04/02/2022 Myanmar (International Christian Concern) – The Christian-majority Chin state in Myanmar continues to see its churches being targeted and attacked by the Tatmadaw (Burmese Army), a year after the junta attempted to depose the democratically elected civilian government.
According to Chin Human Rights Organization, in its latest offensive against the capital city Hakha, junta troops from Light Infantry Battalion 266 operating under Hakha-based Tactical Operations Command vandalized and looted a symbolic church named after one of the foremost prominent indigenous Chin missionaries among dozens of homes. Sang Fen Memorial Church in Zokhua Village 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 community fled the conflict, the damage and loss caused by the Tatmadaw are estimated to be more than 10 million kyat ($5600).
ICC recently reported that there had been more than 100 religious buildings destroyed by the Tatmadaw. The military junta destroyed over 35 churches and 15 other Christian-affiliated buildings between February 2021 and January 2022 in Chin state alone. In Kayah State, where around 45% of the population is Christian, around 12 churches were destroyed in the same period.
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