FREEDOM OF FAITH (r)

[suantak@xxxxxx]

What a liar Lt. General Khin Nyunt is? The Kachin were not ruled by the
Burman or Myanmar king.  Thibaw's kingdom did not extend beyond the plains
of Burma. In Khin Nyunt's army none Buddhist officers are barred for
promotion except perhaps David Abel, who has not been promoted for the last
ten years. Now the SPDC or SLORC II finds itself in the defensive position
and starts to propagate lies to the outside world. If there is freedom of
faith under SPDC there would have been no destruction of Muslim Temples in
Mandalay and elswhere and the destruction of Christian Crosses and Churches
in the Chin State.  General Khin Nyunt's MI officers served in the
non-Burman -non-Buddhist areas wearing yellow robes to look after the
affairs of Buddhistization of the non-Buddhist population.  Khin Nyunt hopes
that by promoting Buddhism and by treating non-Buddhist religions cruelly
would make theBurman who are Buddhists to support his program of the
development of border regions.  In fact Khin Nyunt's project to develope the
border regions is to force the conversion of the non-Buddhist population to
become Buddhist.  Khin Nyunt tries to hide that Buddhism is an import
religion from India and accuses Christians of believing in an imported
religion from the west.  Why lie now? Bogyoke Gyi?
-----Original Message-----
To: Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thursday, April 02, 1998 1:11 AM
Subject: FREEDOM OF FAITH


>FREEDOM OF FAITH
>
>by Kyi Kyi Hla
>
>(Excerpt from Myanmar Perspectives Vol: II 3/96)
>
>It has been the brithright and prerogative of the Myanmar peoples to
>profess faith in any kind of religion they choose, or for that matter,
>not to embrace any religious teaching if they so wished. There has
>never been and will never be any sort of coercion or obligation in the
>matter of religious faith in our country. That is why, from time
>immemorial people of different religious faiths have lived together in
>amity throughout the long years of our history without a single case
>of religious persecution.
>
>Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Moslems and animists dwell together and
>respect each other's covictions. There has never been any
>kind of religious inquisition, no pogroms, no witches burned at the
>stake, nor have there been religious wars. Myanmar kings, like
>absolute monarchs everywhere, possessed the power of life and death
>over their subjects but never was this used for religious persecution.
>Buddhism has flourished, but not at the expense of other faiths. True,
>all Myanmar leaders of yesteryear and today are patrons of Buddhism,
>but they have always been generous in their support and encouragement
>of other religious sects.
>
>For Myanmar people, religious tolerance and respect for another's
>faith is part of the normal course of events. It is nothing unusual or
>new, but because most Mynamar people are devout Buddhists, and be they
>rich or poor, always ready to donate generously towards the
>propagetion oftheir faith, there is a possibility that some is
>informed persons might harbour misconceptions about freedom of faith
>in our country.
>
>The following translated excerpts from the address made by the
>Secretary l of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Lieutenant
>General Khin Nyunt at the Thirty-Second All Myanmar Kachin Baptist
>Conference and the Centennial Commemoration of the Creation of the
>Kachin Script held at Mandalay on January l, l 996 will surely dispel
>all doubts on the matter of religious freedom in Myanmar.
>
>At the inaugural ceremony of the Conference Lientenant General Khin
>Nyunt, after extending his congratulations on the auspicious
>occasion of the centenary commemoration ofthe origin ofthe Kachin
>script and on the peace and harmony that had been achieved with our
>Kachin brethren, emphasized the fact that the emergence of  the Kachin
>Baptist Council was due to the freedom of faith and the mutual love
>and respect which existed between the national races ofthe time. It
>could be traced, he said, to the permission granted by King Mindon to
>visiting American Baptist missionary Dr.Cushing to begin his work in
>Bhamo. King Mindon, in spite of being a truly devout Buddhist and
>patron of the Fifth Buddhist Synod, had wisely and magnanimously
>granted the pemission requested.
>
>Mr Roberts, another American missionary later asked King Thibaw for
>permission to open a school for Kachin nationals and in 1883 he
>established a primary school where the children were taught to read
>and write in Myanmar. He said King Thibaw was a man well-versed in
>Buddhist literature. Yet with good will he permitted missionary work
>and the teaching of the Bible to Kachin nationals. The first Kachin
>baptism and the origin ofthe Kachin script bear testimony to the fact
>that Myanmar monarchs had been liberal in their views on religion and
>had granted freedom of faith. He noted that American Baptists had been
>freely allowed to progagate their religion and that they had also
>hadthe opportunity to inventthe Kachin script based on the spoken
>lauguage . Earlier in 1834, a Mr Bronson had used Roman letters to
>invent the Kachin script but success was achieved only in 1895.
>
>The Secretary 1 then lauded the diligence and good will of the eight
>missionaries who had worked on the Kachin script for sixty years.
>Except for Mr. Bronson the remaining seven had used the Myanmar
>alphabet for the Kachin script. It was however Dr. Ola Hanson who
>finally succeeded in devising the Kachin script which is now in use
>based on the Roman letter invention of Dr. Bronson. Dr. Ola Hanson
>compiled over 10,000 Kachin words,  of which 7,000 to 8,000 were
>everyday expressions.
>
>The Secretary then spoke of how the Kachin language in written form
>flourished through various stages, of the publication of an 11,000
>word Kachin English dictionary in 1906, the publication of the first
>Kachin newspaper in 1914 and the books that were issued including a
>Kachin grarnmar and hymns. The peak of this development was reached
>when the Bible was translated into the Kachin language and duly
>presented to the Kachin nationals on the 50th anniversary of Kachin
>baptism in 1927
>
>He attributed the improved relations between the different Kachin
>clans such as the Jingphaw, Lawwaw, Lacheik, Rawan, Lisu and Zaiwa to
>the emergence of the Kachin script. It also widened their sphere of
>knowledge which led to greater understanding and to religious,
>economic and social progress.
>
>Commemoration of the centenary of the Kachin script, the Secretary
>stated, was a fitting tribute to the Union Spirit and the solidarity
>of the Kachin nationals and expressed his hope and good wishes that
>the centennial of the Kachin Baptist Council be celebrated in the same
>memorable manner in Myitkyina in 1997.
>
>He further explained how the Kachin Baptist Council had now been
>ffiliated to the Myanmar Council of Baptists and said that it had the
>second largest membership among the 15 racial and regional
>associations, which according to the 1994 figures, has 260,000 members
>in the entire country.
>
>He stressed the freedom of faith enjoyed under the government of the
>State Law and Order Restoration Council and how the Ministry of
>Religious Affairs had been separated from the former Ministry of Home
>and Religious Affairs and reestablished as an independent body in
>order that the affairs of all religions in the country could be dealt
>with equitably.
>
>He also spoke of equality before the law irrespective of religious
>faith and the impartiality injob opportunities and in the educational,
>health and social spheres. He elaborated on the support and
>encouragement given so that Christianity could thrive, such as
>publication of religious literature, newspaper, radio and television
>coverage, exchange visits for religious missions, seminars and
>establishment of relations with international Christian associations.
>
>The census figures of 1993 show that there are over 2.2 million
>Christians and 5, 200 churches in Myanmar.
>
>The Myanmar people, the Secretary 1 said, believe that religion
>benefits mankind both in secular and religious affairs and they
>therefore hold in equal regard the faithful of otherreligions who are
>free from suppression. The Secretary remarked that Myanmar nationals
>are familiar with Christianity which stresses loving kindness.
>
>He also touched upon the fact that some persons who bear ill-will have
>in collaboration with foreign broadcasting stations, been circulating
>rumours to the effect that there is religious suppression and persecu
>tion in Myanmar. These groups are bogus religious or social
>organizations intent on inciting unscrupulous persons to disrupt peace
>and progress in Myanmar, with a complete disregard of the loving
>kindness, forbearance and forgiveness taught by Christianity. He
>reminded the genuinely faithful to beware of these unscrupulous beings
>who will use Christianity as a tool to suit their purposes and
>exhorted them to denounce such persons of ill-will.
>
>In couclusion, Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt called upon all Kachin
>nationals to constantly consolidate national unity and strive
>forperpetual peace in the Kachin State, guided by the tenets of peace
>and good will preached by the Christian religion. He also urged them
>to co-operate in endeavours for the realization of the political,
>social and economic objectives of the Kachin State and thus achieve
>equal development as an integral part of the Union of Myanmar.
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>-------
>Excerpt from Myanmar Perspectives Vol: II 3/96
>
>Keyword
>
>Myanmar, Burma
>
>-----------------------------------------
>
>