{"id":32227,"date":"2022-12-02T16:59:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T11:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarnewsgazette.com\/?p=32227"},"modified":"2022-12-03T17:00:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T12:00:53","slug":"myanmars-archbishop-calls-for-dialogue-after-military-raid-on-his-home-village","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarnewsgazette.com\/myanmars-archbishop-calls-for-dialogue-after-military-raid-on-his-home-village\/","title":{"rendered":"Myanmar\u2019s Archbishop calls for dialogue after military raid on his home village"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Myanmar\u2019s Catholic Archbishop has called for a peaceful solution to the country\u2019s political crisis following a brutal attack by the military on his home village in embattled Sagaing region, despite public criticism over his dealings with the junta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to RFA Burmese on Thursday, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of the Catholic Episcopal Church of Myanmar, said he was deeply saddened by the bloody Nov. 23 raid on his home village of Mon Hla in Sagaing\u2019s Khin-U township.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 7-year-old child, a 40-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old man \u2013 all civilians \u2013 were killed in the fighting as more than 200 military troops launched a joint land and air attack on the village. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six members of the anti-junta People\u2019s Defense Force were also killed in the fighting, and military troops set fires that destroyed more than 200 of the village\u2019s 700 buildings in the raid, including a church and school built with donations from the religious leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A member of the Khin-U Township PDF told RFA at the time that fighters with his group returned fire to defend Mon Hla, stopping the military\u2019s advance, but attack helicopters were sent to the area to assist the troops, allowing them to enter the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The raid followed one in May, when troops attacked Chaung Yoe in Taze township and Chan Thar in Ye-U township \u2013 two other Christian-majority villages in the area. In total, nearly 500 buildings were destroyed and some 6,000 people were forced to flee their homes for safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal Bo told RFA that the attack on Mon Hla had left him \u201cgrief-stricken,\u201d and he called for an end to the violence that has left at least 2,553 civilians dead since the military seized power in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup, according to Thailand\u2019s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can never find any solution through war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is of great importance to tame our mind and stay humble and not to choose the path of war and killings to find a solution,\u201d he said. \u201cWar brings us only death and destruction. It pollutes the wholesome state of mind in human nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of the 3,000 residents of Mon Hla village, the birthplace of Cardinal Bo, are Christians of Portuguese descent, known as the Bayingyi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayingyi have been living in Mon Hla, Chaung Yoe, and Chan Thar \u2013 three villages along the Chindwin and Mu rivers, since the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of Myanmar\u2019s King Thalon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The junta has yet to release any information about last month\u2019s attack on Mon Hla. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motives questioned<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday marked the third time Cardinal Bo has called for an end to violence, following an open letter he sent to the junta in March 2021<\/a> amid the military\u2019s brutal crackdown on anti-coup protests and a plea for junta troops to stop targeting religious sites in May this year, after four people were killed by artillery fire while sheltering inside a Catholic church<\/a> in the Kayah state capital Loikaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some have welcomed Cardinal Bo\u2019s call for an end to violence in Myanmar, others have questioned his motives after he appeared in public with junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during Christmas last year, provoking a strong outcry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The archbishop also came under fire last year after pictures of him cutting a cake with the regime leader<\/a> were circulated on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with America Magazine\u2019s Jesuit Review<\/a> marking the one-year anniversary of the coup, Cardinal Bo said that while the leak of the photos to the media was \u201cunfortunate,\u201d he did not regret his actions, which he said he took in the pursuit of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was out of our control, once I had agreed to the meeting. But I was very candid in my intention,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do not regret it in any way. We need to engage the major stakeholders in this country,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom day one of the political shift, I sought to meet both the democracy leaders and the army. The invitation was always there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal Bo said of the meeting with Min Aung Hlaing that it entailed a \u201clong private conversation on that occasion in which he promised many things,\u201d without providing further details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the interview he acknowledged that \u201cthe photos conveyed quite a different message\u201d than what he had agreed to the meeting for, and that \u201cit was not to the liking of some,\u201d but he said he remains hopeful for \u201cgood results in the long run, at a time when resolution can be found through dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardinal Bo was among six Christian leaders who invited public criticism after Min Aung Hlaing bestowed honorary titles on them during a ceremony to mark Myanmar\u2019s 102nd National Day on Nov. 17 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was unclear whether the archbishop\u2019s view of the junta had changed following this week\u2019s attack on Mon Hla village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a report released in October by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 612,400 residents of Sagaing region have fled their homes due to armed conflict since the military coup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Free Asia –Copyright \u00a9 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036Radio Free Europe–Copyright (c) 2015. RFE\/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar\u2019s Catholic Archbishop has called for a peaceful solution to the country\u2019s political crisis following a brutal attack by the military on his home village in embattled Sagaing region, despite public criticism over his dealings with the junta. Speaking to RFA Burmese on Thursday, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of the Catholic Episcopal Church of … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMyanmar\u2019s Archbishop calls for dialogue after military raid on his home village - Myanmar News Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/myanmarnewsgazette.com\/myanmars-archbishop-calls-for-dialogue-after-military-raid-on-his-home-village\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Myanmar\u2019s Archbishop calls for dialogue after military raid on his home village - Myanmar News Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Myanmar\u2019s Catholic Archbishop has called for a peaceful solution to the country\u2019s political crisis following a brutal attack by the military on his home village in embattled Sagaing region, despite public criticism over his dealings with the junta. 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