Irrawaddy-Mar 20
The regime is tightening control over major urban centers by bolstering and arming home-front militias. In Myanmar’s second city of Mandalay, the so-called “People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism” teams have recently started carrying weapons. Initially deployed for routine tasks like vehicle checks, the blue-uniformed militias are now carrying firearms like G-3 rifles and carbines, according to locals. “The men in blue are becoming a serious threat to us as they have not only been given some sort of authority by the junta but also issued with weapons,” said a resident from Chan Aye Tharzan Township.
They are tasked with enforcing the junta’s writ within the community and consist mostly of men over 35 who are too old for military service. Last August, the Central Supervisory Committee for People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism was formed led by Border Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Tun Tun Naung to train and arm men over 35 as ward and village guards. They are typically low-income earners like tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi drivers.
Patheingyi residents report that the men in blue now participate in nighttime patrols with junta troops, who benefit from their local expertise. They are also deployed in visible numbers in Mandalay Region’s Madaya, where tensions with resistance forces are high, suggesting that they are in some cases being used as cannon fodder by the military. In Yangon, ward-level militias have been organized since last August targeting the grassroots in community wards. Ward administrators in Thingangyun, North Dagon, Hlaing Thar Yar, Shwepyithar, Twante, Dala and other townships have lured mostly older tuk-tuk drivers into the People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism teams with promises of extra fuel allowances or threats to cut them off. On Tuesday, a ceremony in Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Township saw the distribution of uniforms, rice, and cooking oil to militia members, according to junta newspapers. Read more at:
