A Cry for Mercy for Myanmar And a Call for Senators to Act.  

On February 1 a brutal military coup ended nearly a decade of a democratic experiment in Myanmar (Burma). The military seized control and declared a year-long state of emergency, arresting the country’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and members of her party.  

Hundreds of thousands of Burmese have taken to the street  in a nationwide uprising. This has been met by horrifying violence from the military junta. To date, over 9,900 have been unjustly arrested or detained, over 240,000 have been displaced and more than 1,200 have been killed, including the assassination of a Baptist pastor on September 18. Pastor Cung Biak Hum was attempting to help a member of his church extinguish a fire after the man’s home when he was killed. The fire was set by the military.  

Tom Andrews, United Nations special rapporteur, tweeted: “The murder of a Baptist minister and bombing of homes in Thantlang, Chin State, are the latest examples of the living hell being delivered by junta forces against the people of Myanmar. The world needs to pay closer attention. More importantly, the world needs to act.”
We the undersigned, faith leaders and human rights activists, call upon the U.S. Senate generally, and senators Todd Young and Ben Cardin specifically, to move forward The BURMA Act of 2021 (S. 2937 and H.R. 5497). We express gratitude for the bipartisan work in previous incarnations of this bill. Now that the House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed the bill, we have every reason to think it will pass in a House vote soon. It is time for the Senate to act by also bringing the bill to a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  

The BURMA Act of 2021, builds on legislation that Senator Young co-led with Senator  Cardin in2019. The BURMA Act of 2021 provides hope for the people of Burma. It authorizes humanitarian aid and it creates a high-level position to coordinate the U.S. policy response with other countries in the area.  

The bill also mandates that 60 days of passage, the State Department must report back to Congress about the feasibility of cutting off oil and gas revenues by sanctioning Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprises. This is a provision that Chevron’s lobbyists have  opposed.

There are 1.7 million Baptists in Burma. Last year the Myanmar Baptist Convention was the second fastest growing Baptist convention in the world. In March, a convoy of 15 military vehicles with 60 soldiers arrived at the Kachin Theological College and Seminary at 10:45pm.  They went door by door into every dormitory looking for a New Testament professor who had denounced the military.

Just days ago, on Oct. 29, the Chin Human Rights Organization released a statement that in part reads: “This afternoon, the Tatmadaw began launching incendiary rockets into Thantlang town.

Lt. Col. Thaung Hlaing, as the Chief Military Commander has ordered this wanton destruction of the town. After multiple explosions, as of this evening, over 100 houses are on fire which, continues to spread. … The first rockets to be fired into the town landed at the entrances to the Thantlang Baptist Church. There are also reports that soldiers have come out on the streets and deliberately torched houses in different locations in town.”

Christians are hardly the sole persecuted faith in Burma. Rohingya Muslims have experienced genocide and expulsion from their homes. Ethnic and religious minorities have long been without traditional liberties but the situation today is dire.
The recent build-up of troops in Burma’s north is very worrying.
The Chin State and the Sagaing region are both seeing an unprecedented influx of soldiers loyal to the coup leaders. The Burmese military coordinated a similar buildup in Rakhine State before committing the genocide against the Rohingya in 2017. Historically similar tactics have been used to commit atrocities against the Kachin, Shan, and Karen peoples.

There are reports that the military has been given 3 months to “wipe out” the resistance. Troop movements are presently hindering any humanitarian assistance reaching the Chin State. An August USAID statement reads: “Coup-related instability has also resulted in access challenges, restricted banking operations, and limited cash availability, making the provision of humanitarian assistance more difficult for relief actors.”

We call upon all U.S. senators to throw their full support behind any measure that will undermine the repressive and murderous military regime in Burma– one already guilty of genocide. At  present, it appears that the most effective means of action is the BURMA Act of 2021.  

Please join us and sign on with the link below AND contact your senators now. https://forms.gle/xfmQUUsZmp5JEW579 

Rev. Dr. Scott Stearman, U.N. Representative, Baptist World Alliance
Co-Signed:  
Peter Thawnghmung, Board President, Chin Community of Indiana
Van L. Kio, Community Activist, Grassroots Movement for Burma
Rev. Dr. Stephen Kio, Coordinator for the USCC & Senior Pastor of Indiana Chin Baptist Church.
Rev. Sa Tin Lal, Chin Baptist Association, North America.