Infantry Battalion No. 62 has recruited residents from the various quarters of Thanphyuzayart town, as well as inhabitants from several nearby villages, into local militia-run fire brigades. Trainings for the new fire brigade units began on the 1st of November 2009, and will last for the duration of a month.
“The military unit [IB. no 62] has announced that the recruited people have to attend the fire brigade training. Some people are not attending [the training] because they are not free, so they hired people to take their places. They have to attend [the training] in this town. They give the training, but I never saw them fighting fire” said one of woman from Thanphyuzayart Town to IMNA.
IB No. 62, which oversees the military-run firefighting unit for Thanphyuzayart town, ordered the new recruitments to commence at the end of October of this year. Each Town quarter is required to send new 20 recruits to the fire brigade training. Trainings for the new units are being conducted at the local militia-run fire department in Thanphyuzayart Town.
After the military’s firefighting department announced upcoming fire-brigade training, town quarter headmen chose the men [ranging from 18 to 40 years of age] would be attending the month-long session.
There are more than 10 “town quarters” in Thanphyuzayart Town, and the local firefighting military department is located in the northern part of Thanphyuzayart Town, near the main freeway to Moulmein.
According a second Thanphyuzayart Town resident with connections to the firefighting unit’s trainers, the training is being held in November to take advantage of the post-rainy season dry weather. The training is officially known as “fire brigade training” but the actual “firefighting” tutorials will be largely rudimentary. The recruits will spend most of their time learning basic military training, and the main point of the recruitments is bolster the ranks of the Burmese military before the 2010 elections.
“The main point is, those who are attending the training are the people we will teach how to organize the people in their Town quarters for the 2010 elections, and we will teach them how to lead the people [in the Burmese government’s favor],” this Thanphyuzayart resident quoted a fire brigade trainer as saying.
According to a resident of Waethunkyaung village, located only 1.5 miles from Thanphyuuzayart Town, members of his village have also been ordered to attend the fire brigade training in Thanphyuzayart Town.
“The firefighting military unit called 10 people [from my village] but only 8 people are attending, because the others are not free. This training will last 1 month they [the recruited villagers] said. I saw our villagers go to the training” he informed IMNA.
A member of the Thanphyuuzayart chapter of the Mon Unity League (MUL) also believes that the Burmese military’s aim with the training is to increase the power of the Burmese government before the 2010 elections. This source claims that the Burmese military government is holding the training as a means to up its voter levels.
“They are recruiting the people for the 2010 elections. This training is not only for fire brigade training, but also they will use the training to promote the government’s politics, I think” said this MUL member added.
