Burma military government prepares massive arrests Christians
- From: "labor" <labor@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:50:34 +0800
THIS IS FREEDOM OF RELEGION. BRAVO JUNTA BRAVO
June 22, BosNewsLife
Burma military government prepares massive arrests Christians, report
suggests
Christian rights workers warned Wednesday, June 20, that the military
government in Burma is preparing a major assault on individual believers,
missionary workers and church leaders by compiling a list of Christians in
the country and threatening a publisher with years of imprisonment.
Release International, a major advocacy and aid group, said it has learned
from local Christians in Burma, also known as Myanmar, that the Burmese
military is "pulling together details of children's homes, assemblies,
pastors, leaders, church members and even Christian families."
The "junta has declared that to be Burmese is to be Buddhist" and "concern
is growing about what the government will do with the list it is compiling
of Christians in the country," the group said.
The developments came shortly after a Christian publisher was reportedly
warned by authorities to "stop publishing" or face 12 years imprisonment.
"They tried to stop me to publish any Christian book," said the man on
condition that his real name will not be released. The publisher, who
claimed he was already three times detained before, said however that he
would continue "publishing whatever we can, because we need to work for
the Lord."
"Not afraid"
He reportedly said he was not "afraid of any sentence or any action" as
"God will take care of me." The publisher claimed that Buddhists love to
read John's Gospel of the Bible, but added that Bibles are in short supply
as part of the authorities' attempts to "drive out every religion from
Burma" except Buddhism.
Reports of persecution of Burmese Christians came after hundreds of
protestors demanded the release of pro-democracy activist and Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent her fifth
consecutive birthday under house arrest this week.
Suu Kyi, who turned 62, on Tuesday, June 19, has spent more than 11 of the
last 17 years in detention, mostly under house arrest, as the government
considers the slender lady "a threat to public order." Her detention was
extended last month for one more year.
Crushing democracy
The military took power in 1988 after crushing vast pro-democracy
demonstrations in Myanmar, then known as Burma. When Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy party won a general election by a landslide on May
27, 1990, junta leaders refused to hand over power, insisting the country
first needed a new constitution.
American First Lady, Laura Bush, told The Wall Street Journal newspaper
this week that Suu Kyi's name is "synonymous with courage the world over"
and expressed hope she can celebrate her next birthday in freedom. "Her
only well-wishers are armed guards who hide her from the rest of the
world," she was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
However Burmese officials have denied reports of persecution and human
rights abuses and have warned Asia against "American propaganda" and the
allegedly growing influence of the United States in Asia.
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