The Burmese Army is  imparting weapons and combat training for its civilian and paramilitary members in Kunhing township, where the ceasefire group the Shan State Army (SSA) North’s 7th brigade is based, said one of the trainees’ relative.

The training for over a month began on 15 October. All members of fire brigades and local militia units in the town have to attend it, said a resident whose nephew was in the fire brigade.

The trainees were between the ages of 18 and 40. They were being given basic training in guerrilla and night combat tactics.

“The trainees were equipped with the Army’s old weapons like G3 and G4,” he said.

In addition, village headmen were ordered to recruit new members in order to form new local militia units. The recruitment has to start in the first week of November and it has to comprise at least 400 members from the whole township, said another resident.

All trainees will be provided uniforms, which are green in colour.  Moreover, they are being told they will also receive daily supplies and some stipend. However, the expenses were forcibly collected from villagers.

“No one dared to oppose the order,” he added, “We were being told not to say that the training was organized by the army, but by the villagers themselves for their security.

Similar activities are also taking place in Tangyan Township, 83 miles south of Shan State North capital Lashio, where the group SSA North is active.

On 19 October, 120 Lahu militia men from villages in the township were being trained in combat and guerrilla tactics at the command post of the Infantry Battalion (IB) #33. The training is being conducted by Captain Saw Nay Aung.

At the same time, another militia unit led by Than Tin has been conducting trainings for 30 new members in Nawngmong village tract, east of the township.

Political analysts say that the training programme is probably intended to use the trainees in the front line to fight against ceasefire groups if they refuse to comply with the junta’s demand to become Border Guard Forces (BGFs). Another is to use them [trainees] as campaigners for the forthcoming 2010 general elections.

Since early this year, the Burmese Army has been intensively and constantly giving military training to members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), fire services, the police force and militia units as well as civilians in several townships in Shan State and other ethnic States like Mon and Arakan. On the other hand, villagers are being forced to set up militia units to serve the army.