The Karen National Union (KNU) alleged that the Burmese army forced Karen villagers in southern Burma to attend military training, Karen News reported. Such recruitment could damage trust during the ongoing peace talks between the KNU and Naypyidaw, the group warned. It claimed that on Nov. 15 the Burmese army’s Coastal Region Military Command ordered troops in eastern Tenasserim division to demand that villagers attend militia training from early 2013. “We will raise this issue with the [government],” KNU Brigade 4 Commander Brig-Gen Saw Dah Kyaw Lu said.