Kantarawaddy Times
In Loikaw, Karenni State, following the floods in September, the military junta began recruiting new soldiers, according to local sources. This caused many men to flee to other townships.
Since late June, the military junta had launched offensives around Loikaw and re-established control over the city.
A local man told Kantarawaddy Times that those aged between 35 and 65 living in areas previously affected by battles were being targeted for military training to ensure public security.
“There are no longer any drawing lots for the serving. They just take people who are there in the neighborhood. Some have fled to safer places out of fear,” said a resident from Loikaw who had fled to Shan State.
In September, locals who wanted to resettle in neighborhoods such as DawSanBawn, YwarTanShay, Plot 3, PanKan, and HtooduNganta, where the junta has stationed troops, were informed they would need to provide five men per neighborhood to form a security force.
Men joining this public security force must attend a two-month military training course, and those over 50 are assigned to guard their neighborhoods. Meanwhile, men between the ages of 35 and 50 have been assigned to patrol the outskirts and monitor the activities and movements of revolutionary groups, locals reported.
“These people (the junta) are very crazy. They know we still have farmland left, so they issue orders like this. They expect that we’ll return. But if they couldn’t even defend it, how can they expect us to do this task? I’m not going back,” said a displaced Loikaw resident.
To avoid being listed for recruitment into the public security force, many young people from Loikaw have joined the fire brigade instead.
Due to the current scarcity of jobs in Loikaw and rising commodity prices, some men with no income have reportedly joined the public security force because the junta promised to pay, according to local residents.
The 1111 operation is set to mark its one-year anniversary on November 11. The military continues to monitor the activities of revolutionary forces. It has also been deploying villagers at the outskirts and checkpoints, forced to dress in military uniforms, to carry out security duties. At the same time, locals reported that the junta is reinforcing its troops by moving forces from Shan State into Karenni State.
