Army receives schooling in tank warfare

War

Army receives schooling in tank warfare

Reporter: Ai Zai

The Burma Army has been going through vigorous training with tanks imported from Ukraine since the end of the monsoons in November, according to sources.

The training ground is in the foothills of the Pegu Yoma, the 2,000ft mountain range that runs north to south between the Irrawaddy in the west and the Sittang in the east. The school headquarters is said to be at Yemon, a military town near Hlegu, between Rangoon and Pegu.

"Their instructors are white-faces," said a local. "They often visit our village to buy the local brew. I heard translators say they were Ukrainians."

Sources said the strategic road between Rangoon and Mandalay that skirts the Pegu Yoma, a project that was launched and abandoned during the Ne Win era (1962-1988), is being used extensively by the trainees. The Pegu Yoma is surrounded by other towns under intense attention of the foreign observers: Taungdwingyi, where a surface-to-air missile center has been in construction in the north and Pyinmana in the northeast, where Burma's "Pentagon" is to be established. (Related report: Army set to move command from Rangoon, 21 November 2004)

The military buildup in the area is such 3 universities there are planning to move out: The Animal Husbandry to Hmawbi near Rangoon, the Agriculture to Kyaukhse and the Forestry to Maymyo.

"The Army's annual turning-out of officers is also so huge, its numerous induction centers responsible for supplying recruits have not been able to keep up," said a knowledgeable source. "The result is that it is fast becoming top heavy."

In fact, the recruitment situation is so desperate, as few people want to join the Army, not only the Burma Army but others as well, even young Buddhist novice monks are being forced to enlist in some places, he added.

N.B. DVB reported on 29 July: 52 Type 72 tanks from Ukraine arrive in Rangoon.