 Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948. In 1962, the army overthrew the elected government and established an iron-fisted rule against any democratic movements, ruling through their State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1988, an estimated three thousand pro-democratic demonstrators were killed. 1990 saw the first democratic elections in three decades. When the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won 392 of the 485 seats, the SLORC jailed hundreds of NLD members, refusing to give up power. In 1997 and 1998, the military junta changed their name to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and removed many of the SLORC members in an effort to improve international relations, but the country remains firmly under the power of the military, strongly opposing democratic reforms. Most Christian missions were expelled in 1966 and the military regime maintains controls over religious activity. There have been many cases of forced conversion from Christianity to Buddhism as well as violence against Christians. In 1997, the UN Special Rapporteur on Burma reported, "there is essentially no freedom of thought, opinion, expression or association in Burma." All gatherings of more than five people are illegal and all houseguests must be reported or face imprisonment. Many of Burma's Christians are part of ethnic minorities (northern Chin groups, Lisu, and Karen) who are opposed for ethnic and political as well as religious reasons. Buddhism is strongly entrenched in the Burmese majority; only about five percent of Christians in Burma are converts from Buddhism. Christian sites and graveyards are frequently demolished and replaced with pagodas, often using Christians as forced labour. Christians have been raped, tortured and murdered. In an act of opposition to the presence of Christianity in Burma, government forces defaced and then destroyed a fifty-foot concrete cross on a hilltop on Matupi Township of southern Chin State on January 3, 2005. A cross had been in that location for two decades as a testimony to their faith in Christ. In response to incidences like this one, The people of Chin State called for a day of prayer on January 30. They continue to ask Christians around the world to join them in prayer for freedom of religious belief and practice. There is little regard for any human rights or freedoms in Burma. The words of Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the first secretary of the SPDC, in 1992 sum up the situation in Burma, that under military rule there is essentially "no law at all." Prayer Requests- Pray for the strength of Christians to stand firm in their faith, despite the lawlessness around them.
- Pray that freedom will come to Burma.
- Pray for ministry opportunities for Christians to share their faith with others. Pray that more Buddhists will see their need for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
|
Get Informed 
