ULA and Central Religious Affairs Department Cooperate to Fairly Resolve Kyane Chaung Village Christian Church Issue On-Site

News ၊ May 22, 2026

ULA and Central Religious Affairs Department officials holding a field meeting with pastors and villagers to resolve the Kyane Chaung Village Christian church issue (Photo - One Nation News)

Misinformation is currently circulating on social media claiming that local Buddhist Mro ethnic residents destroyed a Seventh-day Adventist church currently under construction in Kyane Chaung Village, Kyauktaw Township, Arakan.

An on-site investigation conducted by the United League of Arakan (ULA) and the Central Religious Affairs Department at the Mro-populated Kyane Chaung Village revealed that the viral reports contradict the actual situation on the ground, according to a field report.

In the current investigation, it was found that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had erected a signboard reading "CHURCH" (meaning a Christian place of worship) in front of a building under construction within the residential compound of Pastor Tun Naing.

Therefore, the structure can be designated as a religious building, and its location is directly adjacent to residential houses.

Furthermore, because the land where the church is being constructed is not registered religious land but rather community-owned land (village common land), the local villagers opposed the construction of a religious building on that spot and subsequently pulled down the signboard and left it at the site.

Field investigation in Kyane Chaung Village confirmed that the incident involved only the pulling down of the signboard in front of the building, and there was no destruction of either the signboard itself or the building.

The Arakan Central Religious Affairs Department also pointed out that since the church is a religious facility, building such structures on lands not designated as religious land is prohibited under land laws.

Regarding this matter, U Maung San Hla, an official from the Central Religious Affairs Department, told "Whether according to land law or religious traditions, religious buildings cannot be constructed on land that is not official religious land. If one wishes to build, the current land category must first be legally converted into religious land with government approval."

ULA officials summoned the Christian pastors building the church and clarified to them that such construction was incorrect, explaining that if they wished to proceed with the building, they must follow proper legal procedures.

On the other hand, the ULA met with the Buddhist villagers and cautioned them that taking matters into their own hands to knock down the signboard in front of the church was inappropriate, advising that they should have notified local authorities instead.

A ULA official stated: "Rather than focusing on who is right or wrong, both sides must exercise restraint to prevent a minor community-level dispute from escalating. While the Buddhists pulled down the signboard, the leadership of the Adventist church also committed a legal infraction. Therefore, both sides share responsibility. I blame those who propagandize online to turn minor incidents into massive conflicts." Following this, officials summoned both parties involved in the dispute and delivered a fair resolution.

Upon inspecting the mobile phones of the individuals involved, it was discovered that U Tun Naing, a Christian believer residing in Kyane Chaung Village, along with his wife as an accomplice, initiated the online propaganda campaign by video-recording the pulling down of the signboard and claiming that the church was being demolished.

Their propaganda was subsequently reshared by social media pages such as The Mro Times, Mro Youth, and Kee Mar Myay, as well as other pages, leading to misunderstandings and instigating hatred between the two major religions.

Consequently, through the joint hands-on investigation by ULA officials and the Central Religious Affairs Department, the truth was uncovered. The issue has now been amicably settled after a fair resolution was implemented to satisfy both sides and preserve interfaith harmony.

Ultimately, mutual understanding was reached during final discussions, with representatives from the Seventh-day Adventist Church acknowledging that the viral online reports were false, and local Buddhist villagers clarifying that their actions were not driven by malice or hatred toward Christianity.

Source@onenationnews