Myanmar militia holds graduation with drinking and dancing inside Kachin Baptist church

On Sept. 23, the Shanni Nationalities Army, a proxy force under Myanmar’s Northern Regional Command, held a graduation ceremony for over 400 trainees inside the worship hall of Nant Mun Baptist Church in Nanmun Town, Kachin state. The event featured alcohol consumption and dancing, with more than 100 female recruits among those graduating, according to the Burma Research Institute. Maj. Gen. Aung Zaw Htway, commander of the Northern Regional Command, supervised the ceremony, which was described as a deliberate affront to the local Christian community.

Kachin Baptist leaders such as Rev. Lakang Dau Qae and Rev. La Seng Labya condemned the act as a grave violation of religious freedom and called on Washington to re-designate Myanmar as a Country of Particular Concern and impose sanctions. Christian Solidarity Worldwide urged financial penalties on the commanders and support for evidence-gathering bodies like the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism. The incident follows a broader pattern of attacks on churches across Chin, Kachin and Karen states and recent legal actions against Baptist pastors by the military-controlled Supreme Court.