VBB shares details of a recent attack

(Image courtesy VBB)

Burma (MNN) ― Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in May, tensions remain high in Burma's Kachin state.

The following was taken verbatim from a report sent to Vision Beyond Borders (VBB) from their contact in the region:

"September 4, 2013: The intruding Burmese Army from the 66th Light Infantry Division arrested and tortured several village headmen, then later transferred them by the riverboat. Their village is under the KIO's 1st Brigade Administrative area.

The same Burmese troops occupied another village and molested the young girls from the village and took them to the jungle for sexual assault and rape, and later released them without clothes.

We are still investigating the details of this incident, how many girls were the victims of sexual violence in this village. The same time, the Burmese Army accused and arrested entire villagers of being supporters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), then took them by riverboats."

A September 8 account from Kachinland News, as shared on BurmaLink.org, confirms the abuse. Burma Link.org is committed to helping both local and international actors take effective action to help the people of Burma.

"Local residents fear for an imminent escalation in the fighting as Burmese army has begun transporting more troops, food, guns and ammunition using military transport aircraft to KIA’s 7th Battalion area in Machyang Baw in northern Kachin State," the report adds.

VBB has been working with CFE Ministries for many years to help Burma's refugees. They've set up orphanages in the Karen and Karenni camps and have worked diligently to share the love of Christ.

They're now working to get supplies and aid to the Kachin in northern Burma, who are 98% Christian. In a May 2013 report, VBB noted how refugees have to move around constantly to find shelter and security. Medicine remains a top priority.

According to VBB, 364 villages have been fully or partially abandoned, with over 100,000 displaced people. The Kachin National Organization (KNO) has been documenting the Burmese army resupplying front-line posts for what appears to be a major offensive.

Pray for protection and wisdom for VBB's contact as he shares the hope of Christ with Burma's refugees. Pray for encouragement and perseverance for Kachin believers.

Escalating violence could threaten progress

Cover & story image courtesy of
 Vision Beyond Borders.

Burma (MNN) ― Violence could threaten so-called "progress" in Burma. The country is under a state of emergency following rising unrest between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in central Burma.

"It's just continual upheaval for the people over there, and there's little protection for them from their government," says Dyann Romeijn of Vision Beyond Borders (VBB).

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 6,000 driven from their homes in Meikhtila, Burma. The conflict began Wednesday after a disagreement between a Muslim business owner and Buddhist customers quickly turned into a rampage.

Mobs are setting fire to mosques, homes, an Islamic religious school, and many businesses as thousands of minority Muslims take to the streets in fear. About a third of Meikhtila's 100,000 residents reportedly follow Islam, and before the violence started there were some 17 mosques in the city.

Concern grows as the scene begins looking more and more like last summer's violence in the Rakhine state. Sectarian violence between the Buddhist Rakhine people and the predominantly-Muslim Rohingya killed hundreds and displaced around 100,000 people.

When asked if the Meikhtila unrest could develop into a similar situation, Romeijn replies, "Absolutely. That's always possible in Burma. There have been over 2 million displaced over the last 25 years-30 years of the civil unrest."

Over the course of his presidency, Thein Sein has ushered in a series of reforms to move the country toward democracy. But in trying to change the face of Burma, Sein continues to face challenge after challenge. Along with the current unrest in Meikhtila, there's been an upsurge in fighting between the Burmese military and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Romeijn says that in recent days, "There were 2 churches that were burned to the ground in Kachin state, and there's been a lot of violence against the Christians."

Around 90% of the ethnic Kachin people are Christ-followers.

"Pray that that will have an influence on the Muslims, and the Buddhists, and the Animists, and those around them--that they will see the light of Jesus in the Kachin," requests Romeijn.

VBB works with partners on the ground in Burma to help refugees and orphans. You can help provide food, clothing, medicine, and the love of Christ by clicking here.

"Through all of the conflict and the genocide...it leaves a lot of orphans in that country, and so there's a lot of work to be done," Romeijn says.

Ask God to protect His people in Burma. Pray they would shine the light of Christ as they endure dark and troubled times.

"What the enemy means for harm, God can turn for good. Pray for protection for the people and that God would use that to reach many more," Romeijn asks.

Christians face systemic persecution in Burma

(Image courtesy Vision Beyond Borders)

Burma (MNN) ― Burma doesn't seem to have made as many advances as it first appeared in a year of change. 

This was the conclusion of The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) which released a new report last week. 

According to their findings, Christian Chin from western Burma are denied religious freedom and face coercion to convert to Buddhism. They're not alone. Dyann Romeijn of Vision Beyond Borders says, "The report is specifically about the Chin and the persecution that they face, but we're seeing the same things throughout all the ethnic groups in Burma." 

CHRO exposed a decades-long pattern of religious freedom violations and human rights abuses including forced labor and torture which has led thousands to flee their homeland.

Romeijn says along with the abused Chin are members of the Kachin tribes and the Karen. It's bad for everyone. "All the same policies that were in place before continue; the Kachin in northern Burma are being highly persecuted. About an additional 50,000 have fled into China. In violation of international law, China is forcing those Kachin refugees back into Burma where they'll be slaughtered."

The government is trying to change its public image and has made definite strides toward freedom. But there are dark shadows forming against the bright prospects, explains Romeijn. "We don't want to discount the reforms that have taken place, but at the same time, there's still a long way to go. The religious, ethnic and tribal groups are still being heavily persecuted."

That's been borne out in the 2012 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report. Burma remains on its list of "countries of particular concern" (CPCs). The nation also sits at #33 on the Open Doors World Watch List, --an index of the top 50 countries in the world known for their persecution of Christians.

Vision Beyond Borders says their partners note frequent attacks that are gaining in intensity along the Thai-Burmese border. Oddly, this is the best hope for the Gospel. Their last team visited a Buddhist monastery where they saw clear evidence of community transformation.

Romeijn says, "The monks are seeing it's the Christians that are coming in; they're the ones who are helping to take care of these children; they're the ones helping take the refugees. We're supposed to be the church; we're to be Jesus' hands and feet. And as we do that, God uses the "good works before men" to glorify His name, and we're seeing openness to the Gospel even among the Buddhist monks."

That's where the real change happens. Romeijn sums it up by saying, "You can see some external circumstances change, but unless there is a heart change in a situation, there really is truly no hope for Burma."

Burma: CSW Returns from Kachin State with Evidence of Continuing Grave Human Rights Violations

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

BURMA (ANS) -- A team from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) returned this week from a three-week fact-finding visit to Rangoon and Kachin State on the China-Burma border, where the CSW team recorded evidence of grave human rights violations.

Kachin people fleeing the violence

CSW told the ASSIST News Service that its team interviewed internally displaced people (IDPs) from Kachin State and northern Shan State, and heard first-hand testimonies of killings of civilians, torture, the destruction of homes, churches and villages. CSW also received reports of rape.

In a report released today (Sunday, February 12, 2012), Burma’s Union Day, which marks the 65th anniversary of the Panglong Agreement, CSW documents these violations and concludes that while “a window of opportunity for change in Burma after decades of oppression and conflict may have now opened,” the situation in Kachin and northern Shan States illustrate that “there is still a very long way to go”.

Kachin nations in traditional costume

Benedict Rogers, CSW’s East Asia Team Leader, said, “There are clear signs of change in Burma, such as the release of significant numbers of political prisoners and the decision by Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) to contest parliamentary by-elections, which we should welcome and encourage. However, the evidence we heard from Kachin people was among the worst we have ever heard. A very high proportion of the people we interviewed had family members killed by the Burma Army. These were unarmed civilians, in their paddy fields or homes, who were not engaged in armed combat in any form. The accounts of torture and other abuses are a cause for very grave concern, and the humanitarian challenges facing the internally displaced people require an urgent and sustained response from the international community.”

CSW was in Kachin State when the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) held a first round of peace talks with the Government of Burma. In the report CSW details the political steps required for a meaningful, lasting peace process, including “a genuine inclusive political process that involves all the ethnic nationalities, the democracy movement and the government, that addresses the desire of the ethnic nationalities for autonomy and equal rights within a federal democratic structure in Burma, and that results in an end to military offensives and armed conflict.”

Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldiers guard a checkpoint on the way to Laiza (Photo: Jonh San Lin)

Benedict Rogers added, “Today, on Burma’s Union Day, as the country marks the 65th anniversary of the Panglong Agreement, we urge the government of Burma to build on the reforms made so far by introducing institutional and legislative reforms required to lead the country to genuine change. These include amendments to the constitution, repeal or amendment of unjust laws, and a sincere effort to begin a political process that results in a mutually acceptable political solution for all the people of Burma.

“The spirit of Panglong was based on equal rights for all the ethnic nationalities, a degree of autonomy, and respect for ethnic identity, within the Union of Burma. We urge President Thein Sein to recapture that spirit today, and we call on the international community to develop a balanced response, recognizing and encouraging progress while maintaining pressure for real change.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, emailkiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

Burma (Myanmar): Kachin flee terror

-- a call to pray for the Kachin Church

By Elizabeth Kendal
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) 115 
Special to ASSIST News Service

Elizabeth Kendal

AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Kachin State, which borders China in Burma's far north, is home to Burma's ethnic Kachin minority. Most Kachin are devout Christians and the state is defined by its Christian culture. Like other ethnic-religious minorities in Burma, the Kachin are politically marginalised and persecuted on racial and religious grounds. When the junta wants to impose its will, it usually does so through extreme brutality fuelled by racial and religious hatred -- a manifestation of militant Burman-Buddhist supremacy. Because the Kachin have resisted the junta's demand that they disarm, the junta has labelled them 'separatist'.

Burma Rivers Network reports: 'Large dams are being constructed on all of Burma's major rivers and tributaries by Chinese, Thai and Indian companies. The dams are causing displacement, militarisation, human rights abuses, and irreversible environmental damage, threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions. [. . .] Neighbouring countries benefit from this situation by gaining electricity without bearing the social and environmental costs.' This is one reason why the junta has a renewed interest in controlling Kachin lands. As reported in RLPB 114 (June Update) China wants to build nine hydro-power mega-dams in Kachin State, even though the Kachin have warned China that the dams could trigger civil war in Burma.

Fighting erupted in the second week in June and reports of extreme brutality, ethnic cleansing and humanitarian crises are now emerging. The Kachin Indepen dence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), reports that some 16,000 Kachin refugees are living in five camps in and around Laiza, a town still under KIA control. KIO adds, 'So far no international humanitarian agency has offered any help to them.' In Myitkyina, 220 displaced people have taken refuge in the Catholic Church of St Joseph and 330 in the Baptist Church. Another 4,000 Kachin refugees are reportedly fleeing through the jungle, trying to avoid Burmese soldiers. A further 10,000 -- possibly as many as 20,000 -- are languishing at the Chinese border; Beijing will not accept them and no international agency is able to get aid to them. Meanwhile, the Burmese Army is sending up reinforcements, mostly in small groups dressed in civilian clothes. The Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) recently reported that at least 18 women and girls from age 15 to 50 were gang-raped in the war-zone by Burmese soldiers between 10 & 18 June. Four of th e women were killed after being gang-raped (one in front of her husband) while another died from her injuries. KWAT believes gang-rape is being systematically employed as a weapon of war and means of terror.

A local priest confirmed to Fides news agency that Burmese soldiers are killing old people and children, raping women, burning homes and confiscating properties. 'They use ruthless methods [for] ethnic cleansing,' he said, adding that 'almost all [the victims] are Christians'. KIA Vice Chief of Staff, Gen. Gun Maw, believes the junta has broader military goals than just protecting the dam sites. Indeed, the junta is doubtless exploiting the dams issues as a pretext to launch a concerted campaign of ethnic cleansing. According to the KIA military commander in neighbouring Shan State, Col. Zau Raw, 'We are in for a major war.' The Bishop of Myitkyina, Mgr Francis Daw Tang, has been < a href="http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=29354&lan=eng">speaking through Radio Veritas, encouraging the people -- most of whom are Protestant -- to 'stay united' and remember, 'The Lord is near you. Have faith in him,' and '. . . continue to pray for peace.'

Open your mouth for the speechless, 
   In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
     Open your mouth, judge righteously,
   And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8,9 NKJV

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT --

• God will intervene (in this rainy season) to bring humanitarian aid to the Kachin people: food, medicines and shelter.
  
• God will intervene to bring pe ace: may China be held as accountable as the Burmese junta, and may God turn their hearts towards achieving peace.
  
• all God's Kachin people will know and experience the love, presence and provision of their faithful LORD. (Isaiah 40:27-31)

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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KACHIN FLEE TERROR IN BURMA (MYANMAR)

Civil war has erupted in Burma's Kachin State, a state defined by its Christian culture and home to a predominately devout Christian people. The trigger has been China's building hydro-power mega-dams that will displace hundreds of thousands and threaten the food security of millions of Kachin. Reports of massive displacements, brutal killings of civilians, gang-rapes and property confiscations have led some to conclude that the junta is actually engaged in a campaign of systematic ethnic cleansing, fuelled by ethnic and religious hatred and greed. About 16,000 Kachin refugees are in five camps in and around Laiza and 4,000 in the jungle. Some 20,000 are massed on the Chinese border, but China denies them entry. No humanitarian assistance is getting through. Please pray for our Kachin brethren.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. This prayer bulletin was initially written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC). Elizabeth Kendal's blogs: Religious Liberty Monitoring and Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin