by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
CHIN STATE, MYANMAR (Worthy News) – A Baptist pastor was shot dead while returning from church work in western Myanmar’s Chin State in an attack that Christian advocates and a resistance group have blamed on the country’s military.
Reverend Dal Thawn Tuang, 49, was traveling home to Lamzang village on September 14 when he was shot near the Kapte bridge. He died from three gunshot wounds, according to the Burma Research Institute (BRI).
Tuang had served Lamzang Baptist Church as an assistant pastor for 22 years. His funeral was held in the village on September 16, Worthy News learned.
BRI said Myanmar’s military shot him. The resistance group PDF-Zoland claimed the gunmen were military prisoners who had escaped its custody the previous day. BRI did not identify the shooters as escaped prisoners.
CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN MYANMAR
Local news outlet Khonumthung reported that Tuang had wounds to his chest, abdomen and thigh. A resident who described the injuries said they appeared inconsistent with an accidental shooting during nearby clashes, but could not identify the gunmen.
The killing comes amid a civil war that began after Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021. Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, but Chin State has a Christian majority and is a center of armed resistance. Religious freedom monitors say the military has attacked communities it suspects of supporting its opponents, including Christians.
BRI also linked Tuang’s death to the earlier killings of Reverend William, another Baptist pastor in Chin State, and fellow Christian Nam Ceu. The institute said military forces detained the two men in May and killed them in June without trial after accusing William of supporting an armed opposition group.
BRI had documented broader violence against Christians since the coup. Citing figures from Christian advocacy group Open Doors for 2022 through 2025, its report said 149 Christians had been killed and 218 imprisoned.
ATTACKS ON CHURCHES
BRI further estimated that 343 churches and related buildings had been damaged or destroyed since the coup.
The Tiddim Baptist Convention, to which Tuang’s church belongs, honored its late pastor as a faithful servant of God in a condolence letter to his family and congregation.
That letter did not identify who killed him. Tuang is survived by his wife and children.
In a statement to Worthy News, Christian advocacy group Voice of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC) urged prayers for the families and communities of Tuang, William and Ceu.
It asked that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” would comfort those grieving, and called for justice, peace and freedom of worship throughout Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
