burma

I can’t stop thinking about what’s going on in Burma — a country I will never call the other name out of solidarity with the hill tribes populating the border of Thailand and Burma — people who are still fighting for their freedom, for their very lives, and who see the other name as a form of ethnic cleansing. So I reject that name. So does the United States, technically. I’m furious — but not surprised — at the reprehensible stubbornness of the “government” in charge. Strangely, I have a hope that what’s going on right now will call more international attention to this sick and oppressive regime. Too many people are in the dark and that’s just a crime.

A little context for my rant.

We went on a mission trip to Thailand in the summer of 2004. I’ve never written about it here because I find it hard to talk about. Profound personal things happened that there may not even be words for. (Well, that’s rather dramatic, Trace. More accurate to say I can’t find the words for it. I can’t do it justice. There, that’s better, I think.) I remember all the research I did before we left. About Thailand. About Burma. I remember reading about these hill tribes because part of our group was sent north to visit a HUGE refugee camp where hundreds of thousands of people from these hill tribes live in limbo along the border with Burma. (MB and I weren’t part of this team — we were on an orphanage team — but we just ate up all the stories told and the videos shown when the group returned from the camp. Some of what I heard and saw, even secondhand, I will never forget.)

The people in this camp are Christians. They can and do venture into Burma for food, but they risk rape, torture, and death. They can’t live free in Thailand because of longstanding, insanely complicated agreements between the governments of Thailand and Burma. So right now, they live in this muddy camp in the middle of the jungle. It’s called a refugee camp, yes, but it’s no guaranteed safe haven. They’ve been attacked in the past by the Burmese army and, because of that, in the middle of the camp, hangs a large gong that is sounded whenever they are under threat. Unless things change for them, most of them will spend the remainder of their days there. One might imagine that constant fear and disabling depression would dominate these people, but they are filled with a joy that we Westerners don’t even understand, really.

I still remember hearing how, several times a day, our team members held Bible studies under one huge tent in the middle of the camp. A couple thousand people would show up at a time, more than the tent could hold. The crowd just spilled out onto the muddy ground, basically. One day, they were studying the 23rd Psalm and, through the translator, the study leader asked for anyone to share what “The Lord is my shepherd” meant to them. Kind of a risk, since these are very kind, but generally reserved, people. There was total silence. Then a few men started answering here and there. No women. More men answered. Finally, a woman in the front row answered very quietly. Apparently, you could barely hear her. The whole room stood still, basically, to hear what she said:

“We go into the jungle (Burma) to look for food sometimes. If they (Burmese soldiers) see us, they will kiss us and oppress us. (The translator whispered that, in English, this meant “gang rape.”) But the Lord is always with us. We don’t have freedom in our bodies but we have freedom in our spirits.”

I tear up whenever I even think about this. How can I ever complain about my life??

I’m rambling a lot here — I’m sorry. I’m going to quote a section from a letter I sent out to friends and family before our trip in ’04, just to give a little more background on the people in this camp and the government of Burma, as well.

The mountains of northern Thailand and Burma are populated by diverse ethnic peoples who have lived in the region for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years. The tribes consider themselves non-Burman, since they come from regions as various as China, Mongolia, Cambodia, and India. They do not acknowledge the name “Myanmar,” seeing it as a form of ethnic cleansing. One tribe, known as the Karen (”currin”) has lived in these jungles for about 2,500 years. They are known as the “Christian tribe” because upwards of 40% are, indeed, Christians. It’s an astonishing number when you consider that over 85% of the Burmese population is Buddhist.

There’s a fascinating story I read recently about how the Karen people came to be so (comparatively) heavily evangelized. It seems that for generations before they were ever evangelized, the Karen passed poems amongst themselves that told of one creator God named “Y’wa” who made man and woman. The stories told of a man and a woman who lived in a garden and of a snake who gave the woman some forbidden fruit. The Karen also believe they once possessed a “Book” that told the truth about life. That book was lost, they say, but they believed that one day, a young man from across the seas would come and return it. So when Bible-bearing missionaries arrived in Burma in the 19th century, they were warmly welcomed and the message of Christ was embraced. And here’s an interesting notion: I’ve also learned that there are those active in searching for Jewish descendants of the Assyrian captivity who believe the Karen may be a remnant of the lost tribes of Israel. I can’t help but wonder how they knew this story otherwise.

But right now, the Karen are among the 4 million Christians in Burma who are part of the persecuted church worldwide. The persecution is both religious and political, extending to the Karen and other non-Burman peoples who’ve struggled for decades for autonomy from the Burmese “government” — really nothing more than a military junta known as the “State Peace and Development Council.” The SPDC sees the expression of even the most basic freedoms as a threat to national unity; therefore, any and all attempts at religious and political freedom are put down. Violently.

What’s happening in Burma does not receive much news coverage, a shameful omission since the current situation is one of the most brutal in the world. But I believe we need to be aware of what’s happening, so to that end, I will share with you.

(Be forewarned. Some of what follows will be graphic.)

Under present circumstances, the Burmese army routinely extorts tribal villages for food and money, two things they just don’t have. Villagers are forced to become human minesweepers; men are sent into forced labor; villages, including churches, are systematically burned down; children are forced to become soldiers. Currently, there are approximately 70,000 children in the Burmese army against their will.

Villagers must take care not to be seen running through the jungle or they will be shot on sight. Once the men are removed from the villages as forced laborers, women and children — some as young as 5 — are raped, and frequently, gang raped. Many rape victims are then killed. Christian children are regularly taken from their villages and put into Buddhist monasteries to become monks. They never see their families again.

Additionally, the Burmese army has a terror squad known as the Sa Sa Sa which regularly beheads uncooperative villagers and mounts their heads on poles as a warning to others. Small babies have been taken and ground to death in rice pounders. Yes, you read that correctly.

Even in the midst of these atrocities, the Karen and other tribal Christians remain faithful and courageous. They watch as their villages and churches are destroyed. They move and rebuild, move and rebuild, all with the knowledge that any new village, any new church, will likely be destroyed also. The Karen tribe has a tiny, ragtag, guerrilla force known as the Karen National Liberation Army that continues to do what it can to stave off the Burmese army — and there are small victories.

Just recently, in August 2003, a skirmish broke out between a small group of Karen rebels and and a much larger number of Burmese soldiers. The Burmese army lost about 300 men, but, amazingly, the Karen rebels lost only 15 men. Later, the Karen soldiers commented that the Burmese hadn’t even tried to dodge the barrage of gunfire coming their way. After the confrontation, the Karen went through the soldiers’ bags and found the reason why: the bags were full of amphetamines. The Burmese soldiers had been high. Maybe God does work in mysterious ways sometimes? Gives me chills, actually.

Several years ago, a group of missionaries traveled to visit some believers among the Shan (shawn) tribe. Two years after this first visit, they returned to the village, were welcomed like old, dear friends, and told how the villagers had longed for their return. They stayed, renewing friendships for a few days. Later, as the missionaries were leaving, each received a small envelope from the villagers. As they opened them later, the missionaries discovered they had each been given 1000 Kyat (local currency) from these destitute believers. The villagers had basically nothing but thought nothing of giving all of what they did have. They begged the missionaries to please return.

My hope is greater awareness — of the plight of these hill tribes and ALL people in Burma who live under this evil regime. Pray for them.

Lastly, World Vision is one of the few relief organizations on the ground in Burma right now. Here’s a link to make a quick, direct donation to their efforts over there. Please help if you can. It’s a race against time.