International concern: Situation of the Christian minority in Myanmar

More than half of Kiah's 300,000 population have been displaced by the escalation of the conflict. Many live in forests with limited access to humanitarian aid. This remote and mountainous area is known as one of the Christian areas in the country with a Buddhist majority. About 90,000 Catholics live in the state.

The Burmese military (Tatmado) continues to ignore requests from Catholic leaders to protect churches and deliberately attacks churches in Myanmar's predominantly Christian areas of Kiya State.

As the war intensified, at least seven Catholic churches were hit by artillery shelling and airstrikes. People in the area hear gunshots, airstrikes and shelling every day. On February 10, a Baptist church and a refugee camp in a village in Demosu County were also shot at and one person was injured.

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dokhu District, Luikawa County, was attacked by army airstrikes on January 12, and the bell tower was destroyed, and windows, images, and crosses were destroyed by Tatmado soldiers on February 14. They camped inside the church to use it as a base.

One year after the Tatmadu coup to overthrow the democratically elected civilian government, the military regime is facing constant battles with ethnic armed organizations and local defense groups across the country. States with larger Christian populations have come under more attack.

 

_{Source and Credit: CN, CP}