A pastor was found dead with a gunshot wound on a road beside a hotel in Kanpetlet after he and another religious leader were abducted by regime forces in southern Chin State.
Last Sunday, soldiers grabbed Oum Kee, 30, and the other man from the Church of Christ. His body was found next to the Pan Lay Pyay Hotel in the town on 12 December and buried the next day.
“He was abducted by the soldiers when he arrived at Uk-Hpo village, where fighting is frequent and the Burma Army are targeting local youths,” a male source told Khonumthung News, requesting anonymity. At the time of going to press, it’s unclear whether or not the other pastor is alive or dead.
Fighting with the Chinland Defence Forces escalated in December and the military has suffered many casualties, according to unconfirmed reports from resistance fighters.
Since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government on 1 February, the regime’s forces have killed three Christian leaders in their war against the Chin people.
In addition to Oum Kee, the military has assassinated two other pastors. Ngai Cong was killed on 23 September after the military abducted him in Nga Lai village, Matupi Township. Cung Bik Hung was shot dead for trying to put out house fires set by the military in Thangtlang in the north on 18 September. The junta’s forces have shelled and set fire to about 530 houses in 11 attacks, according to the Thangtlang CDF spokesperson. All 10,000 residents have fled to the Indian border or other areas.
Human rights groups have pointed out that these ongoing abuses by the Burma Army against civilians are both crimes against humanity and war crimes.