Majority-Buddhist Myanmar is made up of eight major and eight minor ethnic groups, each of which hoped for autonomy after Burmese independence 70 years ago, and some of the world’s longest-running civil wars continue here. Operation World, a Christian missionary organisation, calls Myanmar “a deeply fractured nation on a political and especially ethnic level”. The conflict zones along the country’s borders are where most of Myanmar’s Christians live, including the Kachin and Karen ethnic minorities, which have faced years of government oppression. Meanwhile, the rise in the number of Muslims has provoked the Patriotic Association of Myanmar, locally known as Ma Ba Tha and led by influential Buddhist monks. Ma Ba Tha is not merely anti-Muslim, it is Buddhist nationalist, so Christians are not beyond its focus. Myanmar was thrown into a crisis following a coup on 1 February 2021 which has left ethnic religious minorities even more vulnerable.
Myanmar’s ‘forgotten Christians’
While the world is focusing on the plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, Christians caught up in another conflict, in northern Kachin, are largely forgotten, writes Geoffrey P. Johnston for Canadian newspaper The Whig. Thousands have been killed and least 120,000 displaced in majority-Christian Kachin state, where the army and the […]
Myanmar: Peace talks resume but ethnic autonomy not on the agenda
A third round of peace talks are taking place in Myanmar this week between armed ethnic groups and government forces, but the military has ruled out discussions on the autonomy that ethnic groups crave. The six-day meeting, which has been dubbed the 21st century ‘Panglong Conference’ after the historic 1947 […]
Myanmar: Army accused of destroying churches and turning them into Buddhist temples
Myanmar’s military has destroyed about 60 churches in the past 18 months and turned a third of them into Buddhist pagodas in northern Kachin state, according to an American pastor who visited the region recently. “In the last 18 months, they have bombed 60 churches. Of the 60 churches they […]
Myanmar: ‘400 villages destroyed, 150,000 people displaced’ in Kachin
More than 400 villages have been damaged or destroyed and 150,000 people displaced since the collapse of a ceasefire in 2011 between Myanmar’s army and rebels in northern Kachin state, reports Catholic website AsiaNews. In 2018 alone, 50 villages were abandoned and more than 7,000 people fled their homes, seeking […]
Myanmar: 7,000 Kachin displaced as violence escalates
Almost 7,000 people belonging to the largely Christian minority group in Kachin, northern Myanmar, have fled their houses since fighting between the army and a rebel group flared up in early April, according to recent figures from the Red Cross. “It’s a war where civilians are being systematically targeted by […]
Myanmar: Kachin Baptists freed in prisoner amnesty
Two Kachin Baptist pastors detained since Christmas Eve 2016 have been given their freedom in a mass prisoner amnesty granted by Myanmar’s new President Win Myint. Langjaw Gam Seng and his cousin Dumdaw Nawng Lat were arrested after helping a journalist from the Voice of America to photograph a Catholic […]
Myanmar: new peace talks announced during Pope’s visit
The third ‘Panglong Conference’ has been announced by Myanmar’s government during an official visit by Pope Francis, reports Catholic news agency Fides. Tabled for the last week in January, it will be the latest in a series of peace negotiations between armed ethnic groups and government forces. The original Panglong […]
Myanmar’s Christians hope Pope Francis will speak for them
Pope Francis landed in Myanmar today (27 November) to start his six-day visit to Southeast Asia, raising the hopes of Christians there that he will address the issues they face in the majority-Buddhist nation. Among those welcoming the Pontiff in Yangon were more than 7,000 ethnic Kachin from the conflict-torn state […]
Myanmar: Kachin Baptists jailed for helping photograph bombed church
Two Kachin Baptist pastors who helped a journalist to photograph a Catholic church, apparently bombed by Myanmar’s army in 2016, have been sentenced to two years in prison, for their alleged support of the Kachin Independence Army. According to advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which called the verdict a “serious […]
Myanmar: Pope Francis’ visit could ‘heal wounds of country’
Myanmar’s Cardinal Bo has said he hopes Pope Francis’ upcoming trip will “help heal the wounds of his country, especially for minorities under attack”. Pope Francis, due to visit Myanmar from 27-30 November, will meet the country’s leader – in all but title – Aung San Suu Kyi. Charles Maung […]