Buthidaung:  Members of the people's militia in Buthidaung Township north of Sittwe have been forced by authorities to join the Burmese Army to serve in permanent posts as soldiers, said a member of the militia who recently fled to Bangladesh.
 
"We are facing a big problem after the authorities forced us to join the army. We do not want to serve in the army because we are all farmers with our own families and business here. It is impossible for us to join, so I fled to Bangladesh to avoid being conscripted into the army," he said.
 
According to a local source, the Burmese Army is now having a difficult time recruiting soldiers in Arakan State, despite many Arakanese youth joining the army in the last decade. Many Arakanese youth are now looking for jobs in neighbouring countries like Thailand and Malaysia.
 
"The army authorities in our area could not recruit soldiers to meet its yearly target, so members of the people's militia have been forced to join the army," he said.
 
He also added, "We joined the people's militia so we could get a chance to work on our business with the family in our village, and would not need to leave our village for any frontlines to wage war with rebels. But now the army authorities are forcing us to join the army. It is really a problem for us."
 
A source close to the Burmese Army said they have issued a new regulation for soldiers - if any soldier wishes to retire from the army, he must recruit at least three new men to replace him. Without this recruitment a soldier can not receive permission to retire.
 
"It is not only for forthcoming retiring army men, but also other soldiers. If soldiers want to retire from the army without finishing their tenure, they can leave, but they have to recruit three new soldiers for the army," he said.
 
The Burmese Army in Arakan State is facing problems with many soldiers deserting due to poor treatment and conditions, and the number of soldiers serving in the army is going down by the day.
 
According to a report from the Burmese Army in Sakhaka 15, the Military Operation Management commend based in Buthidaung, over 100 soldiers deserted from the headquarters in the first six months in 2008. Sakhaka 15 is comprises 10 battalions that are stationed in several rural villages in Buthidaung Township.