On Saturday in Chin State, a Baptist pastor by the name of Cung Biak Hum was shot by junta soldiers.
Earlier that day, the military had suffered serious losses in clashes against the Chin Defense Force in Thantlang. The CDF announced that they had killed 30 soldiers, but had themselves suffered no losses. In response, the military has begun to fire on Thantlang citizens as if in battle. They are firing on the people from the army base in town, from the police post, and from a hill above the township.
That night, houses in Thantlang broke out in flames as a consequence of some of those military shellings. Cung Biak Hum, alongside other residents, went out to extinguish the flames. In response, the military shot him in the chest two times and cut off his ring finger. His body was found an hour later. Reverend Dr Lal Uk, chair of the local Baptist association, told MyanmarNOW that he believes the military took his finger in order to steal his wedding ring. Pastor Cung Biak Hum’s wife and their two young sons held his funeral on Sunday, and now continue their journey without him.
He and other residents had attempted to extinguish fires that ended up consuming 18 houses.
The Chin Baptist Convention condemned the military and accused them of ransacking and occupying churches in this war. They warned against the political, religious, and racial divisions that these actions can create in their already complicated nation.
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for the Lord to comfort and provide for Cung Biak Hum’s wife and two sons, and pray the church comes around them and supports them in this time.
2. Pray against desperation, fear, and recklessness in soldiers. Pray for God’s mercy and salvation to fall on these men and women.
