KNU claims Burma Army forcible recruiting Karen villagers for militia
The Karen National Union claim move by the Burma Army to force Karen villagers to attend militia training will damage trust between the two sides during ongoing ‘peacetalks’.
The KNU alleges that the Burma Army has ordered Karen villagers in Southern Burma to attend military training and then intends to supply them with weapons.
According to a KNU’s Mergui-Tavoy District source, on 15 November, the Burma Army Coastal Region Military Command ordered their troops in the east of Tenasserim division to demand villagers from Kwe Waw Wah (Aing Wai), Kasawwah, Ah Moe, Ka Maw Haw, Wah Daw, Ka Tara Kee, Htee Hta, Maw Hta, Htee Kee and Alesto to attend militia training, beginning in early 2013.