New Rebel Recruits Train to Face Bu

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Subject: New Rebel Recruits Train to Face Burmese Army

New Rebel Recruits Train to Face Burmese Army

Posted on February 04, 1999 

By Don Pathan
The Asian Age (3-2-1999)

Sixteen-year-old Boo Reh left his family at a refugee camp in Thailand
two
months ago, returning to Burma to join a rebel army.

In mid-March, he and 45 other young men from the Karenni ethnic group
some
as young as 14 will complete combat training from a camp deep inside
Burma's thickly forested hills along the border.

Then, they will head to the frontline to fight in a civil war that has
spanned three generations. The conflict is fulled by hatred and mistrust
between the military government of Burma, and the ethnic minorities
scattered along the frontier.

"The Burmese soldiers often harassed our village and demand that we
provided them with food," said Boo Reh. "They forced many of us to us to
live in a designated area. Once, I was forced to be their porter." Rebel
and human rights groups accuse the Burmese army of rape and murders of
civilians in rebel area, driving survivors to holding centres where they
can be stopped from aiding rebel kinsmen.

The government, which denied the allegations, has been contending with
ethnic rebellion for half a century, soon after the country gained
independent from Britain.

Many groups have been signed cease-fires in recent years, but dry season
offensive is under currently under way against those still fighting.

"The government knows the villagers support us," said Bee Htoo, leader
of
the Karenni National Progress Party army, which Boo Reh has joined.
"They
forced them into concentration camps to cut of support for our
soldiers."

Like 100,000 refugees living in numerous border camps in Thailand, Boo
Reh
and his family abandoned their village to escape being caught in civil
war.
Boo Reh said he returned because he wanted to help free his people and
because his life in a refugee camp is not always present. Some of the
volunteers are young but they are here of their own free will," said
Maj.
Soe Myint Aung , who has trained new recruits for 28 years. Our biggest
problem seems to be malaria."

Recently, several recruits weren't much bigger than their M-16 riffles.
All
but one were marching in rubber sandals instead of combat boots. The
basis

diet is ice and vegetables. Deer meat hunted by recruits is served once
or
twice a week. Maj. Soe Myint Aung admitted that adequate training
supplies,

such as weapons and medicines, are hard to come by and the troops make
the
best with what they have.

The KNPP is run by a 10 men council and officially seeks independence
from
Burma, though it is willing to consider a some sort of federation.
Discussions on a new constitution have been stalled for three years
because
of the ruling military's dispute with pro-democracy leader Ms Aung San
Suu
Kyi. She contented the panel weighing reforms is stacked in favour of
prolonged military rule.

Constitutional experts and even military agreed that any lasting
arrangement must have address the ethnic groups, whose commanders
usually
view Ms Suu Kyi's vision of democracy as more compatible with their hop
of
autonomy than the military tough approach.

"They want us to live under a Constitution that doesn't even have the
support of their own people," said Aung Mya, KNPP deputy army commander.
The Karenni and other rebels still fighting are not in position to make
many demands. (AP)