The military junta shows no sign of diverting from a long trend of discriminating against religious minorities. The most recent Constitution, promulgated in 1974, permitted both legislative and administrative restrictions on religious freedom, stating that "the national races shall enjoy the freedom to profess their religion provided that the enjoyment of any such freedom does not offend the laws or the public interest." Most adherents of all religions duly registered with the authorities generally enjoyed freedom to worship as they chose; however, the Government imposed some restrictions on certain religious minorities.

The Government imposed some restrictions on the religious freedom of both Christian and Islamic groups, and individual Christians and Muslims experienced some discrimination by the State. The Government monitored the activities of members of all religions, including Buddhism, in part because clergy and congregation members in the past have become active politically.

Christians and Muslims experienced difficulties in obtaining permission to build places of worship and in importing indigenous-language translations of traditional sacred texts. Through the 1990’s, the Government increasingly has made special efforts to link itself with Buddhism as a means of asserting its own popular legitimacy. State-controlled news media continued frequently to depict or describe junta members paying homage to Buddhist monks, making donations at pagodas throughout the country, officiating at ceremonies to open, improve, restore or maintain pagodas, and organizing ostensibly voluntary "people’s donations" of money, food, and uncompensated labor to build or refurbish Buddhist religious shrines throughout the country. State-owned newspapers routinely featured, as front-page banner slogans, quotations from the Buddhist scriptures. Buddhist doctrine remained part of the state-mandated curriculum in all elementary schools; however, individual children may opt out of instruction in Buddhism, and sometimes do so in practice. The Government has published books of Buddhist religious instruction. The USDA has organized courses in Buddhist culture attended by millions of persons, according to state-owned media reports.

In addition, in practice, the Government systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedom, and, according to numerous credible reports, government authorities in some ethnic minority areas coercively promoted Buddhism over other religions, particularly among members of the minority ethnic groups. There is no official state religion; however, the Government continued to show a preference for Theravada Buddhism in practice. Successive Governments, civilian and military, have supported and associated themselves conspicuously with Buddhism.

Virtually all organizations must be registered with the Government. Although there is a government directive exempting "genuine" religious organizations from registration, in practice only registered organizations can buy or sell property or open bank accounts, which induces most religious organizations to register. Religious organizations register with the Ministry of Home Affairs with the endorsement of the Ministry for Religious Affairs. However, at least one religiously-affiliated organization was allowed to open a bank account with the endorsement of the Myanmar Council of Churches instead of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The State also provides some utilities, such as electricity, at preferential rates to recognized religious organizations.

The great majority of the country’s population at least nominally follows Theravada Buddhism, although in practice popular Burmese Buddhism includes veneration of many indigenous pre-Buddhist deities called "nats" and coexists with astrology, numerology, and fortune-telling. Buddhist monks, including novices, number more than 300,000, roughly 2 percent of the male Buddhist population, and depend for their material needs entirely on alms donated by the laity, including daily donations of food. The clergy also includes a much smaller number of nuns.

There are minorities of Christians (mostly Baptists as well as some Catholics and Anglicans), Muslims (mostly Sunni), Hindus, and practitioners of traditional Chinese and indigenous religions. According to government statistics, almost 90 percent of the population practice Buddhism, 4 percent practice Christianity, and 4 percent practice Islam; however, these statistics may understate the non-Buddhist proportion of the population.

The country is ethnically diverse, and there is some correlation between ethnicity and religion. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion among the majority Burman ethnic group, and among the Shan and Mon ethnic minorities of the eastern region. In much of the country there also is some correlation between religion and social class, in that non-Buddhists tend to be better educated in secular matters, more urbanized, and more commercially oriented than the Buddhist majority. Christianity is the dominant religion among the Kachin ethnic group of the northern region and the Chin and Naga ethnic groups of the western region (some of which practice traditional indigenous religions); it also is widely practiced among the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups of the southern and eastern regions. Many other Karen and Karenni are Theravada Buddhists. Hinduism is practiced chiefly by Indians, mostly Tamils and Bengalis, who are concentrated in major cities and in the south-central region (although many Tamils are Catholic). Islam is practiced widely in Arakan Division on the west coast, where it is the dominant religion of the Rohingya minority, and among Indians and Bengalis and their descendants. The small Chinese ethnic minorities practice traditional Chinese religions. Traditional indigenous religions are practiced widely among smaller ethnic groups in the northern regions and persist widely in popular Buddhist practice, especially in rural areas. There are no reliable statistics on religious affiliation and ethnicity. Since independence in 1948, many of the ethnic minority areas have been bases for armed resistance to the State. Although most armed ethnic groups have negotiated cease-fire agreements with the Government since 1989, active Shan, Karen and Karenni insurgencies continue, and a Chin insurgency has developed since the late 1980’s. Successive civilian and military governments have tended to view religious freedom in the context of threats to national unity.

(Source: 2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom: Burma, Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - U.S. Department of State, September 5, 2000 )

Since January 27 2000, Christian and Muslim students in Karen state have been denied access to the colleges and universities by being refused National Registration Cards (NRC). Under military rule in Burma, those who do not possess an NRC neither qualifies as citizens of Burma nor are eligible to enjoy other rights in Burma. According to a student, Saw Aung Shwe (not his real name), the immigration chief officer of Karen state, U Myo Khant Kyu had ordered that NRCs should not be issued to Christian and Muslim students so that they would be disqualified from sitting for the entrance examination of the college and university. However, the chief officer allowed some Christian and Muslim traders to rent or purchase shops in the markets of the main towns in Karen state when he received 400,000 kyat as gifts from them. (Source: MICB)

On May 20 2000, one Christian and two Muslims were fined Ks. 18,000 and were sentenced to 5 days imprisonment each in Karen state of Burma by the SPDC authorities. The three were traveling by a bus with other passengers. The authorities stopped the bus at a "Kay ka lay" check-point on the Kawkareik-Pa-an road and checked the NRC of the passengers. When the three victims showed their NRC respectively, which indicated that they were non-Buddhists, the authorities led by U Shwe Maung and an army sergeant, Kyaw Han arrested them and brought them to their camps where the three were charged under the immigration acts. The three victims were, (1) U Kho Chee, 35, Tha Ya Goon village, Thaton township, Mon stte; (2) U Sow Naing, 8 and (3) U Khain Oo, 30 from Pa-an district, Karen state. (Source: MICB)

On January 1, 2000, a church in Naung-ta-loon, Pa-an township, Karen State was demolished by SPDC and DKBA officers, led by Lt.(Bo) Soe and Lt. (Bo) Kya of DKBA. The officers had entered the town with a group of forced laborers and then ordered the group to destroy the church. (Source: MICB)

On March 28 2000 a column of troops from LIB 428, came to Yawtakar village, Lopwakoe Province, Karenni State and forced the pastor’s daughter (xxxxxx) 26, to guide the troops to Kabwedo village. Before leaving from the village, the Burmese troops confiscated 2 gold bracelets, 2 gold rings, one cassette tape and the pastor’s robes along with his service license. (Source: KNAHR)

In June 2000, the SPDC officials in Tamu ordered 16,000 copies of the Bible to be burned in Tamu, Sagaing Division. These Bibles, which were seized last year (1999) by the Burmese Army, are in Chin, Karen and other ethnic languages. Leaders of the Council of Churches in Tamu area appealed to the regime, and an appeal was also made in early July of this year by the Myanmar Baptist Convention, the organization that represents all Baptist Churches in Burma, to the top SPDC officials in Rangoon. As of December 2000, they had received no reply from the Army.

Early in 1999, the Burmese Army also seized 30,000 copies of Bible written in Chinese language and which had been kept in the military store rooms in Kaley Wa, Sagaing Division. Every church member was afraid to claim these Bibles. In May and June, 2000, the Military Intelligence of the Burmese Army ordered all church building construction in Tiddim area of Chin State to stop. The buildings included the Evangelical Baptist Church in Myoma Quarter, Faith Bible Theological Seminary in Lawibual Quarter, Sakollam Baptist Church, and Lawibual Baptist Church. During the first week of July 2000, worship services at the Lai Baptist Church at No. 41 U Aung Min Street, Ward 2, in Mayangone, Rangoon was prohibited by the authorities. Most of the Chin people in the Rangoon area attend worship services here. At present, the congregation is worshipping at Myanmar Institute of Theology at Seminar Hill, Insein near Rangoon. The church has been closed since June 2000 in spite of church leaders requests for reopening. (Source: CHRO)

On July 7, 2000, Chairman of the Tamu township authority, Captain Khin Maung Myint and his associates went to the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the village of Tin-ka-ya which is about 6 miles from Tamu, Sagaing Division.  He summoned the village chairman U Htaung Kho Yan and other leaders including U Htan Lein (Mission School teacher) to a meeting. After that Captain Khin Maung Myint stepped up on to the pulpit with his army boots, a place that is regarded with great reverence by the Christians in this area who normally take their shoes off as a mark of respect. He shouted "With whose permission was this school opened. Where is the permit?" The church elders explained that in 1976, together with the school for religious teaching, a school to teach the basic reading and writing skills was opened.

Captain Khin Maung Myint did not accept this explanation and ordered U Htaung Kho Yan and U Htan Lein to stand up in front of him and beat them both on their backs and faces with the special offertory bags used by the church. He then drew his revolver out and pointed it at their heads one after the other. Then he took two bullets out and said " These bullets are for you Chins". He went on punching and kicking them. He smashed the chairs and tables and other paraphernalia (bibles and sound system) on the pulpit and said expletives against the Chin people and the Christians.  He then had both U Htaung Kho Yan and U Htan Lein arrested and locked up at  the Tamu police station. On July 10, 2000 he ordered the closure of all the Christian schools in the township.  News of this was published in the foreign media on July 15.  This angered him and  U Pa Jya Kin, the pastor of the church was arrested and locked up in the police station where he was tortured and persecuted. In addition, as punishment, all the villagers of Tin-ka-ya were made to plough ten acres of his private property. (Source: NLD)

In the beginning of September 2000, Battalion Commander Khin Maung Aye from
SPDC IB 280, based in Palawt village, ordered the local villagers in northern Palaw township and southern Theyetcahung township areas in Tenasserim Division, not to give any support to resistance groups. The commander threatened the villagers that, if the army learned of or knew about the villagers supporting the resistance groups, that their village pastor would be expelled from his/her service. After that order, on September 5, 2000 Ta Lay Hko village pastor Rev. San Hlaing was driven out of his service as a pastor by the army. The army accused Ta LayHko villagers of supporting an armed resistance group. (Source: TIR)

On September 15, 2000, troops from SPDC No. 663 Tactical Command, led by Bo Tin Aung, under control of Division 66, destroyed a Christian mission school at Po-hket-hta village, Waw Mu village tract, Pu-pun District, Karen State and forced the teachers to return to their homes. The teachers driven out were:

1. Naw K’ Pru Htoo, 8 standard graduate
2. (2) Naw Esther, B.A. from Pa-an
3. (3) Naw Nona, B.A. from Maulmein
4. (4) Naw Aye Htoo. B.A
5. (5) Naw Naw P’ Saw Wah. B.A.
6. 6) Saw Thura Htun, B.A.

On October 25 2000, a Christian church in Kan Dee Township, part of the Naga Hill land area of Sagaing Division, planned to held a religious meeting, but the meeting was banned by the local tactical commander. (Source: Inside Source)

In December 2000, SPDC frontline troops summoned people from Haka and Thangtlang Townships in Chin State and told them they were not allowed to hold any Christmas ceremonies or prayer meetings. They went from village to village and told them if they wanted to hold any ceremonies they were required to hold them in simple and discrete manners at their homes. Although the chairmen of the village PDCs and pastors argued that Christmas is a very auspicious feast for Christians and requested them to allow Christmas celebrations, the column commander of the SPDC forces refused. He explained if they held any such ceremonies rebels from the CNF could infiltrate and that was the reason such ceremonies were not allowed.

He went on to say if the chairmen and pastors deliberately held any such Christmas feast in defiance of the order, the village chairmen and pastors would all be arrested and recruited as porters - with people from southern Chin State forced to carry things north and people from northern Chin State carrying things south. The SPDC ordered only low key celebrations ward-wise in Haka, Falam, and Tiddim in Chin State. (Source: DVB)

On April 5 2000, in the middle of the night, 25 soldiers under the command of Major Kyaw Naing of Western Area Command No.5 went to the village of Dudan, about 13 miles north of Maungdaw town, Arakan State and intruded into the village madrassa (religious school). The Western Area command forces dragged the teachers and students out and lined them up in queue in front of the school. The students were severely kicked and beaten with boots and gun butts, the beards of some teachers were plucked out, and the nearby mosque was vandalized without reason. The troops then ordered the teachers to close the school, threatening that they would be shot dead if the school was reopened. The Chairman of the Village PDC, Noor Alam, Secretary Sultan and a member named Nagu were all then hunted by the soldiers.
(Source: ARNO)

On April 10 2000, Major Kyaw Naing arrested a group of religious leaders from Dudan village, Arakan State. They forced them to labor 4 days, constructing an army camp and building a road. The names of the victims are: (1) Jafar Islam (2) Abdul Rahman (3) Abdul Karim (4) Jamal Ahmed (5) Abdu Salam (6) Noor Hashim (7) Syed Ahmed (8) Abul Hussain. (Source: ARNO)

On April 23 and 26, 2000, two Muslim cemeteries were destroyed by SPDC Western Area Command forces in Maungdaw township, Arakan State. The brick walls of the cemetery of Godusara village, a place about 6 miles south of Maungdaw town, and Dongkala village (Pattama Yunbangyi), a place about 7 miles south of Maungdaw town, were demolished. The matter was reported to the Chairman of the Township PDC, but no action has been taken.
(Source: ARNO)

On April 28 2000, three Muslims (two men and one woman) were forced to eat pork and worship Buddhist statues in Karen State by SPDC and DKBA officers. When the authorities found the three villagers going from Patta village to La-dawei village, they were forded to eat pieces of dried pork and worship statues the officers had brought with them. According to a Karen teacher, te ruling authorities in Pa-an and Hlaing Bwe township, have been distributing anti-Muslim pamphlets to the Buddhist community since early this year.(Source: MICB)

On April 28 2000, a Major, the commander of the NaSaKa Area No. 5, in collaboration with Aung Than Che and Saw Myint Aung, confiscated 73 acres of land belonging to Maulvi Mohammed and Akthar Hussain, both of them from the village of Auk Pruma (Kasarbil), a place about 12 miles north of Maungdaw town. The two collaborators are Buddhist Rakhines of the village. Then Major ordered the Rohingya villagers to ‘contribute’ for the building of a pagoda on the confiscated land. He warned that if anybody refused to provide money for the pagoda he would be seriously dealt with. For the purpose of funding, he divided the Rohingya families of the 12 village tracts of the Area into three categories. The families in first category were required to pay Kyats 5000, the second Kyats 4000 and third exempted from payment. Major Kyaw Naing started collecting this so-called contribution on May 7, 2000. (Source: RSO)

On June 20 2000, SPDC and DKBA officers urged the old villagers of The Khwet Poe village, Hlaing Bwe township of Karen state to convert to Buddhism. Their land and property were confiscated. They were then informed that if they did convert they would be allowed to resettle in their villages and all their property and land would be returned to them. According to a villager, Tha Khwet Poe village mosque was shelled and destroyed on April 16 2000 and villagers fled. (Source: MICB)

On August 19 2000, SPDC authorities forced Burmese Muslim community to donate money for Buddhism in Mon state of Burma. Apong township SPDC authorities ordered every Muslim family to donate Kyats 1,000 to the Buddhist religious work for building pagodas. One Muslim elder, U Ibrahim from Monktama village of Apong township who appealed to work, was arrested and put into Insein jail since then. (Source: MICB)

On August 28 2000, SPDC authorities squeezed money from a Burmese Muslim shopkeeper in Mon state of Burma. According to a neighbor, USDA village chairman U Soe Win and party went to the shopkeeper, U Ahamad and forced him to give them Kyats 5,000, or they would not give him permission to open the shop in the village. U Ahamad had o comply with the demand. U Ahamad (46 years) was from Mu-Pon village, Moulmein Myo.(Source: MICB)

On October 10, 2000, as the result of a trick by SPDC intelligence, a conflict occurred between Muslims and Buddhists in Mwe-dwin, Mone town, Nyaung-lay-bin District, Karen State. At a demonstration, in which Buddhist Monks and others participated, people destroyed the house of Than Tin, who was a Muslim, and looted all his household belongings. In addition, the authorities arrested and put him in a cell in Mone Town. (Source: KIC)

On November 24, 2000, junta’s authorities arrested two Burmese Muslims at a check point in South East Karen state of Burma. One of the Muslims was an Imam of a mosque. The authorities led by Kawkareik township immigration officer U Tin Tun and police sergeant Hla Myint arrested the two Muslims at a check point in Kawkareik (Myo) town, seized Kyats 200,000, the ID cards, and other documents from them. Then they were brought to a nearby bush where they were separated by the authorities. A 3 man-group of the authorities tore out all their documents, beat and kicked the Imam for about one hour and then released him with a warning that he would not disclose the looting and brutalities of the authorities. The Imam’s friend was not released and the whereabouts of him was unknown since then. The Imam, Saya U Than Myint (37years) and his friend U Ar Dwan (32 years) were from Yammethin Myo, Mandaly division. (Source: MICB)

Since the opening of Burmese junta  primary schools in June, 2000,  SPDC teachers have forced Burmese Muslim students to learn Buddhism in Mon State. Muslim students who refused to learn Buddhism were dismissed from the schools. On September,1, 2000, four Muslim elders of Daing Win Gwan Block village, Moulmein township  where a primary  school was situated, put up an application requesting the high authorities to spare the Muslim students from learning Buddhism in the school , were arrested. (see chapter on arrest) (Source: MICB, ARNO)

On June 5, 2000, Maj. Gen. Aung Htwe, the commander of the Western Command in Akyab ( Sittwe), ordered further restrictions on Muslim students particularly in their pursuit of higher education. (Source: ARNO)

On August 11 2000, four Burmese Muslim students were denied University entrance by the SPDC authorities in Rangoon. The four students from government High School (2), Thingan Nyunt township, Rangoon, passed their matriculation examination. However, their University entrance applications were rejected by the authorities with the reason that they did not have ID cards. To attain the ID cards, to have free movement and to join the universities, the four Muslim families converted to Buddhism. The students were Tha Han (20 years) Cho Cho Naing (18 years) and Win Tut (19 years) and Eusoof (18 years) of Thingan Nyunt, Rangoon. (Source: MICB)

Since April, 10 2000, Muslims in block No.114 of Dagon township in Rangoon Division have not been allowed to pray in the mosque by the members of the USDA. The members of USDA also instigated anti- Muslim agitation there. Many Muslims have therefore been leaving for other new places. (Source: MICB)

On June 8 2000, SPDC military intelligence officers with a group of military officers locked the mosque in Man Aung (village) block, Pa-an township of Karen state. On this day, the officers came to the village and called all trustee committed members of the mosque together, and ordered them to sign a document prohibiting the villagers to pray in the mosque.
(Source: MICB)

On June 8 2000, some SPDC and DKBA officers locked the mosque of Thayagone (village) block, Kyondo township, Karen state of Burma. A Muslim known as U Kasim (25 years) of the same village, requested the authorities not to lock the mosque and not to prohibit them from praying in the mosque. He was then beaten up by the authorities and was seriously injured. (Source: MICB)

In early 2000, DKBA authorities ordered villagers from Kaw Kyaik to destroy their mosque. Kaw Kyaik village, in Pa-an township of Karen state consists of about 80 Muslim houses, a mosque and about 300 non-Muslim houses. Moreover, the authorities in that area have been seizing most of the Muslim land and selling it off. (Source: MICB)

In early 2000, the Area Commander of the NaSaKa (Western Area Command) Area 7 ordered the villagers of Tharekumbow (Sarkumbow village), a place about 8 miles from Maungdaw town, Arakan State to demolish the village mosque. When the villagers did not comply with the order, insisting that it was against their religious teachings, the commander sent a contingent of 250 NaSaKa forces who tortured and terrified the villagers and forced them destroy the mosque under gun point. The first floor of the mosque was demolished and the mosque was closed down and as such no Muslims were allowed to pray in it. (Source: ARNO)

On March 1 2000, some SPDC and DKBA soldier led by Lt. Saw Hla of DKBA, entered Ali not village in Hlaing Bwe township and arrested three Muslim village. elders (1) U Soe Naing (2) U Tun Win and (3) U Nu Tin. The authorities demanded that they destroy the village mosque or give them Ks. 300, 000 as extortion money. Later, the villagers had to settle the problems by giving the said money to the authorities to spare their mosque from destruction. (Source: MICB)

On April 16 2000, at about 6:30 PM. (BST), the SPDC and DKBA soldiers shelled Tha khwet poe village continuously, as a result of which the village mosque was destroyed and two women (1) Daw Bok,50 and (2) Daw Shawid, 42 were killed and five people were wounded. At about 10:00 PM the same day, the authorities entered the compound of the mosque and took away the things they liked. (eg, Yamaha fire generator). Now, a Buddhist pagoda has been built on the site of the mosque. Poor tha Khawet Poe villagers were unable to provide the extortion money "to save the mosque or pay Ks. 15 million" demanded by the authorities. Tha kahwet poe village is in Hlaing Bwe township, Karen state of Burma. (Source: MICB)

On May 1 2000, SPDC military officers called the elders (the trustee committee) of the mosque of Min Hla Myo (town), Pe Gu division and ordered them to close their mosque. According to a Buddhist sympathizer from Min Hla, the order to close down the mosque was given by divisional military commander who is a deeply religious Buddhist. (Source: MICB)

On May 3 2000 the main mosque of Shuja para (Shweza village) adjacent to Maungdaw town was destroyed by a group of NaSaKa (Western Area Command) forces headed by Major Kyaw Naing of camp No. 14 under NaSaKa Area No.6. It was one of the old mosques with permanent structures established by villager Hakim Ali. (Source: ARNO)

On May 25 2000, a Muslim housing quarter with an old mosque was bulldozed by the SPDC authorities in the Mon state of Burma. The Muslim quarter, in the heart of Moulmein city facing the main jail, consisted of about 500 houses with a more than three hundred years old mosque, known as "Rakhiang mosque" was bulldozed by the authorities under the pretext of building a new market, according to a Mon trader, who requested anonymity. Two Muslim elders of the same quarter who protested the destruction of the mosque and the village were arrested by the authorities and their whereabouts are still unknown. The two elders were U Par Si, 55 and u Si Do, 42. (Source: MICB)

On May, 25, 2000, the SPDC ordered troops to destroy " Shwe Gwin mosque" or to pay a five million Kyats bribe, before June, 25, 2000 to the authorities in Karen state of Burma. According to an officer, Bo Win Aung of DKBA, the order was given by the commander of LIB 338. Shwe Gwin village is in Hlaing Bwe township of KarenSstate.
(Source: MICB)

On June 1 2000, SPDC officers locked an Islamic Religious Institute in Apoung township of Mon state. According to a Mon teacher, on the day mentioned above, the officers led by village chairman, U Aung Gu said that the military commander of Infantry Battalion (102) under Brigade No.44, ordered the chairman to lock the institute. No further reason was given for the closure of the institute. (Source: MICB)

On June 28, 2000, SPDC Kawkareik township officers and the officers of Battalion No.67, jointly seized the Islamic Religious Institute in the heart of Kawkareik, in Karen state of Burma. The authorities the sold off the building and its site to a contractor, U Myint Shwe of the same town, who destroyed the institute to build a market on the site of the Islamic institute.(Source: MICB)

On October 10, 2000, a SPDC military officer ordered the destruction of a mosque in order to build a Buddhist pagoda on its site. According to a Karen trader, a group of Burmese army led by Col. Kan Nyunt of Kachin Battalion No.2 entered a Muslim village, the colonel called the village elders and personally said that the government would destroy the village mosque in order to build a pagoda there. The village is known as Patta Yaw, in Hlaing Bwe township, Karen state. (Source: MICB)

On October 10, 2000, SPDC authorities destroyed a mosque drove all the Muslims from their birth place in Arakan State. After destroying the mosque of Gwa (Myo) town by the supporters, of SPDC junta, the township SPDC authorities of Gwa Myo, Sandoway district, ordered all Muslim dwellers there to vacate Gwe township immediately. There were about 60 families in Gwa Myo. The Muslims, left Gwa and tried to enter and settle down in Sandoway town, were also prevented by the Sandoway district SPSC authorities. The Muslim families were scattered all over Sandoway in search of shelters. The people of Sandoway, Muslims and Buddhists alike, were worried for the fates of the Muslims driven out of their birth place by the authorities. (Source: MICB)

On November 13 2000, SPDC authorities ordered the destruction of "Ja-May" mosque in ByinKayine town, Ngapudo Township, Irawaddy Division. The town is close to HiGyi Island near the beach. The SPDC had prohibited the repairing of the mosque, but the Muslim villagers didn’t listen and so some of them were arrested by Captain Myo Myint Htun, the chairman of the township PDC, including U Ah Say and 4 Muslim villagers.(Source: DVB)

The military prohibits building or repair of any mosque or Muslim institution, particularly in Arakan State. Yet the military forces Muslim Rohingya villagers to provide compulsory forced labor for the erection, building, and rebuilding of Buddhist pagodas and monasteries There are many mosques and religious institutes, which have been either locked up or are standing in ruin without repair in the whole of Arakan State.

On February 25 2000, the commanding officer of the Western Area Command # 4 arrested 14 Ulema (religious leaders) from Ziban Chaung (Ziban Khali) village, Bawlibazar township, Arakan State for alleged reconstruction by the villagers of their age-old village mosque. The arrested persons include Moulvi Khaled son of Moulvi Sayed and Moulvi Rashid. (Source: ARNO)

On April 5 2000, Moktama township PDC chairman, U Ann Ku ordered that maintenance of the mosque in Si Swon block No. (2), Moktama, Apoung township of Mon state be completely stopped. According to a villager, some parts of tin-roofing of the mosque were damaged and water leaked inside the mosque while prayers were performed. The Si Swon village-elders earlier received permission from the authorities of Apoung township and started to repair the damages to the mosque. However, the Moktama township SPDC president U AnnKu noticed the mosque trustees and ordered them to stop further maintenance until the trustees receive permission from the chairman, U Ann Ku. Similarly, the SPDC officials also banned the maintenance of the following mosques; (1) Main mosque, Maung Ngan Block (2), Moulmein, Mon state, since November 7 1999. (2) Gwan Dae Block (4) mosque, Moulmein, Mon state, since January 10 2000.
(Source: MICB)

On April 10 2000 a mosque and a madrassa (religious school) attached to it, in Sonkala Para, Ziban Chaung village tract, about 15 miles north of Maungdaw, Arakan State were closed down by the commander of the Western Area Command No.4 for the alleged crime of repairing the mosque. The Head of the Mosque Trust, Maulvi Hussain Ahmed, and three other teachers of the madarassa fled away to escape arrest. In fact, the Ulema (religious leaders) and villagers had obtained prior permission from the concerned authorities such as the District PDC, Commander of the Western Area Command No.4 (stationed in Laikra village), and U Sein Tha Zan, Head of the Department of Religious Affairs, Maungdaw Township. Yet in spite of the prior permission, the Western Area Command closed these sacred places reasoning that the repairs were done in the form of permanent structure. (Source: ARNO)

There were several instances in which Muslim people were restricted in their travel, or prevented from traveling. This is covered under the chapter on the freedom of movement.

The SPDC continued both to show preference for Theravada Buddhism, the majority religion, and to control the organization and restrict the activities and expression of its clergy ("sangha"). The SPDC prohibits any organizations of Buddhist clergy other than nine state-recognized monastic orders, which submit to the authority of a state-sponsored State Clergy Coordination Committee ("Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee"—SMNC) elected indirectly by monks. The SPDC provides guidance and enforcement for the committee at the national level and for its subordinate bodies at local levels. The SPDC continued to fund two State Sangha Universities in Rangoon and Mandalay to train Buddhist clergy under the control of the SMNC. The State’s relations with the Buddhist clergy and Buddhist schools are handled chiefly by the Department for the Perpetuation and Propagation of the Sasana (DPPS—"Sasana" means Buddhist doctrine) in the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

In October 1990, the military junta promulgated Order 6/90, which bans any organization of Buddhist clergy other than the nine orders constituting the SMNC; Order 7/90, which authorizes military commanders to try Buddhist clergy before military tribunals for "activities inconsistent with and detrimental to Buddhism;" and Decree 20/90, "Law Concerning Sangha Organizations," which imposes on Buddhist clergy a code of conduct enforced by criminal penalties. These edicts remain in effect.

The Government monitored the activities of members of all religions, including Buddhism, in part because clergy and congregation members in the past have become active politically. In 1995 the military Government prohibited the ordination as clergy of any member of a political party. This measure remains in effect. On July 9, 2000, the state-run Kyemon newspaper reported that the military told leaders of the  Buddhist clergy to expel "undisciplined" monks from temples  nationwide. The Minister for Religious Affairs, U Aung Khin had told senior  Buddhist monks undisciplined monks were tarnishing  the dignity of the clergy. 

On July 21, 2000, a Buddhist monk, the abbot of Loi Noi monastery in Murng-Pan township, was forced to leave his monastery, which was then dismantled by SPDC troops. A force of about 80-90 SPDC troops from LIB520, led by Capt. Than Nyunt, went to the monastery three days prior and told the abbot that they had received an order from higher authorities to build a pagoda on the same spot. The construction of the monastery had just been completed on April 8, 1998 at a cost of 24 million kyat. The lumber of the dismantled monastery were taken to the military base and used for building houses and barracks in the base. (Source: SHRF)

BOC U Maung Gyi had bought shares in the BOC company in England some 70 yeas ago and the profits obtained from those shares have been donated to religious and other institutions such as the Mandalay Pa-ri-yat-ti Tha-tha-na-hi-ta Institution ( Religious Institution for the study of the Pali  Scriptures), Young Men Buddhist Association, and other Buddhist monasteries where 200 or more monks can study the scriptures.

In regard to the money for the year 2000, sent from England to Burma, the authorities concerned invited representatives to decide how this money would be distributed. The authorities invited representatives from the Mandalay Pariyatti Religious Institution and the YMBA and warned them not to invite to the event the sayadaws from the Kyakhatwaing Monastery in Pegu township, Pegu Division, and Mahagandayone Monastery in Mandalay-Amarapura . They further instructed that even if they happened to be invited they would not be allowed to preach on the occasion celebrating the event. (Source: NLD)