New reports of religious persecution are a sad reminder that freedom does not prevail everywhere. Churches in Rangoon have reported being instructed by the military regime to cease meetings.
"One pastor in Rangoon, who cannot be named for security reasons, claimed in a report received by CSW that several churches have now been locked and sealed, including three churches in South Dagon Township: the Evangelical Baptist Church, the Karen Baptist Church and the Dagon Joshua Church. An eyewitness said that in one church, the pastor presented his Legal Registration Certificate provided by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to the authorities when they came to inform him of the new order. In response, officials told him his registration certificate had been withdrawn." Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on 020 8329 0041 or 07823 329664, email
or visit www.csw.org.uk
Burmas regime a sham
"For many years, Burma’s regime, the State Peace and Development Council, has shown a profound disregard for the human rights and democratic aspirations of the Burmese people." Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told parliament recently.
Crimes against their people continue unabated in the eastern parts of Burma, with yet another International Human Rights Organisation citing recent brutality as evidence of genocide. Amidst this horror the regime continues to press for recognition and standing in the region at ASEAN.
This brutal dictatorship is not progressing towards democracy.
"Neither the referendum process nor its ultimate outcome signaled any intention by the Burmese regime to actually listen to the will of the Burmese people on their future. The referendum process itself was a sham." Mr Smith's statement on Burma continued.
About half of those affected have been reached by aid agencies, yet the crisis in Burma is slipping from the headlines.
Ben Rogers reports from the Cutting Edge Burma Desk that the intervention has far from succeeded. "But then the moment passed and the world moved on. The ships sailed away, complete with their cargo of aid undelivered, and Burma fell off the news agenda. The corpses, however, of people and animals – killed either by the cyclone or as a result of the regime’s inaction – continue to litter the streets and pollute the waters."
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