Karen Christians Face Joint Army and Buddhist Onslaught
ICC Note:
Christians minorities in Burma not only face oppposition from the military junta in the country, but also from Karen Buddhists who have allied themselves with the junta. Many Christians have been reported to have been forced to build Buddhist pagodas in place of their destroyed churches and have had their children taken from them and placed in Buddhist monasteries.
____________________
3/31/09 Burma (SeoulTimes) Myanmar is beset by many internal problems and the current military junta desires to crush all opposition. Therefore, many minorities fear a fresh onslaught because regional powers desire to exploit the resources of Myanmar or they hope to gain an important leverage because of the geopolitical element.
Either way, it spells disaster for the main ethnic and religious groups which desire either greater autonomy, a federal state or independence. Added to this tragedy, is the betrayal of Karen Buddhists who have allied themselves with the military junta in their struggle to defeat Karen Christian forces.
...
Benedict Rogers (12 Dec, 2004), a human rights advocate and journalist, stated at the British House of Commons that "Christians among the Chin, Kachin, Karen and Karenni ethnic nationalities report serious religious discrimination and persecution, including the destruction of churches and Christian symbols. In Chin State, all crosses on mountain-tops have been destroyed and Christians have been forced to build Buddhist pagodas in their place. Church services have been disrupted, and Chin children from Christian families have been taken and placed in Buddhist monasteries, where they have been forced to become novice monks. The printing of the Bible is banned, and Christians in government service are denied promotion."
... Go to Full Story
