Armed Militia

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that members of civilian militias in the country should be issued weapons to be armed and ready at any time.
The Bolivarian Militia is a force of volunteers ranging from students to retirees formed in recent years by Chavez, who says it is crucial to the defense of the nation.
Until now, members of the militia were regularly trained in the camps start the weekend, but their weapons have generally been confined to military depots when not in use.
"Who saw an unarmed militia?" Chavez said during his television and radio show Sunday. He said he was surprised when he met with permanent custody of militiamen recently and learned that they had no firearms.
"Militias are people with weapons in hand," Chavez told an audience, including military officers and senior officials in the rural state of Guarico.
"We must break old paradigms, because we still see the militias as they were a supplementary force, some battalions who meet once a month there, or go somewhere in March," Chavez said .. "No, my friend The militia is a territorial unit permanent and should be armed, equipped and trained -. Peasants, workers'
Chavez also suggested that the country must accelerate the formation of militia units.
The militia is named after Simon Bolivar, the independence hero who is an inspiration for Chavez, and its members will focus engineering public sector employees. Men and women in the militia regularly attend training sessions weekend where they learn to fire guns, mortars and machine guns.
Diosdado Cabello, a longtime confidant of Mr. Chávez, said the militia fighters includes about 120,000 and is growing.
Chavez, who survived a failed coup in 2002, said the militia must be prepared to defend the country against any threat, foreign or domestic. He said he believes that the U.S. is a threat to its oil-exporting countries, but U.S. officials strongly deny.
Opponents of the leftist president say the militia is essentially a personal army of Chavez to intimidate his opponents, keep control and maintain power.
Chavez a également suggéré que le pays doit accélérer la formation d'unités de milice.
La milice est nommée d'après Simon Bolivar, le héros de l'indépendance qui est une source d'inspiration pour Chavez, et ses membres vont de foyer d'ingénieurs employés du secteur public. Les hommes et les femmes dans la milice assistent régulièrement aux séances de formation week-end où ils apprennent à canons feu, mortiers et de mitrailleuses.
Diosdado Cabello, l'un des confidents de longue date de M. Chavez, a déclaré la milice comprend environ 120.000 combattants et est de plus en plus.
Chavez, qui a survécu à un coup d'Etat manqué en 2002, dit la milice doivent être prêts à défendre le pays contre toute menace, étrangers ou nationaux. Il a déclaré qu'il estime que les États-Unis constitue une menace pour son pays exportateurs de pétrole, mais des responsables américains fortement le nier.
Les opposants au président de gauche-dire la milice est essentiellement une armée personnelle de Chavez visant à intimider ses adversaires, garder le contrôle et le maintien au pouvoir.