Rev Dr Hkalam Sam Son is missing after regime soldiers arrested the former general secretary and chair of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) at Tantar Oo International Airport on 5 December.
A Christian pastor who spoke to NMG on condition of anonymity commented that rumours of his release circulating on social media were untrue. “Actually, he hasn’t been released and his family has not had any communication with him yet. We do not know where he has been detained or why he was arrested.”
On Monday, Hkalam Sam Son was travelling to the Thai capital Bangkok for medical treatment when he was arrested at the Mandalay airport. The KBC released a statement that day calling for his release.
A man close to the family of the former KBC leader said they were worried about him.
“We’ve heard many rumours about him, but when we inquired at the Northern Military Command, they said he wasn’t there. Now we don’t know where to ask...We do not know what to do,” he said, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Hkalam Sam Son, who’s still an advisor to the KBC, has been very active on peace and the welfare of internally displaced persons in Kachin State. In December 2020, before the military coup, he met with army chief Min Aung Hlaing. He also visited the US, where he met with Donald Trump, who was president at the time, and told him about the army’s persecution of Christians in Burma.
An officer sued him for slander in Myitkyina Township Court but the case was later withdrawn.
