This afternoon I leave for Prague. Here is an interesting memo I received on Burma (Myanmar).
Suzanah
Information Service
Eron Henry, Associate Director of Communications
Neville Callam, General Secretary
Baptist World Alliance
October 1, 2007
For Immediate Release
Christians in Myanmar pray for country
Washington, D.C. (BWA)–Christians in Myanmar , including Baptists, have planned prayer services for their country.
Massive street protests and severe crackdown on the protestors by the ruling military dictatorship have rocked the Southeast Asian country over the past two weeks. The demonstrations were initiated by thousands of Buddhist monks who were joined by other Burmese citizens.
The government, as part of its attempt to curtail the protests that have gained widespread international attention, sent agents to the offices of several Christian organizations.
“The Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC), which is headquartered in Rangoon , was checked out by the authorities,” a source from inside the country claimed. “The check was run by Burmese security agents who asked questions which were general in nature. The Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) was also screened.”
“Security officials came several times and checked us out after we had a meeting with some foreigners,” one Baptist leader said. “I think they are checking and watching us because of the demonstration by the monks.”
The MBC is holding a special prayer ‘program’ from September 28 to October 4 in all Baptist churches in Myanmar , but, for security reasons, refuses to state what the prayers are about.
Other Christians in Myanmar , formerly known as Burma until it was renamed in 1989, join Baptists in prayer for the resource-rich but impoverished country. “We are really concerned about the situation in Burma now, not only because of the demonstrations but also for the people. All we can do is pray. We will continue praying for Burma ,” another Christian leader said.
Christian churches are held in suspicion by the military rulers as churches are often viewed as agents of western countries, particularly the United States and nations of Europe . Christians have experienced severe repression over the years. All overseas church workers have been banned since the late 1960s.
Baptist witness is largely concentrated among the Karen, Kachin, Chin, and other minority tribal groups that suffer persecution from the military government. Baptists from Karen State , largely made up of the Karen tribe, are often arrested, interrogated, and even tortured.
The Baptist World Alliance, taking note of the dangers faced by Myanmar citizens, declared in a resolution passed by its General Council in July 2006 in Mexico City , that it “Affirms our solidarity with the civil populations of Myanmar as they suffer under hardships imposed by the military regime in power since 1962.” The resolution further “Requests the United Nations to take appropriate action for the protection of the lives and rights of Myanmar citizens, including their right to religious freedom.”
In addition, the resolution “Calls upon the Myanmar authorities to lift the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the legally elected president in 1990, and to insure that she be allowed access to adequate, independent medical care, in the light of her deteriorating health.”
Myanmar has one of the largest Baptist populations in Asia and one of the fastest growing Baptist conventions in the world. The MBC doubled its size since 1995, moving from less than 600,000 members to a current membership of approximately 1.1 million baptized believers.
