Sunday, February 1, 2015

Burmese soldiers rape and kill two Christian Kachin teachers

 

Burmese soldiers rape and kill two Christian Kachin teachers
By Michael Ireland, Senior Reporter, ASSIST News Service answritermike@gmail.com
(ANS-SHAN STATE, MYANMAR, Jan.30, 2015) -- Two young Christian Kachin women who were working as volunteer teachers for rural village children in Shabuk-Kaunghka in Shan state, Burma (Myanmar) were raped and killed by Burmese soldiers on January 19.
Barnabas Aid (www.barnabasfund.org) says the attack is thought to come in revenge for renewed fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burmese Army.
According to a repprt from Barnabas Aid, clashes broke out again on January 15, forcing over 2,000 Christian-majority Kachin to flee their homes in search of safety. Seizing the village of Hpakant, the Burmese Army has trapped its residents, allowing no one to leave and no aid to get in.
According to Tsa Ji, of the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG), there are 1,000 villagers trapped and church leaders have been prevented from entering the village to help the situation. “No one comes in or out of the village,” he says, “so it is really a bad situation for the villagers; students will miss their education.”
The Kachin are a mainly Christian Burmese people group. Over 200,000 Kachin have been displaced since June 2011, many of whom are living in camps. Barnabas Fund has assisted them with emergency food aid, school materials, basic living supplies, shoes and raincoats for children, and Bibles in the Kachin language.

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