Fr. Michael Aung Ling, a Burmese Catholic priest of the diocese of Hakha, detained yesterday by the regular army on suspicion of supporting the resistance forces in the town of Kanpetlet, in the Burmese state of Chin, was released and is unharmed.

As reported by a source of Agenzia Fides in the local Church, the priest, subjected to a long interrogation but without being beaten or mistreated, explained to the military that the young men from his parish were boarding school students and was released on condition of signing a document in which he formally pledged not to support any movement, group or individual that opposes the regular army. The Catholic community of Hakha – in the Burmese State of Chin, in western Myanmar, on the border with India and Bangladesh – which had launched an appeal and a prayer campaign for the detained priest, expresses their relief as “the Church will continue to support the weak, the vulnerable, the defenseless, the displaced, with the evangelical spirit of compassion, mercy, and charity”, points out a local catechist.

According to information from Agenzia Fides, Fr. Michael Aung Ling, parish priest of St. Joseph Catholic church in Kanpetlet, has returned to his parish residence, he is doing well and is quite serene. He thanks God for the protection he received and says he is grateful to all those who, at the critical moment, prayed for him and expressed solidarity, asking for his release. While the popular resistance forces fighting the army spread across Burmese territory, with the consequent presence of internally displaced persons, leaders and representatives of the Burmese Catholic community continue to carry out non-stop humanitarian work towards innocent civilians, which can sometimes be mistaken with support for the armed resistance. In the State of Chin, where the army imposed martial law on May 13, intense fighting continues between Tatmadaw (Burmese army) and the Chinland Defense Forces: due to the violent reaction of the military, more than 100 thousand people have been forced to flee to the jungle to seek shelter and safety. The displaced are in urgent need of humanitarian aid such as food and medicine.