MANDALAY DIVISION – After the junta council trained and formed the local Pyithusit militia in Mandalay, they were said to have armed nearly 200 people on March 21.
The ceremony of arming the militants was held at the central region command in Mandalay Palace and was personally attended by the Regional Commander, as released by the junta council.
As per the video recording of the ceremony, there were around 200 militants and they were armed with carbine rifles leftover from the war.
Although the junta council has named it the Mandalay Region Pyithusit (Local), residents of Mandalay shared that the group is formed only with junta supporters.
The junta council previously issued carbine rifles to some Pyu Saw Htee militants in Mahaaungmyay Township at the end of July 2022.
And this time, the junta council armed a large number of militants at once.
A military veteran who joined the Spring Revolution commented that those armed militants, locally called Pyu Saw Htee, will be charged with security in the town and will also be used in battles as now is a time of lacking manpower within the army.
In Mandalay Division, there is strong armed resistance in Madaya Township that is divided by the Ayeyarwaddy River from Sagaing Division and urban guerrilla forces had recently attacked Yadanabon Hall in the military compound in the center of Mandalay City with rocket launchers on March 19 morning.