“The army was abusive to the people earlier, but local army personnel have changed their behaviour with the people,” said a town elder from Than Tlang town.

The state government has also mentioned that the new government of Burma is trying to promote transition in the country. The military is not involving itself in administrative issues, said a local.

“We submitted our village issues to the Vuangtu village army camp commander, but the commander said that this was not the army’s duty. He advised us that it should be submitted to township authorities,” said a member of the village administration.

Similarly, the military personnel of Matupi Township, second capital of Chin state also have stopped recruiting local people for porter duty during their patrol and the military buys rations from the people. They do not demand rations without payment as earlier.

“The army just calls local people as guides for patrolling sometimes. They buy rations and they do not take porters and force people for work,” said a villager from Lailenpi of Matupi Township.

A government employee of Matupi told Khonumthung that the local military authorities do not intervene in administrative issues.

But the fact remains that Burmese military personnel are still into human rights violations in Kachin state and the eastern part of Burma where fighting is on between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army, said a local from Kachin state settled in Thailand. Khonumthung news