Mawlamyine, 22 September
Mon State Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein called for the district and village administrators in Mon State to develop a community-based security system for regional peace.
The military council made this request in a meeting with department heads and district administrators in Mawlamyine, where there was no armed conflict.
On 20 September, a meeting was held at the state hall in Mawlamyine with ministers, including the state chief minister, officials from state, district and township levels, and ward and village administrators, according to Telegram channel of the junta-backed MRTV.
The chief minister of Mon State and member of the military council advised the ward and village administrators to build a person-oriented security system in addition to community peace and public-service activities.
The spokesperson of the Mon Revolutionary Army, Nai Nagar, said, “As the military council has failed in the military sector throughout the country, it is an attempt to form a militia group to protect the security of the community. The military council has successfully formed a militia group in some villages in the area, but it has not been implemented on a nationwide scale, so this dialogue is supposed to be taking place”.
In addition, Nai Nagar pointed out that the junta-appointed ward and village administrators are the ones supporting the prolongation of the military regime, and they are also present as informants because they provide information on the activities of anti-regime revolutionary organizations and political activists.
In the months following the military coup, the military council replaced most of the NLD-appointed ward and village administrators with members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party and military allies.
After the military coup, Kyaikto, Thaton, Belin, Paung, and Ye townships in Mon State have been resistance strongholds to topple the military dictatorship.
Those areas have seen frequent fighting between the junta army and armed resistance forces, including the Karen National Union (KNU), with frequent ground battles and ambush attacks on military convoys in some villages in Kyaikmaraw and Ye-Thanbyuzayet.
The Mon State Chief Minister said at the meeting that regional security, stability, and rule of law, as well as socio-economic development, play an important role.
Although the Mon State Revolutionary Army did not purge the military informants and the army supporters, it warned all local village administrators to stop cooperating with the military council.
Military and political observers say that the junta army, which set up military outposts all over the country, cannot control regional stability militarily but can maintain power due to district officals who support military administration.
On the other hand, an exploratory survey for the 2024 national census will be conducted in 20 townships across all states and regions, including Nay Pyi Taw, in October this year, according to the junta’s propaganda TV channel.
Mon State Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein stated that a census test will be done in Mawlamyine, and that a successful election will be held only if the population count is correct.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-MOI