Two Churches Destroyed in Myanmar in October: Presbyterian Church Bombed in Chin State, Baptist Church Burned in Kachin State
Myanmar's military destroyed two churches in predominantly Christian areas of Chin and Kachin states this month, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), in incidents summarised in reporting on October 20. On October 9, at about 2:30 p.m., two military jets that took off from an air base in Magway made two bombing runs over the town of Mindat in southern Chin State, dropping four bombs at two sites in the town. One bomb hit a Presbyterian church compound and wrecked the church building. No one was reported killed or wounded in that strike.
On October 12, at about 3:30 p.m., troops from the military's 33rd and 88th Light Infantry Divisions burned down the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church and the houses around it. The church stood in Shwe Pyi Tha Ward, in the Three Mile area of Bhamo Township, also spelled Banmaw, in Kachin State. Col. Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), told The Irrawaddy that soldiers set fire to the church on the road to Momauk, and said clashes had broken out in the area from time to time.
"The destruction of the Presbyterian church in Mindat and the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church in Banmaw are clear violations of international humanitarian law and freedom of religion or belief," CSW Founder President Mervyn Thomas said in a statement, calling places of worship spiritual and community lifelines for vulnerable populations and urging the international community to take concrete steps to restrict the military's access to aviation fuel and military equipment.
Chin and Kachin states are home to predominantly Christian ethnic communities. Mindat has faced repeated ground offensives, shelling and airstrikes since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup, and many residents have fled. CSW's account was first reported by religious news outlets in mid-October, and the October 20 roundups re-confirmed the dates, locations and units involved in both incidents.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Colegota, CC BY-SA 2.5 es, via Wikimedia Commons (residents near Bhamo, Kachin State)
