Religious buildings, homes and NGO offices destroyed in Thantlang

An incendiary rocket attack by the Myanmar/Burma army on the town of Thantlang, Chin State, over the weekend of 29-31 October set fire to several buildings. Multiple churches, an orphanage housing more than 20 children and their caretakers, the offices of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Save the Children and the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), and more than 100 homes were destroyed.

The attack began on 29 October when members of the army torched a building attached to Thantlang Baptist Church—the largest congregation in town and the first building fired upon—as well as the pastor’s home and Synod offices of the Presbyterian Church. The Pentecostal Church on the Rock was also burned by the Myanmar army, known as the Tatmadaw.

According to The Independent, the combination of rocket attacks and deliberate arson by soldiers on foot caused devastating damage to at least 164 homes, businesses, churches, and other buildings. The attack follows another assault on the town in September which destroyed 19 homes and caused nearly all of the 10,000-person population to become internally displaced or to seek refuge in India.

The attacks are part of a continuing offensive on four villages in Falam township by the Tatmadaw, which has bragged about their ability to “obliterate Chin in two weeks’ time,” according to Brigadier Gen. Zo Myint Tun on 25 September. CHRO sources report that additional reinforcements are arriving in the area, including 15 trucks that passed through Falam town on the morning of the 29 October attack. The UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, told Al Jazeera that he has “received information that tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons were being moved into restive regions in the north and northwest” where Chin state is located.

Lethal and non-lethal attacks on all segments of the population have occurred since the 1 February coup in which the Tatmadaw seized power, with military airstrikes widely documented in Chin, Kayah, Karen and Kachin states. However, some parts of the country have been particularly targeted.

In response to the 29 October attacks, Dr. Sasa, Union Minister of the Ministry of International Cooperation, Spokesperson of the National Unity Government of Myanmar, and Former Myanmar Special Envoy to the United Nations, said in a statement: “Chin State has been subjected to an extreme campaign of violence and terror by the genocidal military terrorists as a result of the bloody coup. This is not due to any wrongdoing on the part of the people of Chin State. Rather, this is happening because the brave people of Chin State have stood strong in their struggle for their freedom, democracy, faith and rights.”

The Chin Human Rights Organization has called for an immediate response by the United Nations to put an end to the Myanmar military’s continuing attacks on civilians, including the use of military airstrikes, telling The Independent: “At least three villages have been torched in Falam Township, and we can only imagine what will happen when the operation is in full throttle. This is why we need urgent action on the part of the U.N. Security Council to help prevent mass atrocities before they happen.”

Benedict Rogers, CSW’s Senior Analyst on East Asia and author of three books on Myanmar, said: “CSW joins Dr. Sasa and the CHRO in urging the international community to take immediate steps to stop further violations of international law by the Myanmar military, including the targeting of civilians, and calls upon the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to address the situation. We also reiterate our calls for increased international action on the crisis in Myanmar, and re-emphasise the urgent need for a global arms embargo on the country as a means of pressuring the military regime to end its horrific treatment of the people of Myanmar.”