Prosecuted Christians flee Myanmar

IMPHAL, March 1: Thousands of Christians, mostly Nagas from the northwest border of Myanmar have been taking shelter in neighbouring Manipur and Nagaland for the last 2-3 years in fear of alleged religious discrimination and prosecutions carried out by the military junta of Myanmar. This was disclosed by L Longsa, general secretary of the Myanmar based Naga National League for Democracy (NNLD) which extends support to Aung San Suu Kyi. He said that the mass exodus will continue in the days to come as the military junta is intensifying it 'exercise of iron rule'. More than three thousand Christians have fled to Nagaland and more than a thousand have been taking asylum in Manipur. This signals a fresh trend of mass exodus as earlier it was chiefly Burmese students and Suu Kyi's supporters who has crossed border to take refuge in Manipur and other neighbouring States, he added. The country had been plagued by political turmoil since 1990 after the military junta declined to step down even after Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the election by a huge margin of 82 percent votes. Subsequently, several NLD leaders including Suu Kyi were arrested by the junta. Reports of gross violations of human rights mainly against the Christians who had been confined mainly in northwest border region of Myanmar by the junta have been pouring in for the last two or three years. Reports alleged the Christians were forced to do manual work. They were ordered to construct roads, aerodromes, and military camps in the state owned paddy fields. No wages are paid to the Christians. When any labourer falls ill, medical attention is denied. The Christians were used as porters too, to carry load which include rations, ammunition, bedding, machine etc according to the source. Another source said the only option left to them is either to convert to Buddhism or flee the country. Once a person converts to Buddhism, he/she is exempted from any sort of hard labour. According to the information leaflet of the NNLD Central Committee, one Major Khien Soc of the IB 299 Battalion made one whole village to sign a document which enumerates the conversion of Christians to Buddhism. The leaflet also says that the same battalion came to Pansat Naga village and ordered the villagers to worship a Buddhist monk. In another incident, villagers of the Kongkailong Naga village were ordered to destroy their churches and construct a pagoda at the same spot, according to reports from the victims who fled to Manipur.