A PASTOR and adviser to the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), in Myanmar, has been arrested and detained as he attempted to fly to Thailand for medical treatment.
The Revd Dr Hkalam Samson was arrested on 4 December at Mandalay International Airport, and put on a plane to Kachin State, where he was detained again on landing.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said that Dr Samson was facing prosecution in relation to preaching, and speeches made in Bible classes, although exact charges were not clear.
He had previously faced prosecution after meeting the former US President Donald Trump to discuss religious freedom in Myanmar in July 2019.
Members of the Kachin Baptist Convention were summoned by officials and told that Dr Samson would be prosecuted. The deputy secretary of the KBC, the Revd Lahpai Zau Ra, said in a video posted on the group’s Facebook page: “We were shown video files of the Bishop’s speeches and told he had committed offences. We were shown points he preached in Bible classes. We were told they were preparing to take action because he is guilty.”
The acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Revd Dr Ioan Sauca, expressed its “deep concern” over the deteriorating humanitarian, human-rights, and political situation in Myanmar since the military coup that took place in 2021 (Comment, 21 January).
“We renew our calls for the military authorities to hand back the control that they have illegitimately seized, and to release all those who have been arbitrarily arrested, denied due process, and who remain in detention,” Dr Sauca said.
“The actions by the military leaders of Myanmar constitute an unconscionable assault on the democratic transition and on the people.”
Benedict Rogers, the senior analyst for East Asia of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said: “CSW is deeply troubled by the arrest of such a prominent and internationally respected religious leader in Myanmar, and are very concerned for his well-being. We call on the Myanmar authorities to release him immediately and we urge the international community to demand his unconditional release and ensure his well-being.”
Earlier this month, Myanmar was named among 12 countries by the United States that are of “particular concern” for religious-freedom violations.
Approximately eight per cent of the population of Myanmar — around 4.4 million — are Christian. The Kachin people are a majority Christian ethnic group.