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Surrounding the church with landmines does not surprise Frank Bird (pictured).
The New Zealand priest has just returned from the Myanmar-Thai border.
Landmines surround a Catholic church in Myanmar. Before mining it, the military had been using the church as a kitchen.
The military junta’s mining of the Mother of God church in Mobye, a town in southern Shan state, came after occupying the church for several days while they conducted air strikes and used heavy weapons to destroy over 100 homes and displace over 5,000 people.
The military recently retreated from the church; parishioners were urged not to go near the church building.
Landmines “no surprise” says local priest
Bird says he is sadly no longer surprised by the actions of the Myanmar military.
“I think one of their military tactics is to keep people afraid. They do anything that creates terror and uncertainty,” Bird told CathNews.
“The disruption of normal life means that they are in control.
“So laying landmines, limiting travel, constant surveillance and stopping on roads are tactics to keep people afraid.”
Bird says religious sisters have told him that to stay alive, they hide in the toilet at night. It’s their only option: the military fire into the windows if a light is on and the toilet is the only place without a window.
The reason: the military doesn’t want people moving around at night. “It’s all part of living under constant fear,” Bird says
He says the military is not just targeting religious women.
Recently he spoke with a young man chased by the military with a view to capturing him. He fled from Myanmar across the border.
The military has fixed ideas about who to target, Bird says.
Take people on motorbikes, for instance. The military rule in the community is that it’s permissible for ‘a man and a woman to be on a motorbike.’ Two men on a motorbike, however could be part of the resistance. They risk being shot.
“Every day is a fearful experience,” Bird says.
Calling the experience soul-destroying, he says young talented people are losing hope for their lives and their futures.
Access to the internet in Myanmar is intermittent, although it is more regular than formerly, Bird says.
He’s accusing the military of providing the internet with the hope of catching and imprisoning people.
“Every time you get stopped on the road or in the village or in the towns on the street, the military ask people for their phones, which they then search.
“So the common practice before going out every day is to delete all the social media platforms because that’ll be the first thing that military check.”
Turning on the internet is a way of making young people fearful and afraid, he says. It’s a very tangible reminder not to join the resistance and not connect with each other and any resistance group.
Bird is a member of the Marist Asia Foundation team that works on the Thai-Myanmar border, supporting Myanmar migrants through education, health and pastoral care.
Sources
- Interview
- UCANews.com
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