• Burmese
Sunday, June 22, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Virgin Mary Statue Destroyed in Myanmar’s Shan State; Ethnic Kayan Accuse Pa-O Militia

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
January 21, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
The damaged Virgin Mary statue in Pinlaung Township in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in January 2020. / Head Committee of Kayan National Unity

The damaged Virgin Mary statue in Pinlaung Township in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in January 2020. / Head Committee of Kayan National Unity

5.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Head Committee of Kayan National Unity (HCKNU) has asked the authorities of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in southern Shan State to take action against the people who destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary belonging to an ethnic Kayan Catholic community.

The statue of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic icon, near an ethnic Kayan minority community in Pinlaung Township was destroyed by a group of people who shot the statue in the head and destroyed its hand using stones on Jan. 18 or 19, according to local sources.

“In order to avoid religious and ethnic conflict, we have asked [authorities] to take action. This was a violation of religious freedom under the 2008 Constitution and we condemn the action,” the HCKNU said in a statement issued Monday.

RelatedPosts

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
659
Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

June 13, 2025
1.5k
China Lead Mine Weighs Heavily on Myanmar’s Padaung Ethnic Group

China Lead Mine Weighs Heavily on Myanmar’s Padaung Ethnic Group

June 11, 2025
716

Local Kayan people were preparing to hold a religious festival to pay respect to the statue on Jan. 23 and 24 and went to clean the statue on Jan. 17. The statue is located outside a village and local residents say it was destroyed when they were not around. They found that the statue was destroyed late in the evening of Jan. 19.

The HCKNU accused the Pa-O National Army (PNA), an armed group in the area, of involvement in the action.

“[The PNA] may not want us to hold the celebration, so they may have destroyed it,” said HCKNU spokesperson Khun Tin Nu.

The PNA is a Pa-O ethnic armed group that has served as a local militia for the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone since they were transformed into a border guard force in 2009.

PNA Captain Kyaw Lwin told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that he did not think PNA members would destroy the statue and denied the HCKNU’s accusation.

“We have troops based in the area but I do not think my troops would act like that,” said Capt. Kyaw Lwin.

He said that he helped the HCKNU to build the statue last year by donating water and money.

The religious statue was built last year despite opposition from local militia members, according to the HCKNU.

The HCKNU said the ethnic Kayan community in Pinlaung does not have the freedom to practice their religion and that local militia have often threatened their rights.

“We are an ethnic minority in this region. We should have the right to protect our religion, but our right has been violated,” said Khun Tin Nu.

You may also like these stories:

Arakan Army Releases Myanmar MP Held Since November

China Pledges 4 Billion Yuan in Aid to Myanmar

Your Thoughts …
Tags: ChristianityHead Committee of Kayan National UnityKayanPa-O National ArmyPa-O Self-Administered ZoneShan State
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows
Burma

‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows

by Yuzana
January 5, 2024
28.4k

Many of the more than 200 junta troops captured on Wednesday at Shan State outpost after brief battle were medics,...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay

by The Irrawaddy
June 27, 2024
18.2k

Ethnic army and PDF allies capture two dozen junta bases in three days of fighting in townships along the road...

Read moreDetails
China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army
Myanmar-China Watch

China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army

by The Irrawaddy
September 2, 2024
13.6k

The Chinese Embassy’s Facebook has been swamped with comments condemning a Chinese agency’s warning to the TNLA to stop fighting...

Read moreDetails
Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta
Analysis

Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta

by Ko Oo
July 17, 2024
13.3k

The UWSA has expanded its territory in Shan State without firing a single shot.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio

by The Irrawaddy
July 6, 2024
11.5k

The Brotherhood Alliance and its allies are battling to drive junta troops from hilltop bases in three wards of Shan...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Former Tanintharyi chief minister Daw Lei Lei Maw. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Ex-Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister to Face Corruption Charges

Myanmar security forces patrol near the Bangladeshi border in northern Rakhine. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar President Sends Report on Massacres of Rohingya by Security Forces to Military Chief for More Prosecutions

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

2 days ago
887
The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

3 days ago
659

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Residents of Myanmar Ruby Hub Speak Out as TNLA Mining Takes Toll

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.