Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), a Kachin Baptist organization which has over 400,000 members, on Wednesday released a statement saying that the offensive war has continued unabated using attack helicopters, fighter jets and numerous troops despite President Thein Sein’s announcement for unilateral ceasefire to be effective on Jan 19.
The statement says the ongoing offensive war in Kachin region destroyed over 200 villages of KBC’s members and damaged 66 Churches which are holy and sacred for Kachin believers. Over 100,000 internally displaced persons left their homes and villages and living under perilous conditions as the war escalated.
Kachin Baptist Convention urged Burmese government to immediately stop its operations in Kachin region as the war could damage the trust and unity among ethnic nationalities. The statement asked government to allow humanitarian assistance from UN and international organizations in all areas. It also demanded, “to stop arbitrary arrests of innocent civilians, to stop firing indiscriminately on refugee camps, to stop harassing and raping women and to respect international human rights laws”.
The statement also said,”no peace can be made by force. To achieve genuine and lasting justice and peace, precise policies and procedures must be set for political dialogues”.
