Myanmar: Burmese Army continues to burn churches and homes in Christian state
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Myanmar’s Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) is continuing to burn down homes and churches in Thantlang in the Christian majority state of Chin, even though the military has already killed or driven out the town’s Christian residents, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
The Tatmadaw is waging war against resistance groups to impose Buddhism and retain control of Myanmar.
The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) reported that on December 30, the Tatmadaw burned down the Assembly of God Church and one of the Thantlang Association of Baptist Churches’ buildings. The CHRO has drone footage showing Tatmadaw fires burning in ruined churches, schools, and homes, ICC said.
According to the Associated Press, the Tatmadaw is working to destroy villages where any residents might support the resistance, ICC said. AP satellite photos show that over 580 buildings have been destroyed in Thantlang since September.
ICC also attested in its report that a 16-year old caught praying on Christmas Eve “was being paraded yesterday by Tatmadaw soldiers on the streets to identify townsfolk suspected of anti-junta activities.”
Moreover, ICC said: “Another teenager is held incommunicado and might be tortured under LIB 266 custody.”
ICC has called on the international community to take action against the Tatmadaw’s deadly campaign of terror: “The atrocities committed by the Tatmadaw against churches and civilians should never be tolerated, and the international community ought to take effective measures to stop the junta before more innocent lives are lost.”