By Ko Paing
According to reports, the State Administration Council (SAC) army is forcing local males to attend militia training in the townships of the Western Bago region.
According to some locals, in the village authority meeting of Kyopin village,Paungde township that was held in the afternoon of 22 August, the village authority told the men from 30-65 years old have to attend basic military training to establish a local militia force.
“Yesterday, Bo Ye, the village authority said in the meeting held at Kyopin village. They will establish the local militia force for village security. Every man from 30-65 years old has to attend basic military training. This plan will start from the nearby village tracts of the city,” a resident from no.1 market ward, Paungde city told MPA.
It is also reported that the SAC army is forcibly recruiting local men to attend basic military training in the villages of Letpadan township starting from the second week of August.
“Village authorities from village tracts near the Bago Mountain range told their residents to attend militia training. It is not like telling via speaker horns in the village but in the meeting. The SAC army is making civilians kill each other,” the in charge of People Defense Force-Shwe Tan Myay told MPA.
According to sources, militias are intended to be utilized for logistics, transporting the wounded, and protecting village and city entrances and exits.
“ The SAC is stepping on the civilians as they lose in battles. Civilians in our Western Bago region are facing a lot of hardships. In our Okpho village, village authority is just for show and the SAC’s troops in civilian outfits are arresting people,” Dewa, the in charge of Guerilla Force-Okpho said.
It is reported that SAC’s troops in Nyaung Sar Way village, Shwetaung township, fired guns to threaten the civilians and forcibly recruited civilians to serve in their military and militia forces on 22 August.
