Myanmar junta Planning to Issue arms to ‘loyal' civilians
Myanmar's junta is planning to issue weapons and ammunition to civilians who agree to participate in local security and law enforcement in their states and regions.
The move comes almost two years after the Myanmar military's coup and at a time when the regime is facing ever-growing resistance nationwide from People's Defense Forces (PDFs) and ethnic armed organizations.
Experts worry that allowing civilians to carry arms would empower pro-junta groups and only serve to escalate the violence and near-daily clashes between the Myanmar's junta and armed resistance forces that have raged nationwide.
The conditions that figured in the document included an age threshold of 18 years and a demonstrable need for a arms for security purposes, in addition to the loyalty requirement.
The document provides for members of counter-insurgency bodies, officially formed militias and those retired from the military to carry pistols, rifles and submachine arms so long as they have such a permit.
It added that the junta government would have the right to import and sell firearms and ammunition licensed by the defence ministry.
The Southeast Asian country's top generals led a putsch in February 2021 after 5 years of tense power-sharing under a quasi-civilian political system created by the military.
United States based conflict monitoring group Acled says about 19,000 people died previous year as the military's crackdown on protests led many to take up weapons against the junta.
About 1.2 million people have been displaced in the strife and more than 75,000 have left the country, according to the United Nations, which has accused the military of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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