The Burma Army has allegedly bombed a Roman Catholic Church in Mongkoe town in northern Shan State where it is fighting with the Northern Alliance.
During fighting in Mongkoe, soldiers from the Burma Army took refuge inside the church and stored weapons there. After they lost the battle on 3 December they had to retreat from the town, after which they allegedly bombed the church where their weapons were still stored.
A local resident said to KNG: “The Burma Army hid the weapons in the church because they thought nobody would dare to shoot at the church. When they knew that they could not win, they bombed the church. It probably happened on 3 December.”
After the Northern Alliance retreated from Mongkoe on 4 December Burmese soldiers took back control of the town and allegedly set fire to houses in Mongkoe wards: 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Local residents claim that over 100 houses have been destroyed.
The church allegedly bombed by the army was located in Ward 5.
Burma Army soldiers also allegedly set fire to all the paddy stocks of farms near to Monk Ko on 5 December.
Most of Mong Ko had already been destroyed by airstrikes, allegedly launched against civilian houses, on 3 December and in the days prior to then.
Chinese, Kachin, Lisu, Palaung (Ta’ang), and Wa people live in Mongkoe.
Fighting broke out between the Burma Army and the Northern Alliance on 20 November and all the residents from Mongkoe have been sheltering in Man Hai in China.
