Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

July 24, 2003

Challenge to foreign invasion, militarization, disappointed government servant in training schools

With the propagandized challenge to American invasion, the regime forced most servants to attend the basic military training for the State defense force and now most servants are disappointed in training schools, said by a government servant from Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State.

Over 200 servants from Kyaikmayaw Township are forced to attend the training in closed camp and the authorities said the training aims to defense the possible invasion by Americans and other destructive forces.

The servants are put in camp in the compound of Township hall “Shwe-hin-thar”, and they have to attend training from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. every but they have to stay in camp for the whole day and night.

Some female servants cry because they face hardship and are not interesting in training, said by a servant from Kyaikmayaw Township.

“In camp, the authorities said that we must attend this training because we need to defense the country from American invasion and other destructive force from outside. Now, they put administration or government servants as soldiers and let them fight American invaders. Likely they said they are not afraid the Americans. But many servants are disappointed, because the servants are not soldiers. I think only the soldiers have duties to fight Americans, if they come. Many women are crying and men are disappointed now as they don’t want to attend training longer”, said by a servant from Kyaikmayaw to IMNA.

“Some male servants are physically unable to be in training while women are crying because they said that they are not soldiers”, added by that servants.

Many government offices have also closed as many servants are in training camp and only a few number of servants work in some offices.

All servants between 15 and 60 years old, except some who already attend the regime’s political university in Rangoon (Phaung-gyi Servants Training University), have to attend this training schools.