Conflicts & War

Myanmar military intensifies bombing against civilians in Chin province

Bangkok, Sep 19 (EFE).- Myanmar’s military junta intensified attacks against civilians in the Chin state over the weekend, as the armed conflicts in the country have intensified after the Feb. 1 coup.

At least 19 houses were destroyed in artillery fire by the Myanmar military on Saturday in the town of Thantlang, while soldiers also clashed with civil defense groups in Harkha, also situated in Chin.

Local media reports said that soldiers had killed a Christian pastor who came out to try and put out a fire in a house hit by the bombing, allegedly also cutting his finger to steal a wedding ring.

“The murder of a Baptist minister and bombing of homes in Thantlang, Chin State are the latest examples of the living hell being delivered daily by junta forces against the people of Myanmar,” tweeted United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews

“The world needs to pay closer attention. More importantly, the world needs to act,” he added.

According to the un Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 206,000 people have been displaced by the conflict after the February coup, and 3 million people are in need of aid.

The Myanmar junta justifies the coup citing alleged electoral fraud in November’s elections, in which Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory, and which were considered free and fair by international observers.

Since the coup, street protests have continued against the military junta across the country, while a civil disobedience movement has paralyzed the administration as well as the private sector.

At least 1,109 people have lost their lives as a result of the violent repression of protests by security forces, while at least 6,613 opponents are being detained, according to the Association for Assistance of Political Prisoners

The coup has also intensified the ongoing armed conflict in the country with the formation of new defense groups against the junta, many of them working under the umbrella of the opposition’s alternative government, consisting of former lawmakers and activists. EFE

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