Myanmar: Military burn prominent church to suppress Christianity

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A historic and symbol church in Myanmar’s Christian-majority Chin state has been looted and set on fire by the Tatmadaw (Burmese Army), in what local believers describe as an ongoing effort by the ruling military regime to suppress Christianity in the country, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

The Sang Fen Memorial Church in Zokhua Village was named after a prominent indigenous Chin missionary and was a major center of Christian worship.

According to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), the church was targeted in an attack against the state’s capital city Hakha by troops from Light Infantry Battalion 266 operating under Hakha-based Tactical Operations Command.

The organization said in a statement that the church was “the latest Christian place of worship, among dozens of churches across Chin State, to be targeted by troops operating in the only Christian-majority State in Myanmar.”

“As the entire [Chin] community fled the conflict, the damage and loss caused by the Tatmadaw is estimated to be more than 10 million kyat ($5600),” the CHRO added in reference to the wider conflict launched following the military coup of February 1 last year.

Myanmar ranks 12th on the US Open Doors Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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