the SAC army sent them to the frontline.
“Pyu Saw Htee militia from Thankhun, Okpho (1), Latpan and Sinywar villages had to march to battles. Our Bagan village still doesn’t have to go to battles. When they realized they had to go to the front line, many people ran away and there were not many people left. Again, they claimed that it was just to protect our own village. But they will surely send us to the frontline, and everyone knows it, so no one wants to be recruited,” he explained.
A 50-year-old female activist from Waw township said that more and more people are abandoning their own village due to the SAC’s demand to establish militia in villages located on the banks of Sittaung River, Bago region.
“As the situation becomes unpredictable, the SAC army is pressuring village authorities to recruit militia as preparation for defense. But there are not many youths remaining in the villages. Only a few lefts. And villages are not villages on the battlefield, no one believes them. Everyone knows that they will be sent to the front line after basic military training, so the youths ran away,” she explained.
According to the locals, the SAC army is arresting civilians who are commuting from place to place to recruit and those who wish to be released have to pay at least 4,000,000 Myanmar kyat (MMK) to a maximum of 5,000,000 MMK.
Starting from 18 August, the SAC army camped in the monastery and schools of the village in the Western Bago region and arrested those they suspected.
After legislating the conscription law on 10 February 2024, the SAC is forcibly recruiting troops and they have already provided the fourth basic military training, according to people, for the fifth military training the SAC army is conducting more forcible arrests to recruit.
