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Myanmar junta frees arrested Catholic priest

Father Richard Nay Zaw Aung was released after nine days, possibly after signing a letter with conditions
Myanmar junta frees arrested Catholic priest

A motorcyclist waits for monks to pass as they collect alms along a street in Mandalay. (Photo: AFP)

Published: April 22, 2022 04:06 AM GMT
Updated: April 22, 2022 11:39 AM GMT

A priest from Pathein Diocese in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Division who was arrested by the military has been released following mediation by church officials.

Father Richard Nay Zaw Aung was released on the afternoon of April 19, nine days after his arrest.

“He was treated well during detention and questioning by the security forces,” a clergyman from Pathein Diocese told UCA News.

Another church source said the priest might have signed a letter with some conditions prior to the release.

Father Aung, who is an assistant parish priest, was among 13 people, including another priest, two seminarians and laypeople with some catechists, picked up during a raid at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sharge village, Hinthada township, under Pathein Diocese. All except Father Aung were released after being questioned for several hours

The priests, catechists and parishioners were engaged in cooking meals for Palm Sunday celebrations when dozens of soldiers, some in civilian clothes, arrived around 3am to check the guest list, said church sources.

The arrest of Father Aung came within a couple of days of some 100 soldiers raiding the compound of Sacred Heart Cathedral in central Mandalay

The predominantly Buddhist country has so far witnessed some 11 Catholic priests being arrested since May 2021 from Banmaw, Mandalay, Hakha, Taunggyi and Pekhon on suspicions of supporting the rebel People’s Defense Forces.

The arrest of Father Aung came within a couple of days of some 100 soldiers raiding the compound of Sacred Heart Cathedral in central Mandalay, where they searched every building thoroughly including the archbishop's house and clergy home for suspected hidden weapons.

Myanmar’s military junta has specifically targeted churches and related institutions in Christian-dominated Kayah and Chin states, which have witnessed strong resistance to the military regime, mostly from young people including Christians.

A handful of churches from Catholic, Baptist and other denominations have been destroyed or attacked in Chin state in the west, while at least eight Catholic churches from Kayah and a cathedral in Pekhon Diocese have been attacked with artillery shelling and airstrikes on suspicion of providing refuge to displaced people.

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