Myanmar orders govt staff, former military to prepare for emergencies

YANGON, Nov 16 (Reuters): Myanmar's military rulers have ordered all government staff and those with military experience to prepare to serve in case of emergency, an official said on Thursday, after the junta reported "heavy assaults" from insurgents in several places.
Myanmar's military has battled ethnic minority and other insurgencies for decades but a 2021 coup has brought unprecedented coordination between anti-military forces that are mounting the biggest challenge to the army in years.
The junta had ordered all government staff and former military personnel to form units to respond to emergency situations, said Tin Maung Swe, secretary of an administrative council in the capital, Naypyitaw.
"If necessary, such a unit might be required to go out and serve for natural disasters, and security," the junta's council said in an order.
Tin Maung Swe confirmed the order while stressing that the situation in the capital, in central Myanmar, was calm. "This is the plan to help in the event of an emergency," he told Reuters.
A parallel government formed by pro-democracy politicians to oppose the military, and allied with some insurgent factions, has launched a "Road to Naypyitaw" campaign which it says is aimed at taking control of the capital.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said late on Wednesday the military was facing "heavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers" in Shan State in the northeast, Kayah State in the east and Rakhine State in the west.
Zaw Min Tun said some military positions had been evacuated and the insurgents had been using drones to drop hundreds of bombs on military posts. "We are urgently taking measures to protect against drone bomb attacks effectively," the junta spokesperson said.