Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG) on Monday condemned any violence targeting religious leaders and civilians and pledged to bring justice for a Catholic priest who was murdered in a resistance-controlled part of Sagaing Region.
Fr. Donald Martin Ye Naing Win was brutally murdered by a group of armed men on Friday in Kangyitaw Village in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo Township, which is held by resistance groups loyal to the NUG.
The perpetrators were arrested the same day.
The NUG-aligned People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Shwebo District and other local armed groups, acting on a tipoff, cooperated in the capture of 10 suspects, the NUG’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration said in a statement.
It said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were members of a local defense force and added that it is conducting further investigations.
The NUG “strongly condemns any acts of violence targeting religious leaders and civilians. Regardless of which group commits such acts, we will firmly reject them and ensure that those responsible are investigated and prosecuted according to the law without any discrimination,” the ministry said.
The Shwebo PDF earlier said this particular armed group, from Ta-Ohn village, was a rogue force that was not under NUG command.
On Sunday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) headed by Cardinal Charles Bo demanded justice for Fr. Donald Martin.
Kangyitaw is on the border of Shwebo and Wetlet townships and has both a Christian church and a Buddhist monastery. The village suffered junta arson attacks in 2023.
In January 2023, junta troops torched the 129-year-old Assumption Church in the predominantly Christian village of Chan Thar in Ye-U Township. The regime did not even spare the home village of Cardinal Bo, torching Mone Hla in Khin-U Township in 2022.
