Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

October 5, 2003

SPDC plans to fight the foreign invasion with people force

According a confidential document related to SPDC’s military strategy, the regime has learned the armed force situation of the neighboring countries and has planned to fight the foreign invasion by using people militia force under the command of Burmese Army.  

In a document, which used for training manual, ‘the strategy of dividing responsibilities between the Burmese Army (tatmadaw) and the people’, which issued on August 9 for the military trainers describes about how the people could involve in fighting against foreign invasions by creating ‘people militia force’.  

The trainers also taught and described the armed force situation of the neighboring countries such as India, China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Lao and their relationship with western countries.  

In training, although the trainer explained to trainees that there could be American and its ally’s invasion to Burma, but they did not put these countries’ names in training manuals.  

However, the manuals clearly describe that to control all people in the country and form them in various groups of ‘militia force’.  

In the slogan of the training manual, it says ‘the people must defense the country while they are involving in their livelihoods’.  The regime considers the militia force as ‘economic and social strengths’ for the country, which means that the regime tries to control the people economically and socially.  

It also describes the people militia force is essential for the country when there is a danger poses to the country.  

Training was conducted in Southeast Command GHQs near Moulmein, the capital of Mon State and most trainees are the low-rank army officers from various battalions under that military command.   Lt. Col. Zaw Tun was the trainer and now the Southeast Command had 43 rounds of training to military officers.  

Besides military officers, government servants and ordinary civilians are also forced to attend basic military training schools group by group in every township in Mon State.