The family of a Chin man arrested a month ago had no choice but to hold his funeral without his body when the Burma Army refused to return the 24-year-old’s remains after announcing his death in custody.

Pu Rual Cung was arrested by the armed forces on 11 October while on his way to his farm near Neyan Lawnhtar, a village about 3 miles from Hakha, in northern Chin State.

His family received no information about his whereabouts until the military called them on 9 November to inform them of his death.

A family friend told Khonumthung News that fighting had broken out near the man’s village with the Chinland Defence Force before the army arrested him and several other civilians.

Pu Rual Cung is survived by his wife and three children.

Last May, Talan Lane and Kham Bwe, both from Hakha, the capital of Chin State, were abducted by soldiers and tortured to death in a detention camp.

The military told their families they had died of COVID-19 and could not return their bodies as they had already been cremated.

The armed forces have abducted many civilians and attacked peoples’ homes after fighting with Chin resistance groups.

Between 18 September and 5 November, the military destroyed 382 buildings in Thangtlang town. After the first attack, residents fled to the Indian border.

Human rights activists say the regime is committing crimes against humanity and have called for international intervention to end the violence.