US Report: Religious Restrictions in Burma, China of ‘Particular Concern’

The annual U.S. report on religious freedom worldwide notes that challenges to freedom of belief and worship persist in many Southeast Asian countries.

The State Department report says Burma is of “particular concern,” as the country’s authoritarian regime imposed restrictions on religious activities of minorities, such as Muslim and Christians. Authorities also kept a close watch on the efforts of Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedoms. The military government generally allowed government-registered religious groups to worship as they chose.

In China, the report says religious practices of Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants were severely restricted and some groups were completely banned. The constitution protects what it calls “normal” religious activities, but gives officials powers to interpret the meaning of “normal.”

The report says the situation is generally better in Indonesia and Malaysia, although the governments there failed to protect religious minorities from individual discrimination by the majority Muslims.

The State Department report says North Korea’s communist regime severely restricted religious activities and supervised those it sanctioned.

It says the communist government in Vietnam also restricted organized activities of religious groups.

In Laos, the report says officials in urban areas tended to show more acceptance of non-Buddhist religious practices, but intolerance was frequent in rural areas.