Pyusawhti militias (Burmese: ပျူစောထီးပြည်သူ့စစ်အဖွဲ့များ Burmese pronunciation: [pjù.sɔ́.tʰí pjì.θu̼ sɪʔ.tæʔ.mjá], also spelt Pyu Saw Htee) , officially called People's militia,[6] are loosely organised networks of pro-military and pro-junta villagers operating in Myanmar. The term was first used in 1955, after U Nu's government created Pyusawhti paramilitary units to assist the military with counterinsurgency operations. After a coup in 1958, the army tried to disband them, as they had become loyal to local ruling-party politicians . However, their attempt was not completely successful.[5]
In the 2000s, the Burmese media started to employ the term to refer to pre-existing networks of irregulars mobilized by the military. The militias became increasingly active in 2021, as supporters of the military of Myanmar and those suspected to be supporting it, who feared attacks by the resistance forces(most of which later turned into the People's Defence Forces), formed militias for self-defence.[7] Pyusawhti militias conducted attacks on people against the military.[8] They were given some assistance by the military of Myanmar, which in turn utilized them to compensate for its lack of local knowledge and intelligence, as well as its shortage of manpower.[7] Observers have noted ties with extremist nationalist groups like the Patriotic Association of Myanmar.[8]
- ^ "Tatmadaw order to change the arm patch of local people's militias".
- ^ "Pyusawhti capture and burn down PDF's bases". YouTube. 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Pyusawhti leader shot dead in Bago region".
- ^ "A Silent Sangha? Buddhist Monks in Post-coup Myanmar". Crisis Group. March 10, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
irr2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hein Thar (2024-07-02). "'Killing the weeds': Village warfare in Myingyan". Frontier Myanmar. Archived from the original on 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "'A threat to the revolution': Pyusawhti returns to post-coup Myanmar". Frontier Myanmar. 2021-07-14. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
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