A civil militia is being revamped by the Mindat Township Peace and Development Council since March to help the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) candidates to contest the forthcoming general elections in Burma.

“Junta authorities have ordered villagers, who had attended civil militia training earlier, to attend training again. The idea behind the fresh training is to find ways to help USDA win the election,” said Mr. Salai Thanglian in Mindat town.

The training is being conducted by Mindat based LIB 274 and they are teaching not only the technique to canvass for votes but also imparting basic military training.

“The chief commander and others ranks are teaching civilians how to shoot and assemble different weapons. There are more than 50 trainees,” said an eyewitness.

The authorities are providing all necessities for the trainees including food and lodging, although during the previous training the trainees had brought their own food and other necessities.

The same renewed civil militia training is to be conducted in Hakha town.

The military junta’s backbone, the USDA has not yet registered for the 2010 general elections with the Election Commission, but it begun campaigning for the polls, though other political parties have not given permission to campaign by the junta yet. –