Around 100 junta soldiers stormed a village in Hpakant township, Kachin state, Myanmar. The forces detained about 200 villagers initially for questioning. The troops gathered the people at the local school and began threatening them. A local eyewitness said,

“More than 200 villagers were held in the school initially. They said they would shoot up the village if they [junta troops] were attacked. They made threats to scare us.”

Out of the 200 villagers, more than 30 were taken away for further questioning. They were accused of supporting rebels. The rebel force in question is the Kachin Independence Army, which fights against the military junta and has achieved significant successes in the last few months.

Among the detainees were three Christian pastors, five teenagers, and many Christians. The questioning was paired with a beating. After nine hours of detention and questioning by force, the troops released the villagers.

These kinds of atrocities against villagers and religious people are not uncommon. In Kachin state, Christians make up more than one-third of the population. In recent months, there have been multiple cases of violence and murder against Christians and clergymen.

Source: Radio Free Asia

Photo: Allyson Neville-Morgan