Contrary to what you might think from international media reports on the crackdown in Myanmar, it is not just brave monks and protesters who are speaking out.

There are people on the inside - soldiers, police and government officials - who are also risking their lives to give evidence about the regime's actions.

One soldier told me how the military was forcing people to join a militia, known as the Swan Ah Shin, which has been heavily involved in putting down the recent protests instigated by monks.

"I am a soldier. I cannot talk long but I have to tell someone this. I don't want to kill monks. We are Buddhist," he said.

"They are forcibly recruiting people for the Swan Ah Shin militia. The men are taken to a military compound and given food and lots of alcohol. The men drink and get drunk to forget.

"Each group of men are given 1 lak in the morning (100,000 kyat or 80USD) and 1 lak in the evening after they fight."

The soldier said the compound was in Hlaing Thaya, a large district in northern Yangon, but the same thing is happening elsewhere in the capital and in other urban centres.

Soldiers, like my friend, tell these things because they want the killing to stop and hope those responsible will one day be held to account.

The Swan Ah Shin came to prominence in 2003 when it was linked to an attack on pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Even in so-called peaceful times they are hired to harass people believed to be threats to the state.

With the demonstrations in September, additional members are being recruited. When there is a possibility of violent confrontations between the military and the public, each ward is obliged to find five people to work with the Swan Ah Shin.

The first to "volunteer" are usually ex-criminals or members of local gangs, but the very poor and unemployed are also conscripted when no one else will go.

When the likelihood of violence is lower, two people per ward are obliged to join. Recruits are on standby and can be mobilised in an hour or two. When the government anticipates the need for more men, they will recruit a day in advance.

During the demonstrations, groups of Swan Ah Shin numbered 10 to 20 men, enough to fit in the back of a small truck. I saw these groups follow behind advancing soldiers. During confrontations the military would order them to get out of the trucks.

They'd usually enter the crowds from a side road and then begin acting violently. Sometimes they restrained and detained civilians and sometimes they threw rocks at the soldiers - I was told this was to provide an excuse for the soldiers to shoot.

Now, with the United Nations calling on the government to reduce the number of uniformed security personnel on the streets, they are being replaced by Swan Ah Shin. This is actually worse for the people of Myanmar.

The Swan Ah Shin are commonly known to be stationed in Pansodan, Sule and Shewdagon Pagodas where there is a greater likelihood of a small demonstration. If this were to happen, I am told the 'ringleader' of the Swan Ah Shin in each place has a hand-held radio and would inform the soldiers immediately.

The Swan Ah Shin are also involved in the nightly raids on people's houses. We hear that those being rounded up even include people who may have just clapped or given water to the monks during the demonstrations, and others who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is the Swan Ah Shin of a given village or ward who can identify a person from a photograph and indicate to the military where that person lives.

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