At least two Christian civilians were captured and killed in the village of Htin Chaung, Mindat Township, Chin State by the Myanmar military on 30 May.
The two men, aged 16 and 60, were shot and killed by soldiers who also burned down ten houses in the area, according to a report from Barnabas Aid.
‘One of them was my friend’s younger brother, and the other was the father of a church minister,’ said a local resident. ‘They were ordinary villagers with no connection to any armed groups.’
It is estimated that more than 17,000 people have been forced from their homes. Many have taken refuge in a camp for internally displaced people.
A spokesperson for the committee that runs the camp said the regime is blocking NGOs and humanitarian groups from entering, and it is also restricting food and supplies from getting to the camp.
For decades the Tatmadaw have persecuted Myanmar’s small Christian community, estimated at 6.2% of the population, both for their religion and their ethnicity. Most Christians belong to the Chin, Kachin, and Karen ethnic groups.
