Ten members of a rebel group have been arrested in connection with the killing of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a Catholic priest fatally attacked last week in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, the country’s shadow government said.
Father Ye Naing Win, 44, is believed to be the first Catholic priest killed since the civil conflict erupted following the military’s February 2021 coup, Radio Free Asia reported.
He was attacked on February 14 in the compound of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Kan Gyi Taw village, Shwebo township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, the National Unity Government (NUG) said in a statement Monday.
The 10 suspects were captured the same day by the Shwebo branch of the NUG’s armed People’s Defense Force (PDF), along with other local rebel groups. As the suspects belong to local defense forces, the NUG’s shadow Defense Ministry is conducting a court-martial.
The NUG “strongly condemns any acts of targeting civilians, including religious leaders,” the statement said.
While the NUG did not specify a motive, Myanmar Now reported that Father Ye Naing Win was suspected of being an informer for the military junta.
Sagaing, a stronghold of the majority Burman community, has been a flashpoint of violence since pro-democracy activists formed defense forces to resist military rule after the coup.
Christians make up around 6 percent of Myanmar’s population, while nearly 90 percent are Buddhists.
