Persecution of Myanmar Christians ‘akin to Rohingya’

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has drawn parallels between the situation of minority Christians in Myanmar with the persecution faced by Rohingya Muslims since 2017.

Apr 29, 2022

A damaged church in which four people taking refuge were killed due to army shelling at Loikaw in Myanmar’s Kayah state on May 24, 2021. (UCA News Photo/Kantarawaddy Times)


NAYPYIDAW: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has drawn parallels between the situation of minority Christians in Myanmar with the persecution faced by Rohingya Muslims since 2017.

In its annual report released on April 25, the US federal government commission said: “Faith communities, including ethnoreligious Christian minorities, now face persecution that some have likened to what the Rohingya have faced since 2017.”

The military, known as the Tatmadaw under its chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has closely associated itself with Buddhist nationalism to promote its legitimacy, the report said, while detailing how this led to a rise in persecution of Christian communities during 2021.

“In February, the Tatmadaw raided Hakha Baptist Church in the capital of Chin state, arresting the pastor. The same month, the Tatmadaw raided a Kachin Baptist church in Shan state. In March, in Kalay township in Sagaing Region, the military shot and killed 25-year-old pastor Chung Lian Ceu and three other civilians,” the report said.

“In May, the military attacked a Catholic church in Kayah state. In June, airstrikes damaged another Catholic church in Kayah state. In September, the Tatmadaw gunned down Baptist pastor Cung Biak Hum in Chin state as he went to help put out a fire caused by military shelling. Soldiers have torched homes and churches.

“The Tatmadaw targeted houses of worship, faith leaders and religious communities in its crackdown on the opposition ... it arrested religious leaders, including those from the Buddhist majority, for opposing the military junta.”

Myanmar continues to be on the list of countries blacklisted by the US State Department, along with China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.--ucanews.com

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