The Myanmar military has continued to target a historic Catholic village in the country’s Bamar heartland while pressing ahead with attacks on religious buildings in predominantly Christian regions. At least 320 out of the estimated 350 households were burned down during a military raid on Chaung Yoe village in the Sagaing region on May 20, according to local sources.
Thousands of Catholic villagers were forced to flee their homes to nearby safe areas as junta troops set fire to one house after another. Houses in three nearby Buddhist villages were also set ablaze during the military raid on the same day.
Sources said Mary Help of Christians Church, convent and the priest’s house were not damaged. The latest attack came just four days before the annual celebration of Mary Help of Christians on May 24.
“We have no homes and no property. Where will we stay in the village when we return if the situation is deemed safe?”
“It’s so sad. I was in tears when I saw smoke coming out from my village as my house was also burned down,” said a Catholic woman who sought safety among her relatives in a nearby town.