Chin war crimes survivors file second motion in the Philippines for Myanmar military investigation

War crimes survivors from Myanmar’s Chin State and human rights advocates have filed a second “motion to resolve” at the Philippines Department of Justice (DOJ), escalating legal pressure on Manila to launch a formal investigation into the military’s 2021 destruction of Thantlang town.

The landmark legal action, initially lodged in 2023 under universal jurisdiction laws, seeks criminal accountability for the mass arson assault by regime forces that destroyed approximately 1,500 homes, churches, schools, and medical facilities, forcing thousands of civilians to flee across the border into India.

Among those killed were Christian Pastor Cung Biak Hum, who was targeted and mutilated while attempting to deliver medical assistance, and Pa Ral Tu, an unarmed church official who was shot and killed.