SPDC army recruiting ethnic nationals

DVB, February 5

Burma’s military junta, State Peace and Development (SPDC) is ordering its regional officers to increasingly recruit ethnic national youths as Burmese soldiers for its army in a recent directive from the military HQs in Rangoon.

Recruiting officers are told that 20,000 kyats (approx. $US23) would be awarded for each ethnic national youth recruited. Before, the reward was 5,000 kyats for each soldier recruited.

According to a Burmese officer who doesn’t want to be identified, Burmese officers in ethnic regions are starting to recruit local youths at Lashio in northeast Burma near China.