Myanmar Buddhist Army shelled on Kachin Christian Prayer Hill

A popular Kachin weblog Jinghpawkasa reported  on January 16, 2013,  Myanmar Tactical Headquaters at Hpakant township  had shelled on the Christian Prayer Hill of Maw Wan village at 3 pm. No one was injured except the pastor of Maw Wan Baptist church, and had admitted to a private clinic for hearth attack causing by the artillery fire. The report said the local baptist church was slightly damage and the cross erected on the hilltop was also hit by the shelling.

The report said Myanmar Army Bn.No.228 was stationed on the prayer hill,  and withdrew just in the past two weeks ago. Before the shelling was started Captain Lwan Moe Aung of Bn.228, Myanmar Army had a telephone conversation with the pastor. The captain told Myanmar Army will shell on the prayer hill  and when the pastor try to request not to shell, the phone was disconnected said the report.

After the shelling was over the pastor call  Myanmar captain and explained there were over 400 refugees sheltering at the foothill, and not to resume Myanmar artillery shelling. Since the second telephone contact had made the shelling was ceased untill now said the report.

Again at around 8 pm the same day , the Myanmar colonial officer Captain Lwan Moe Aung called the youth leader of Maw Wan and explained it was not the Myanmar shelling, but just an explosion from the trash site. But the youth leader had insisted that they saw smokes of artillery shelling on the Myanmar Army camp during the firing with their naked eyes.

The blog writes Myanmar Army fires repeatedly on Kachin christian churches since Kachin-Myanmar War outbreaks. In June, 2012 Myanmar Army shelled 12 rounds on Seng Tong Kachin Baptist Church and Chinese Baptist Church. On October, 2012 a motor shell was exploded on Maw Wan Baptist Church and 6 christians were injured said the blog.

Presently Christians are not allow to enter the Prayer Hill, and anyone who wants to pray on the hill needs to get permission from Hpa Kant base Myanmar Colonial Army, the Kachin weblog wrote in Burmese.