ICC Note: Burma has undergone tremendous changes since the election of a civilian government in 2010. The president, Thein Sein, has introduced numerous reforms to a nation that was run by a severe military government for decades. Political prisoners have been set free, restrictions on the press have been lifted, and foreign governments have ended bans on doing business with the country. Nevertheless religious freedom remains distant for many in Myanmar, including the Chin ethnic group, who are predominantly Christian. Representatives of the Chin recently met with the European Union for the first time to detail ongoing human rights violations and discrimination against them by the Burmese government. 
7/23/2013 Burma (MNN) – Earlier this month, the primarily-Christian Chin people had their first-ever meeting with the European Union. Christian Aid Mission, your link to indigenous missions, says Burma first heard the Gospel 200 years ago in July.
At the EU hearing, officials took a look at key challenges facing the ethnic Chin, including significant human rights abuses.
According to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO)–one of the groups who testified in the EU hearing, approximately 100,000 Chin refugees in India face substantial challenges. Over the past two years, more than 100 violent sexual assaults have taken place in Delhi alone.
“In a sense, what is happening in Chin State is a barometer for the rest of the country,” CHRO Program Director Salai Za Uk Ling testified at the hearing. “Serious human rights abuses by the Burma Army continue with impunity, including sexual violence.
“We want to shine a light on the root causes, such as ethnic and religious discrimination, and the urgent need to deepen the reforms.”
According to Christian Aid, indigenous missionaries are shining the Light of Christ in Burma’s spiritual darkness.
“I was born and brought up in a Christian family. My grandfather became a Christian many years ago amid much hostility,” said *Sya, a modern-day Chin church planter supported by Christian Aid. “By 1988, I made a commitment to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He prepared for me.”
While traveling extensively throughout the country, Sya saw young people respond eagerly to the Gospel with a desire to teach others. He established Myanmar Rural Mission to equip young missionaries with practical knowledge and field experience.
Today, the group supports 22 native missionaries who bring the Good News to remote villages. Myanmar Rural Mission focuses on people groups including the Koki, Lahu, Akha, Tedim, Shan, and Meitei.
Despite nationwide reforms over the past three years, Burma is still lacking religious freedom. Buddhism remains firmly entrenched and fervently protected by political and military leaders. As a result, missionaries who lead Buddhists to Christ may face imprisonment, or even death.
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