Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Yangon (Agenzia Fides) – Local Christians and NGOs such as "Christian Solidarity Worldwide" (CSW) condemned the rape and murder of two Kachin women in their church compound and called on the government of Burma to "immediately stop its military offensives and bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice".
The two women, Maran Lu Ra, aged 20 and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin, 21, were teachers from Myitkyina, working with the Kachin Baptist Convention as volunteers in the village of Shabuk-Kaunghka in Shan state, in the north-east of Myanmar. They were attacked dring the night of January 19 by Burma Army soldiers, gang-raped and murdered. According to CSW’s sources, "Burma Army troops came into the church ground where the girls were sleeping and raped and then beat them to death. Villagers nearby heard the girls screaming and when they went to check they saw Burma Army boot prints and the raped and bloodied bodies of the dead girls. … The church members went to the Burma police in this area, but the police have taken no action. The violence perpetrated by the military against the civilian population often remain unpunished.
The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand has documented over 70 cases of gang-rape against the Kachin population, by Burma Army troops since the Burma Army broke a 17-year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in June 2011. The Women’s League of Burma published a new report last year, titled "If they had hope, they would speak", which documents 118 cases of sexual violence by the Burma Army since 2010. The government of Burma signed the Declaration to End Sexual Violence in Conflict last year, but has failed to implement its provisions.
The note of CSW concludes: "This tragic rape and murder of two young Christian Kachin teachers is yet another example of the continuing severe violations of human rights in Burma, the prevailing culture of impunity for the military. We call on the government of Burma to end the war against the Kachin people and engage in a genuine political dialogue and peace process". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/01/2015)
