A Christian pastor who was arrested at his home in Chin State’s Kanpetlet Township on Saturday was found dead two days later, according to local resistance sources.
The body of Om Kee, a 29-year-old pastor and missionary, was discovered lying on the side of a road on Monday, an officer with the Chinland Defence Force (Kanpetlet) told Myanmar Now.
“We found his body on the road near the Hotel Zone. There were injuries to his head and stomach that appeared to be bullet wounds,” the CDF officer said.
He was given a burial at the Myo Haung cemetery in Kanpetlet on Monday afternoon, he added.
Myanmar Now tried to contact the Kanpetlet central police station regarding the death of the missionary and the discovery of his body, but all calls went unanswered.
On November 1, the group released a statement accusing the military of setting fire to several churches and destroying church property in Falam and Thantlang townships.
The spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous, said the junta has also stationed troops in churches, in a clear violation of the rights of Chin people, most of whom are Christian.
A spokesperson for the Institute of Chin Affairs, which has been documenting the regime’s human rights abuses in Chin State, condemned the killing as just the latest attack on members of the clergy in the state.
Last week, it was reported that junta troops torched at least 18 buildings in Thantlang, including the church where ousted Vice President Henry Van Thio worshipped.
One casualty of that attack was Cung Biak Hum, a pastor who was killed while trying to put out a fire in Thantlang on September 18.Hundreds of homes and other structures, including churches, have been destroyed in the town since a military assault in September forced the majority of its 10,000 residents to flee.
Another Chin pastor, Salai Ngwe Kyar, died in custody last week after being detained in Magway Region on suspicion of having links to the anti-regime People’s Defence Force.
The junta has intensified its offensives in Chin State and Magway Region since early October, in the face of fierce resistance from local groups opposed to military rule.
According to the CDF (Kanpetlet) officer, there are at least 170 regime troops currently stationed in Kanpetlet, which borders Magway Region.
