Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 132 | Wed 02 Nov 2011

BURMA (Myanmar): INTERESTS, SMOKESCREENS & ETHNIC CLEANSING

By Elizabeth Kendal

Burma has been subject to Western political and economic sanctions for
decades because of its repression of democracy. However, since the mid-
1990s ascendant China has been taking Burma into its embrace, supplying it
with loans and commodities, trading freely and building infrastructure —
but not out of benevolence. China is pursuing its own interests, in
particular gaining access to Burmese ports on the Bay of Bengal, where
there has long been a power vacuum. Motivated by this threat, the US is
now pursuing engagement with Burma. Consequently Burma’s geo-strategic
value is rising in line with China’s economic and military ascendancy,
which means Burma (like Indonesia — RLPB 119) can now play geo-politics
to its own advantage. To this end, the regime is welcoming the US
overtures as they offer a way to counter the soaring anti-China sentiment
rife inside Burma.

The West is highly excited over Burma’s recent reforms: the release of
some 200 political prisoners (despite over 1000 still behind bars); talks
held with Aung San Suu Kyi; improvements in press freedom and the
introduction of debate into its parliament. Burmese generally are highly
sceptical of the reforms which need to be seen in the light of Burmese
politics. Domestically the regime needs to lessen its dependence on China.
It wants to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014,
which will be decided this month. The only reform that has really captured
the imagination of the Burmese is the regime’s 30 September decision to
suspend until 2015 the immensely controversial Myitsone Dam Project in
Kachin State. A joint project between the previous Burmese junta and the
China Power Investment Corporation, the Myitsone Dam project was not only
opposed by the Kachin — a Christian people whose lands would have been
decimated — but by many Burmese. Not only would 90 percent of the output
and 70 percent of the profits go to China, but the impact on the Irrawaddy
River — Burma’s life source — would be catastrophic. So even this move
must be seen in the context of the regime’s survival strategy amidst
Burma’s internal reality of high anti-China sentiment.

Whilst the regime has suspended the Myitsone Dam Project, its war on the
Christian Kachin — a war triggered in part by the dam project —
continues unabated. In an 18 October report, Human Rights Watch estimates
30,000 Kachin are now displaced. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
inexplicably downplayed the situation. In contrast, the UN Special
Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, told the UN
General Assembly on 19 October that recent fighting had resulted in more
than 15,000 displaced Kachin being confined to a remote mountainous area
on the Chinese border in conditions that can only be described as
‘perilous’.   According to Quintana, the UN informed the Burmese
authorities that it was willing to help these Internally Displaced Persons
but Thein Sein’s government declined the offer. Furthermore, it is being
reported that China is blocking the delivery of food, emergency shelter
and medicines, leaving some analysts wondering if Kachin State is being
ethnically cleansed at China’s behest.   Is the suspension of the dam
project just a smokescreen behind which Burma will have three years to
ethnically cleanse Kachin State? With the US working to bring Burma out of
China’s embrace into its own, will the US reward the tokens while ignoring
the genocide (exactly as is happening in Papua, Indonesia)? No matter what
the world does, the Church must not ignore the persecution of her sisters
and brothers.

With the Kachin people being over 90 percent devout Christian, the Church
is being hit hard. Churches in Kachin State have been attacked, seized,
used as prisons and burnt. The Christian Kachin are being raped,
brutalised, enslaved, starved and slaughtered. Christian Solidarity
Worldwide reported on 31 October that in Maw Wan Ward, Phakant Township,
the town administration is now requiring Christians to seek official
permission to read the Bible, pray and fast, amongst other Christian
‘cultural’ activities. Requests must be accompanied by recommendations
from other departments and must be submitted to the Township
Administration Office 15 days in advance. With war and repression
escalating behind a smokescreen of token reforms from a Burman-Buddhist-
supremacist regime operating from a position of increasing geo-strategic
significance, the Christian Kachin need our prayers for God’s intervention
now more than ever.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT —

* the LORD will rise up in defence of his own people (Isaiah 59:15b-19);
may their enemies ‘be scattered’ (Psalm 68:1), ‘be put to shame and
confusion’ and ‘turned back and brought to dishonour’ (Psalm 70:2 ESV).

* the God who provided manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16) and water from
the rock (Exodus 17), who instructed the ravens to feed Elijah and
resupplied the widow each night (1 Kings 17), who performs miracles
(Matthew 14:13ff) and opens and closes doors definitively and at will
(Revelation 3:7) will meet the needs of all the displaced Christian
Kachin.

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
———————————————————–

ETHNIC CLEANSING IN BURMA BEHIND TOKEN REFORMS

Whilst the West is lauding Burma for its reforms, these reforms are not
about democracy but regime survival and advancing the regime’s interests
as anti-China sentiment inside Burma is soaring. Burma’s duplicity is
evident in that its war against the Christian Kachin people continues
unabated. The regime appears intent on ethnically cleansing Kachin State
where China wants to build a massive dam and hydro-power scheme. Some
30,000 Kachin are displaced, most without food, shelter or medical aid.
The regime is imposing severe restrictions on Christianity in some Kachin
towns. War and repression are escalating behind a smokescreen of token
reforms from a Burman-Buddhist-supremacist regime operating from a
position of increasing geo-strategic significance. The Christian Kachin
need our prayers for God’s intervention now more than ever.

——————–

We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at <http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/>.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

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