Mawlamyine, 22 November
Mon State Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein himself has to resort to organize the staff of the military council when the number of police deserters increased in Mon State after losing in battles nationwide.
U Aung Kyi Thein, who is also the chairman of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP-Mon State), met with the police force from Kyaikmaraw police station for the first time in more than a year since he was appointed as the Prime Minister.
The visit of the Chief Minister, who usually only attends ceremonial events, came after revolutionary forces stormed the police station in Kyaikmaraw Township.
During the visit, Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein promised that the policemen would not be neglected and that the deceased policemen would be appropriately rewarded and honored.
Furthermore, he directed the police to work with military and local administration members to maintain peace in the area and to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities in order to ensure the country’s stability.
The spokesperson of the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF), Nai Nagar, told Than Lwin Times, “U Aung Kyi Thein’s campaign is to use the police for regional security amid the growing number of police deserters after losing the battle.”
In addition, the hard-hit military council will use the police to the end for their security in the region, and the MSRF urges the police to join forces with the revolutionary organizations as soon as possible to avoid becoming the culprits of history.
Following his visit to Kyaikmaraw, the Chief Minister met with officials from Mon State’s No. 15 Security Force in Mawlamyine on November 19 and directed them to be extra vigilant.
According to people close to the Mon State Police, at least 200 policemen in the state fled during the coup. Most of the police have been sent to areas where the fighting is intense and police stations are frequently attacked, and it is reported that the deserters were those from the local police station who had been relinquished by the military council.
Following the coup, the military council gave up nearly ten police stations and outposts in the Mon State townships of Kyaikto, Belin, Thaton, Ye, Thanbyuzayet, and Kyaikmaraw, and gathered police forces in one camp.
The National Unity Government (NUG) reported in October that more than 10,000 police officers have joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) since the coup.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo: Aung Kyi Thein