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Systematic
Religious Persecution
[A report
from Christian Freedom International]
MAE
SOT, THAILAND --- Saw Stephen, 34, an ethnic Karen, has been trying to serve
as a pastor in the Karenni State of Burma since 1996. But like many
Christians in Burma, Pastor Stephen faces
persecution from the Burmese military
junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
"My first church, Shadow
Baptist Church, which I pastored, had over 250 people,
but the military government [of Burma] came and destroyed it. This happened
in April 1999. The military burned down the houses of the people and
came with axes and sticks and destroyed the church," Pastor Stephen
told Christian Freedom International.
"They captured me and took
me to their military office. They put me under house
arrest for four months in a small room. I could not contact my family,"
said Pastor Stephen.
"After release from there I
was reassigned to another church, Law Da Lay Baptist
Church in Karenni State," said Stephen. "We had over 120
families; more than 600 villagers
attended the church. Most villagers were Christians."
"On November 5, 2003, the
military government came in to the village and ordered
us to move. They said 'if you do not move within one week you are our
enemies.' They didn't explain why we have to move," said Stephen.
"The soldiers destroyed our
church."
Stephen told Christian Freedom
International, "So now nobody stays in the village,
everyone moved away. Most moved into the jungle. Then we came to the
refugee camps in Thailand."
According to Stephen, "The
government [of Burma] will not allow us to rebuild
the churches. They will not allow us to build any church in Burma."
Stephen now lives life on the
run: "So now I cannot stay very long in one area.
So I go from place to place. It is not safe for me."
"The Burmese government is
anti-Christian," said Stephen. "They are afraid that
Christianity will bring in the Western ways to Burma. It will ruin the
Burmese culture, they say. They see
Christianity as a Western religion. It is
the main religion of the West, they say, which is why they hate it and
are afraid of it. We have been told by the
junta leaders that the people of Burma
have to be careful about Christians; the Western policies can come in
and overtake us, they say."
Stephen told Christian Freedom
International that starvation is rampant in Burma:
"The people are starving in Burma. I see
so many children starving to death. There
are so many children dying; they have nothing to eat. They have no food.
No one can change Burma. It must be God that changes Burma. Please pray
for Burma."
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Christian
Freedom International (CFI) is an interdenominational human rights
organization
for religious liberty.
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