Watchdog Organization Demands Action After Pastor Reportedly Killed by Myanmar Junta
A Baptist pastor in Myanmar and a second person, another Christian, were martyred by the Burmese military junta after being detained for allegedly supporting an anti-junta resistance group.
On Aug. 26, a funeral was held for Rev. William (no surname), who led Chungcung Baptist Church, located in the country's Chin state, serving the church and its congregation for more than two decades. and Nam Ceu. Ceu, a fellow Christian, was also killed in what is being described as an "extrajudicial killing."
According to a statement from the Burma Research Institute, the reverend and Ceu were taken into custody on May 16. While in captivity, the church made numerous attempts to pinpoint the pastor's location. However, ultimately, both men are thought to have been killed on June 3.
The organization believes the reason for the pastor's death was due to his support for an opposing military force, the Hakha Chinland Defense Force (CDF). The CDF, according to The Christian Post, was fighting the junta group.
Now, following the funerals for the two men, action, a response, is being sought to hold those responsible for the murders of those two men accountable.
“We grieve with his family, his congregation, and our Chin brothers and sisters everywhere. This was an extrajudicial killing, carried out without due process or trial," Rev. Dr. Robin Stoops, Burma Research Institute (BRI) board chairman and former associate general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, said in a statement. "But grief demands action. We call on the international community, and especially the United States, to hold those responsible accountable."
One leader of the BRI is even calling on the White House to get involved in the situation, demanding that they step up and offer aid and protection to Christians in the Asian country. Zo Tum Hmung, BRI's president and CEO, is asking that President Trump and his administration “protect the persecuted Christians in Burma.”
Chungcung Baptist Church was looted and burned in October 2021, the same year that the military launched a coup amid an ongoing civil conflict. The surrounding village, consisting of 300 houses, has been under constant raids since the coup began.
Humanitarian aid in Christian-majority ethnic regions, including Chin, Kayah, Kachin, Karen and parts of Shan states, have experienced military attacks, displacement, shelling and airstrikes. Additionally, Buddhist monasteries and other worship sites are being suspected of aiding ethnic resistance fighters.
At the present time, the military controls only about 14 percent of the country’s territory, while somewhere between 20 percent and 30 percent of ethnic Karen people are Christian.
Myanmar, which is also often referred to as Burma, is not a friendly place to those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. On Open Doors USA’s list of the top 50 countries where Christian persecution takes place, Myanmar comes in at No. 14.
"Christians in Myanmar continue to experience untold suffering because of persecution and conflict, with last year's devastating earthquakes adding to the vulnerability of many believers," according to Open Doors.
The website goes on to add that this dangerous situation for Christians in the country has been an ongoing problem, stating how a military coup five years ago has since left Christians vulnerable.
"Many Christians have been caught in the crossfire, particularly in ethnic minority areas, with believers killed, churches bombed and villages destroyed."
William is survived by his wife and five children.
Photo Credit: ©BurmaResearchInstitute
Originally published September 02, 2026.
