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Conflict between the army and forces opposing military rule has escalated in recent days in eastern Myanmar near the border of the Shan and Kayah states, with dozens of security forces and local fighters killed, according to residents and media reports.
Thousands of civilians have also fled their homes as a result of the fighting and have also suffered casualties.
“With excruciating grief and pain, we record our suffering for the attacks on innocent civilians who have sought refuge in the Sacred Heart Church, Kayanthayar,” Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, who is Archbishop of Yangon, said in a letter posted on Twitter as quoted from Reuters, Wednesday (26/5/2021).
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Bo said the church in Loikaw district, the capital of Kayah State bordering Thailand, suffered severe damage during the attack on Sunday evening.
Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist but some areas including Kayah have large Christian communities.
“Acts of violence, including continuous shootings, using heavy weapons on the feared group which consists mainly of women and children have caused casualties,” he said.
“This needs to stop. We beg all of you … please don’t escalate the war,” he appealed.
Bo said that churches, hospitals and schools are protected during conflicts by international conventions.
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He said the attacks had prompted people to flee into the jungle with more than 20,000 people displaced and in dire need of food, medicine and hygiene.
Other residents in the area are trying to help displaced people who have left their homes. Their number is estimated to have risen to between 30,000 and 50,000 this Wednesday and are still using the church as a shelter.
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