1 TRANSLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND ... - APFA News

genuine volunteers should be forwarded without delay to the RBA
Headquarters.
The National Assembly has already decided that if the ULFA do not remove
four of their camps and reduce their strength by December 2001, in keeping
with the undertaking given by them to the Royal Government, there will be no
option left but to take military action to resolve the problem. By the time the
present session concluded there would only be about four to five months left for
imparting training to the militia volunteers. It is, therefore, important for the
concerned Dzongdas and Chimis to keep in mind that the militia volunteers sent
by them do not ask for Kidu after completing their training.
The RBA representative informed the members that out of the 880 recruits for
the regular army who reported for training in the last two batches, 121 had to be
sent on Kidu and 27 had run away. The hon’ble members should, therefore,
consider how useful it would be to start a militia service.
He said that if the Dzongdas and people’s representatives were to send good
quality militia volunteers who were genuinely concerned for the country and
fully prepared to serve in the high security risk areas to further strengthen the
regular armed forces, it would be deeply appreciated by the RBA Headquarters.
The Minister of Health and Education said that when the Palden Drukpa most
needed its sons to serve in the armed forces he was saddened and disappointed
to hear the representative of the Royal Bhutan Army speak about the poor
attendance of volunteers joining the army. He said that it was the policy of the
Royal Government not to conscript recruits and to leave it up to the young men
to volunteer. The time had now come for the people to advocate strongly in the
community for our young men to voluntarily come forward to serve our country
when it is facing a grave security threat. The senior members of the community
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