By Ko Paing / MPA
Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Groups are being secretly formed by military council supporters in the wards of Paungde, Bago Region, according to reports.
Since the last week of August, men aged between 35 and 65, who support the military council, have been quietly recruited in 12 Wards of Paungde for Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Groups, according to some residents.
“In the town, the ward authorities have quietly formed these groups with their people. No training has been given yet for the people’s militias. In rural areas, they’ve held meetings. In each village, they are grouping about 20 people, and in large village tracts, they have even more. How many they gather depends on the local authorities. In Paukainggyi village tracts, they’ve mobilized as many as 150 people,” a resident from Market Ward 1 Paungde Township told MPA.
On August 16, the military council announced that it would form the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Group which has to conduct tasks such as securing the region, providing defense, and supporting front-line operations, according to the announcement.
“The main reason is that since their forces are facing significant losses, they want civilians to take on security roles, essentially putting them in harm’s way. I think this is being done in preparation for securing areas during voter registration for the upcoming elections. They are preparing security in advance for that,” said a representative of Paungde Township People’s Administrative Team.
Since August 22, village administrators in Kyoetpin Village, Paungde Township, have been leading the gathering of people for the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Group.