What you can do:
Burma background:
Burma is the world's second largest producer of illicit opium. Lack of government will and ability to take on major drug-trafficking groups and the absence of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall effort.
 This country of 50 million was only conquered by Britain after a period of 62 years (1824-1886) when it was finally incorporated into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. General Ne Win dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power and the NLD's leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and is currently still under house arrest.
Since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state. This decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma , and some foreign governments have not adopted the new name. Myanmar is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw
Church/Mission Activity
 There are no permanent foreign Christian religious agencies able to function in the country. The military government has adopted a policy of serious human rights violations against ethnic minorities within Burma . These include systematic persecution, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary imprisonment, rape, torture, forced labour, forced relocation, as well as burning villages and destroying crops. Many of these groups, such as the Karen, Chin, and Karenni, contain large Christian populations. T he army uses religion as a weapon of war. When it is convenient to do so, it uses Buddhism to stir up anti-Christian sentiment. Churches are often the first targets in attacks on ethnic villages. In Chin state, which is 90 percent Christian, soldiers tear down crosses and force villagers to build Buddhist pagodas. Buddhism however is still not considered the State religion even though as many as 83% of the population practice the religion.
 Neither the plight of the 5 million Karen, the few hundred thousand Karenni nor the persecution of Burmese Christians is likely to receive news coverage. The nearly 4 million Christians in Burma are among the 250 million members of the worldwide persecuted church. Over a million people from the Karen, Karenni, and Shan ethnic minorities are displaced in the jungles of eastern Burma, many without shelter, food, or medicine. At least 150,000 refugees have fled to camps in Thailand , while thousands of Chin, Arakan, and Rohingya are displaced along the India and Bangladesh borders. There are at least 1,200 political prisoners. All publications, religious and secular, remain subject to control and censorship. Translations of the Bible into indigenous languages cannot be imported legally; however, Bibles can be printed locally in indigenous languages with government permission. They are impossible to obtain, however.
Main Unreached Groups
People groups range in size from the 30 million Buddhist Barmar to the tiny and despised Moken (Sea Gypsies) in the south. Most people are Buddhist, believing in endless cycles of reincarnation before reaching Nirvana. There are several minority tribes with Christian majorities. The Barmar (Also known as Bhama and Burman) dominate the political, cultural and religious scene. They believe themselves to be the descendents of the celestial race, the first people to populate the earth and therefore look down on all pother groups.
Some groups are particularly resistant. These include the Barmar but also the Shan, Palaung and Rakhine. Many minorities have an elaborate mix of Buddhist beliefs along with animism and occult (demonic) practices.
Persecution Index
Every six months, Open Doors World Watch publishes an index which grades countries according to the levels of persecution religious believers, and of Christians especially.
2006 Grading for Burma: 18th
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