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Residents of Town in Myanmar’s Chin State Flee Junta Artillery Barrage

September 20, 2021/in News

The entire population of the mountaintop town of Thantlang in Chin State has fled after being bombarded by Myanmar junta forces during an intense clash with civilian resistance forces on the weekend. Virtually the entire population of around 8,000 residents have already left the town, with just a few dozen people including pastors and senior […]

Junta soldiers kill pastor and cut off his finger as houses burn in Chin town

September 20, 2021/in News

Cum Biak Hum was killed while trying to put out fires caused by junta artillery shells in Thantlang Soldiers shot and killed a Baptist pastor then cut off his finger, apparently to steal his wedding ring, amid clashes between anti-junta fighters and the military in the Chin State town of Thantlang on Saturday. Pastor Cung […]

Residents of Town in Myanmar’s Chin State Flee Junta Artillery Barrage

September 20, 2021/in News

Junta soldiers kill pastor and cut off his finger as houses burn in Chin town

September 20, 2021/in News

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Residents of Town in Myanmar’s Chin State Flee Junta Artillery Barrage

September 20, 2021/in News

The entire population of the mountaintop town of Thantlang in Chin State has fled after being bombarded by Myanmar junta forces during an intense clash with civilian resistance forces on the weekend.

Virtually the entire population of around 8,000 residents have already left the town, with just a few dozen people including pastors and senior citizens remaining, according to Thantlang Placement Affair Committee-IDPs Help (TPAC-IDPs), which is assisting the fleeing residents.

On Saturday, more than 30 junta troops were killed during a shootout with a combined force of the Chinland Defense Force-Thantlang (CDF-T) and Chin National Army (CNA), according to the CDF-T.

After sustaining a large number of casualties, junta forces randomly opened fire on the residential area of the town using heavy weapons and explosives. As a result of the attack, 19 houses burned down.

Christian pastor Cung Biak Hum was also shot dead and his wedding ring looted by Myanmar junta soldiers, who cut off the pastor’s finger.

The pastor was shot dead by junta soldiers when he went outside to help put out the fires caused by the military’s artillery barrage. Junta forces also stole a watch and mobile phone belonging to the pastor.

The next day, the junta’s soldiers roamed the town, arbitrarily opening fire on houses without reason.

The junta’s bombardment and random shootings prompted the whole population to flee the town, an official of TPAC-IDPs told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

He added that emergency assistance was needed for the fleeing residents of Thantlang.

After the parallel National Unity Government’s declaration of a People’s Defensive War against the junta on Sept. 7, urban warfare between the CDF-T and junta forces erupted in Thantlang on Sept. 9.

After that clash, four civilians were injured when junta forces randomly opened fire with heavy explosives and a house was also burned down by the soldiers.

On Sept. 10, a combined force of CDF-T and CAN seized and burned down a military outpost in Lungler Village near the Indian border west of Thantlang.

Irrawaddy News

Junta soldiers kill pastor and cut off his finger as houses burn in Chin town

September 20, 2021/in News

Cum Biak Hum was killed while trying to put out fires caused by junta artillery shells in Thantlang

Soldiers shot and killed a Baptist pastor then cut off his finger, apparently to steal his wedding ring, amid clashes between anti-junta fighters and the military in the Chin State town of Thantlang on Saturday.

Pastor Cung Biak Hum, 31, was among a group of residents who came outside to put out fires that started when junta troops shot artillery shells at the town.

He was shot twice in the chest and his body was found an hour later with his left ring finger missing, said Reverend Dr Lal Uk, the chair of the Thantlang Association of Baptist Churches.

“We believe they cut off the finger to get his ring but we are not exactly sure of it,” the reverend said. “I think it is his wedding ring. The finger was cut off from near the base. Otherwise the ring couldn’t be taken easily.”

Cung Biak Hum’s funeral was held on Sunday morning. He is survived by his wife and two young sons.

The fires he was trying to put out destroyed at least 18 homes and a government building, residents said.

Pastor Cung Biak Hum was shot dead by junta soldiers while trying to extinguish the fires (Cung Biak Hum/Facebook)

The killing happened on the same day that the Thantlang branch of the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), along with forces from the Chin National Army (CNA) clashed with junta soldiers.

The CDF said in a statement that it killed 30 soldiers and suffered no casualties on its side. Myanmar Now was unable to verify this with residents.

Junta forces have been attacking civilian targets since September 11, when a joint force of the CNA and the CDF overran a military outpost in the village of Lungler in Thantlang Township, a Thantlang local told Myanmar Now.

“The soldiers from the army base in the town have been firing like they’re in a battle,” he said. “There is a hill near Thantlang and they have been firing from there. There is a police post in the town as well and they opened fire from there too.”

“They’re the real terrorists. They don’t hesitate to kill the civilians. We, the Chin people, can’t surrender anymore,” he added.

At least one house caught fire in Hakha after junta soldiers shelled the town on Saturday night (The Chinland Post)

Later on Saturday night, another hour-long clash between the military and the CDF was reported in the state capital of Hakha, 35 kilometers from Thantlang. At least three people were injured and a house was set ablaze by artillery fire from the junta’s side, according to Chin State-based media.

The Falam-based Chin Baptist Convention on Sunday condemned the junta’s “barbarous” attacks on religious buildings and property in the state, saying soldiers had occupied churches and ransacked churches.

“We condemn the actions of the Myanmar Tatmadaw, which could create religious and racial conflicts that are far worse and more complicated than current political conflicts,” the convention said in a statement.

Tom Andrews, the UN human rights envoy for Myanmar, called for foreign powers to pay closer attention to the situation in the country.

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

Myanmar Now News

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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