Salai Za Uk Ling

As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas, tens of thousands of Christians in Chin State, Myanmar, face a dark and devastating reality. Instead of gathering in the warmth and safety of their churches, they will be forced to assemble in makeshift shelters, constantly in fear of airstrikes and military brutality. Nearly 100 churches have been obliterated in ruthless arson, artillery, and air attacks by Myanmar’s military regime. This is not collateral damage – it is a targeted and deliberate assault on Myanmar’s Christian minority, part of a long-standing policy of religious discrimination aimed at breaking their spirit and extinguishing their will to resist.

Since the military coup of 2021, in Chin State alone, 17 religious leaders, including seven pastors, have been killed, with four more disappeared, their fate unknown. For the Chins, a predominantly Christian ethnic group, this is nothing less than a coordinated campaign to erase their faith, their culture, and their identity. More than a quarter of a million Chins have been forced to flee their homes, now displaced within their own homeland. With their churches reduced to ashes, they gather in fear under the open sky or in hastily erected shelters, knowing that even in prayer, they are not safe from the relentless bombardment.

In a heartbreaking tragedy, four internally displaced persons (IDPs), including a couple in their sixties, were killed in a car accident on Saturday, December 21. They were on their way to reunite with family members for a Christmas celebration in an IDP camp in the village of Salen, a brief respite from the terror that has engulfed their lives. The families, displaced alongside more than 10,000 residents of Thantlang, had fled after their town was attacked repeatedly and completely destroyed by the regime in 2021. Their journey was one of hope, a brief attempt to reclaim a sense of normalcy amid the horror, only to end in devastating loss.

In a recent, senseless act of brutality, four family members were killed, and ten civilians were seriously injured in a midnight airstrike on a village with no military presence or combatants. This village, like so many others, has become a killing field for Myanmar’s military – an indiscriminate theatre of violence against unarmed civilians whose only crime is their faith.

These atrocities do not just concern Myanmar’s Christian population; they are an assault on religious freedom itself. Under international human rights law, including Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is fundamental. The deliberate destruction of churches, the killing of religious leaders, and the forced displacement of entire communities for their faith are gross violations of these principles. Myanmar’s military junta is flagrantly violating the basic human right to religious freedom, which the international community has a duty to protect.

While these atrocities unfold, our brothers and sisters in Myanmar, of all faiths, are not just facing the loss of their homes, churches, and loved ones – they are struggling for their very survival. In neighbouring India, the state of Mizoram, which shares deep ethnic and religious ties with the Chin people, has opened its doors to nearly 100,000 refugees fleeing this reign of terror. Yet, even here, they are barely scraping by, with inadequate resources and little international support.

Global Religious Freedom Response Needed Now

What of the global community that professes to uphold religious freedom and human rights? The response has been shamefully slow. As lives are lost daily, we cannot afford to remain indifferent. This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Christ and the hope He brings, we must also remember that hope is being crushed under the heel of military oppression in Myanmar. This is a moment to defend religious freedom in Myanmar with conviction, not just through words, but through tangible actions.

This is a call to action, not just for prayers, but for concrete steps. Religious communities around the world – Christian or otherwise – must rise in defense of their persecuted brothers and sisters. We must demand that our governments and leaders intervene, that they act swiftly and decisively to stop the slaughter. The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, alongside the UN Human Rights Council, must prioritize the situation in Myanmar. We must ensure that the plight of Burma’s religious minorities is not met with silence or apathy, but with a global outcry that forces the world to take notice.

The Cross-Border Challenge: Navigating Unpredictable Policies and Infrastructure Breakdown

Beyond the horrors unfolding inside Chin State, those attempting to provide humanitarian assistance along the India-Burma border face increasingly unpredictable challenges. While the border was once more accessible, shifting conditions on the ground – particularly the growing control of resistance forces over territories – have led to sudden changes in Indian policy, creating uncertainty for cross-border operations. This unpredictability has stifled the flow of aid, with new restrictions imposed due to security concerns and complex political dynamics.

At the same time, the already dire situation is compounded by the lack of basic communication and transportation infrastructure on the Burmese side. The military junta has enforced widespread internet shutdowns and telecommunications blackouts across much of Chin State, making it nearly impossible to coordinate aid efforts or even assess the needs of displaced communities in real time. Roads and transport networks have been severely damaged or blocked, and the isolation of many areas has worsened, making the region even more challenging to navigate than other Myanmar border regions, where humanitarian operations benefit from better connectivity and infrastructure.

These conditions have created one of the most difficult operating environments for humanitarian actors, requiring innovative and flexible strategies to reach those in need, despite the near-total breakdown of communication and transportation networks in parts of Chin State.

A Call for Swift International Support and Community-Based Protection

These compounded difficulties necessitate urgent and flexible intervention from the international community, particularly from the United States, European, and Australian governments. The current aid delivery mechanisms, constrained by diplomatic protocols, bureaucratic hurdles, and geographical isolation, must be rethought to better align with the complex realities on the ground. More flexible cross-border arrangements are essential, and international actors must work closely with trusted local partners who have a proven track record of operating along the India-Burma border.

A critical component of this strategy involves engaging in nuanced and respectful dialogue with India. Given India’s sensitivities toward international presence on its soil, it is vital to work collaboratively with Indian authorities to explore ways to channel aid from the global community in ways that respect India’s sovereignty while ensuring that aid reaches those in need along its borders with Myanmar. This cooperation could include logistical support, cross-border access, and streamlined bureaucratic procedures to expedite the flow of humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the conflict.

Moreover, as the conflict in Myanmar intensifies, with the junta’s use of airstrikes and other forms of military aggression, international partners must provide the financial resources and technology necessary to strengthen community-based protection mechanisms. This includes equipping local communities with tools to defend themselves, as well as enhancing efforts to document and investigate crimes committed by the military. Financial support must be directed toward expanding human rights documentation that meets international legal standards, ensuring that this evidence can be used in future accountability mechanisms and transitional justice efforts. Given the operational challenges along the India-Myanmar border, close cooperation with India in facilitating this work is crucial to protecting those most at risk.

Supporting Human Rights Defenders

As these challenges mount, the international community must also recognize the critical need for sustained support for human rights defenders. Organizations like the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) are leading the fight for justice and accountability in Burma. CHRO’s expertise in documenting human rights abuses and leading justice initiatives is unparalleled, and with additional support, it can expand its work to share knowledge and resources with other human rights groups across the country.

Conclusion: Act Now

The time to act is now—before more religious sites are desecrated, more lives are taken, and more hope is lost. This Christmas, let our faith move us beyond the sanctuary of our own churches and into the fight for justice, peace, and survival for those who have been targeted for their belief, whether they are Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. In the face of this brutal oppression, we cannot remain passive. Religious freedom is a universal human right, and it must be defended with all our strength. Lives depend on it.

Salai Za Uk Ling, a rights activist for the past nearly three decades, is executive director of the Chin Human Rights Organization and contributes to international media advocating human rights, religious freedom and democracy in Myanmar.