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US accuses Burma of restricting religious freedom

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Lalit K. Jha, Washington – The US State Department on Tuesday named Burma along with seven other countries as "countries of particular concern" on religious freedom.

"In Burma, hundreds of Buddhist monks are still in prison, and the government refuses to recognize that the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority, are Burmese citizens," the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, Michael Posner, told reporters after the release of a report by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The US singled out Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan, all of which the report said have been long-term, chronic and egregious violators of religious freedom.

The report made no mention of the US' own deplorable record of human rights abuses or routine persecution of Muslims. According to Amnesty International, no less than 250 detainees, all believed to be Muslims, are currently being held illegally at a US naval base in Guantanamo in Cuba.

According to Clinton's report, religious activities and organizations in Burma are subject to restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly.

A church in Chin State, Burma being burned down by authorities. (Photo: Barnabas Fund) "Hundreds of Buddhist monks remained in prison following a 2007 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations. The government promoted Theravada Buddhism over other forms of Buddhism or other religions, particularly among ethnic minorities," it said.

"Christian groups continued to struggle to obtain permission to repair places of worship or build new ones. The regime continued to monitor and restrict Muslim activities and to restrict worship for other non-Buddhist minority groups," the report said.

The State Department alleged that the government continued to refuse to recognize the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority as citizens and restricted their movement and marriage; Rohingyas also experienced severe legal, economic, educational, and social discrimination.

"Adherence or conversion to Buddhism was an unwritten prerequisite for promotion to senior government and military ranks. Nearly all officers of the government and the armed forces are Buddhists," it said.

The State Department said the regime continued to monitor Muslim activities closely, and added that restrictions on worship for other non-Buddhist minority groups also continued.

"Although there were no new reports of forced conversions of non-Buddhists, authorities in some cases influenced the placement of orphans and homeless youth, preferring Buddhist monasteries to Christian orphanages in an apparent effort to prevent Christian groups' or missionaries' influence," it said.

"Adherence or conversion to Buddhism was an unwritten prerequisite for promotion to senior government and military ranks. Nearly all senior-level officers of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) [sic] and the armed forces are Buddhists," the report said.

Burma has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the US since 1999. The US government has a wide array of financial and trade sanctions in place against Burma for violations of human rights, the report said adding that the passage and signing into law in 2008 of the Tom Lantos Block Burmese Junta Anti-Democratic Efforts Act further strengthened these sanctions.