Two young demonstrators killed in the compound of Catholic cathedral in Myanmar
In the city of Myitkyina, capital of the Kachin State, in the North of Myanmar, which has 550,000 Christians out of a total population of 1.5 million people, many demonstrators took refuge in the compound of the Cathedral of Saint Colomban to avoid beatings and arrest.
However, the soldiers began to open fire against the unarmed young people. The tragic toll is two young people killed and seven injured. The Cathedral compound – reveal Fides sources – was surrounded by the army which intends to hunt down demonstrators.
In this context, we have recently witnessed the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese’s intervention, His Exc. Bishop Francis Daw Tang, and Sister Ann Nu Tawng, the nun who became an “icon” of peace for having blocked the advance of soldiers in recent days by kneeling in front of them.
The nun tried to play the role of mediator between the demonstrators and the soldiers to avoid a massacre. Despite the call to the police force “not to arrest and prosecute peaceful demonstrators”, the agents opened fire and refused to leave the scene.
“The day of 8 March was marked by harsh repression by the security forces against young demonstrators across the country. The agents open fire and claimed more victims than in recent days”, a source in the Kachin State told Agenzia Fides.
Source: Fides.org
