Two Churches, Days Apart

What happened#

On October 9, at around 2:30 PM, two Myanmar military jets flying out of Magway airbase made two bombing runs over Mindat in Chin State, dropping four bombs on two locations. One of them destroyed the town’s Presbyterian church compound. No civilian casualties were reported; the building itself was catastrophically destroyed. [1]

Three days later, on October 12 at around 3:30 PM, soldiers from the military’s 33rd and 88th Light Infantry Divisions set fire to the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church in Banmaw, Kachin State — also known as the Shwe Pyi Thar Kachin Baptist Convention church — destroying it along with surrounding civilian homes. [1] [5]

The account above follows the original reporting by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (October 14), with damage photos credited to the Chin Human Rights Organization (Mindat) and Shiga Pyen U (the Htingnan fire). Secondary coverage aggregated CSW’s reporting; where details below come from other sources, that’s noted.

Why it keeps happening#

Chin and Kachin states are heavily Christian, and they are also resistance strongholds. CSW’s assessment is that the destruction serves as a direct retaliatory tactic against the Chin and Kachin resistance movements — punishing civilian populations the junta cannot control. Local reporting supports that reading: local sources and the Kachin Independence Army told CathNews the Htingnan arson came after regime forces suffered heavy casualties in clashes with KIA-led forces, and a domestic Burmese outlet reports the column torched the church during its retreat after taking losses. [1] [5] [6] In these regions churches double as emergency shelters for displaced civilians, schools, and humanitarian distribution hubs, which puts them in the crosshairs twice over. [1]

The scale is larger than two churches. USCIRF’s 2026 annual report (p. 20) records 379 religious sites destroyed in 2025 across all religions, with more than 259 clergy and civilians killed while sheltering at those sites or participating in religious activities. [2] On pastors specifically: data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, cited by the Burma Research Institute as of December 31, 2025, counts 11 pastors killed and 21 arrested since the 2021 coup. [3]

One qualification: there are also reports of the junta striking a Buddhist monastery in Sagaing Region on October 11, but the Burma Research Institute notes it could not independently verify that incident with ground sources — so treat it as local-media reporting, not confirmed fact. [4]

My take#

Call it what it is: the junta is not a government. It is the same military that overthrew Myanmar’s elected government in February 2021 and has been at war with its own people ever since. You don’t accidentally bomb a church compound from the air and torch another one three days later. That is policy — my read, not a line from any leaked order, but look at the pattern and tell me what else you’d call it.

Say a prayer today for the church in Myanmar — the part of the body most of us never think about.

Sources#

1. Christian Solidarity Worldwide, original report, October 14, 2026. https://www.csw.org.uk/press/military-destroys-churches-in-chin-and-kachin-states/
2. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, 2026 Annual Report, p. 20 (covering 2025). https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/USCIRF_2026_AR%20%282%29.pdf
3. Burma Research Institute, “Severe Violations of Religious Freedom Against Christians,” January 2026 — citing Assistance Association for Political Prisoners data as of December 31, 2025. https://burmari.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Burma-Severe-Violations-of-Religious-Freedom-Against-Christians-January-2026.pdf
4. Burma Research Institute, October 14, 2026 — monastery airstrike condemnation, with verification caveat. https://burmari.org/2026/10/14/burma-research-institute-condemns-deadly-airstrike-on-monastery-in-mahasi-sayadaws-birthplace-seikkhun-village-sagaing-region-burma
5. CathNews, October 15, 2026 — “Myanmar Junta Burns Kachin Baptist Church in Bhamo,” citing local sources and the Kachin Independence Army on the Shwe Pyi Thar name and the post-clash retaliation context. https://cathonews.com/article/myanmar-junta-burns-kachin-baptist-church-in-bhamo-a00974
6. m.CDM Domestic News, October 14, 2026 — reports the junta column withdrew from Three-Mile Village after suffering losses and set fire to the KBC church during its retreat. https://moemaka.net/eng/2026/10/october-15-2026-m-cdm-domestic-news/