EXAMPLES OF CHRISTIANS MISSIONIZING BURMA
The Sunday Island of January 16, 2000 gave two news items concerning young English graduates caught missionizing in Burma. The Karen are in a state of rebellion and have their own army which is at war with the Burmese government army. They demand their own state and freedom of religion – Christian Methodism.
The Karen had actively co-operated with the British during World War 2 against the Japanese and at that time converted to Methodism. Now they look to their old Colonial masters for help for their cause.
There are several such ethnic groupings in rebellion and several negotiate peace treaties or rise up in rebellion against the state from time to time. To fund their activities they grow and refine opium, heroine and amphetamines, extract gemstones, minerals and sell timber. To keep the country unified the military is very active, with a heavy hand. Just as for India, outside forces would like to see the country divided into separate states. Then missionizing and economic exploitation would be fairly easy to arrange.
Ms. Rachel Goldwyn
Ms. Rachel Goldwyn, 28, from Barnes (UK) – jailed for 7 years with hard labour by the authorities for singing a protest song – was released by the authorities after serving two months of her sentence.
Her parents, Dr. (Mrs.) Charmian Goldwyn, a GP, and her husband Edward, a television producer, had been allowed many visits to her in her room.
Miss Goldwyn, an economics graduate of the London School of Economics, was arrested on Sept 7 after chaining herself to a lamppost and singing “We will never forget” – a pro democracy song – in front of 300 onlookers in central Rangoon.
Two years ago she had worked as an English teacher in the Karen (Christian) refugee camps just inside the Thai border where she had heard first hand accounts of the victimization of the ethnic minority most of whom are Christian Methodist by the Burmese army (due to Karen demands for an independent state .. carefully omitted in the article.)
A member of the pressure group Burma Campaign UK said that Ms. Goldwyn had contacted them after returning from her teaching trip. “We know Rachel and are delighted that she has been released. She did attend various demonstrations against human rights abuses in Burma and wrote the occasional article for our newsletter” said a spokesperson.
Associated article: James Mawdsley
The second and associated article was about James Mawdsley, a 26 year old from Lancashire who was sentenced to 17 years in jail a few days before Ms Goldwyn’s sentence.
He had a record of activism and sentencing in the country.
With the unexpected release of Rachel Goldwyn, the mother of James Mawdsley left Heathrow for Burma. Diana Mawdsley had had no contact with her son since he was jailed two months ago. He was arrested by the Burmese authorities for the third time in two years despite having been given warnings never to return.
He was first deported in November 1997 for handcuffing himself to the railings outside a school in Rangoon in a one-man protest. Fourteen months ago he was expelled from the country after serving 88 days of a 5-year sentence for illegally entering Burma and putting up posters critical of the military junta.
He was caught for the third time distributing material criticizing the government and chanting anti- government slogans in the eastern town of Tachilek and was subjected to summary justice.
His twelve year term was ordered to be served consecutively with the earlier sentences.
Mr. Mawdsley, who was educated in a Roman Catholic public school, became devoted to the pro-democracy campaign after curtailing his studies at Bristol University.
(Note: Seems to have upper-class Catholic parentage – Aristocracy. Dr. Charmain – the name also sounds Catholic.)
Motto:
“All it takes for Buddhism to disappear is for Buddhists to know nothing and to do nothing”
source;nba srilanka