On Sept. 23, a proxy military force operating under the supervision of the Myanmar military’s Northern Regional Command conducted a military graduation ceremony inside the sanctuary of Nant Mun Baptist Church in Nanmun Town, Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, Myanmar (formerly Burma).
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, more than 400 members of the Shanni Nationalities Army took part in the graduation ceremony, while local reports indicated militia members consumed alcohol and danced inside the church sanctuary during the event.
Systematic strategy?
The ceremony was overseen by Major General Aung Zaw Htway, commander of the Northern Regional Command, one of the Myanmar Armed Forces’ key regional command structures. It took place in an area where most Kachin residents have been forcibly displaced since early 2024 amid the ongoing conflict.
CSW described the incident as a severe violation of religious freedom and an act of state-sanctioned desecration, reflecting what it characterized as a broader, systematic strategy by the Myanmar military and its proxy forces to weaponize religious spaces and undermine freedom of religion or belief in ethnic minority areas.
Across Chin, Kachin and Karen States, hundreds of churches and Christian institutions have reportedly been targeted by airstrikes, arson and artillery shelling, while others have been forcibly converted into military bases, command posts, or venues for junta propaganda.
Reports confirmed
According to a report by the Union of Catholic Asian News, two churches in Kachin State have been used as military training sites. Sources confirmed forces from the Shanni Nationalities Army, together with junta forces, continue to use the Kachin Baptist Church and the compound of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Nantmun Town for military training.
According to sources, the militia group has conducted training for six military batches inside the Kachin Baptist Church, with the most recent batch graduating in late September.
In reference to the Sept. 23 graduation ceremony, CSW Founder and President Mervyn Thomas said in a statement: “Converting a sacred house of worship into a military venue accompanied by deliberate acts of disrespect inside the sanctuary is a grave violation of freedom of religion or belief. The junta and its proxy militias consistently weaponise religious spaces to intimidate ethnic and religious minority communities.”
Call for accountability
“We join Kachin faith leaders in calling for immediate international accountability and targeted measures, including financial sanctions against military commanders orchestrating these abuses,” he said.
Thomas reiterated calls for the international community to cut off all international supplies of weapons, military hardware, and aviation fuel to the Myanmar Armed Forces, while supporting independent evidence-gathering bodies, including the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, in documenting religious persecution and war crimes for use in international legal proceedings.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Faith Pratt and originally published by the Baptist Standard.
