SAC Forces Naga Residents to Attend Military Training in Sagaing Region
By Network Media Group
Thursday, December 7, 2023
The military regime is compelling residents of Naga Self-administered Region to undergo military training in the area situated in Sagaing Region, where resistance forces have been quite active and recently captured Kawlin, a district-level town.
The junta, officially called State Administration Council (SAC), is reportedly paying them 7,000 kyat a day to attend it in Lahe town, where over 5,000 reside. Infantry Battalion 272 is providing instructions to establish a People’s Militia Force (PMF), as reported by a local source. All male and female government servants under 50 are required to join the two-week training session, which includes basic marksmanship, the source said. It is unclear if government workers are also being paid to attend. Women with children, as well as women not employed in the government and all minors, are exempted.
A youth commented, “They are training government staff in the army’s compound every day, but the PMF training hasn’t started yet.”
Another source stated, “As our region is stable, I feel that their military training will generate animosity by challenging resistance groups.” He added that no one wants to join it, mentioning that SAC summoned 10 people from the four wards in the town to participate in the course that started the third week of November and ends on December 12. The local administrators are responsible for compiling the lists for their wards.
Since the military coup, there has been no fighting in the Naga region, but some locals believe this will change after the creation of the PMF.
