(UCAN): Myanmar’s military has continued to target churches in predominantly Christian regions of the country ignoring appeals by the Catholic Church and world leaders.
St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the deserted town of Thantlang in Chin state was burned down by the military on November 27, local media reports said.
The Chin Human Rights Organisation [CHRO] said the junta set fire to many houses in Thantlang on November 26, keeping them burning for three straight days as soldiers continued arson attacks.
The nearby church was reportedly among dozens of structures to be destroyed by the fire, according to CHRO.
The latest attack came within a couple of days of at least 49 buildings including Thantlang Centenary Baptist Church being burned to the ground.
More than 300 houses including four churches have been destroyed by military arson attacks in the town since September.
At least 22 churches have been burned or destroyed by the military along with more than 350 civilian homes in Chin state between August and November, according to the CHRO.
Christian-majority Chin state has been at the forefront of resistance to the junta and has witnessed fierce attacks by the military including air strikes, heavy artillery and indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Hundreds have been arbitrarily detained and dozens killed.
The more than 10,000 residents of Thantlang had already fled their homes as the military targeted homes during indiscriminate shooting and shelling incidents in September.
‘Attacking the cathedral is like attacking the hearts of each of the faithful and all the faithful feel sad due to attacks’
Bishop Hla
Church leaders, including Pope Francis, have called for the military not to target religious buildings as places of worship are the cultural property of a community covered by the international protocol.
Bishop Peter Hla of the Diocese of Pekhon, in southern Shan state, also called on the military not to attack cathedrals and other religious buildings, following the shelling of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pekhon by the military three times in five months.
“Attacking the cathedral is like attacking the hearts of each of the faithful and all the faithful feel sad due to attacks,” Bishop Hla said in a letter.
Pekhon is one of the worst-affected areas along with Loikaw, in Kayah state, since the conflict escalated in May.
At least five Catholic churches in Loikaw have been attacked by the military and a May 23 attack killed four people and wounded eight others, while the cathedral, Marian shrine and convent were attacked.
More than 130,000 civilians have been forced to seek refuge in churches, convents and makeshift camps even while the military is targeting priests and pastors, bombing and vandalizing churches in the predominantly Christian region of Kayah and Chin states.
