by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Prisoners from one of Myanmar’s predominantly Christian ethnic groups were released recently after spending 6 months in captivity.
52 villagers were taken in February from Paletwa township in western Myanmar’s Chin State by the Arakan Army, a minority ethnic liberation militia at war with the government who claimed the Christians were merely taken to safety amidst the fighting.
"For the Chin captives who were held against their will for months, this is definitely encouraging news that they could finally return home," ICC Regional Manager Gina Goh told Christian Today, apparently disputing the claim.
90% of Chin in Myanmar are believed to be Christian, while up to 95% of Kachin, whose state to the east has been riven with a conflict that has seen 100,000 persons displaced and 60 churches demolished by government bulldozers, maintain some kind of Christian faith.
The Chin Christians were set to have their refugee status revoked by the UN in December when a representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) claimed "the conditions that would normally produce refugees no longer exist" in Chin State.