Christians to Gather for 'Pray for Burma' on March 13th
Christians from all over the world will be gathering in London on March 13, 2004 for the Global Day of Prayer for Burma. The gathering, which takes place each year, will be held at St. Paul's Church.
The Global Day of Prayer for Burma started in 1997 by Christians Concerned for Burma as a direct request from Burma's democratic leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. "We urge Christians, and everyone who cares about justice and human rights, to join with us in praying for Burma on the 13th of March," said Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in the United Kingdom.
"At this critical juncture in Burma's political development, it is essential that we pray, and campaign, for a meaningful peace agreement with all the resistance groups. A peace agreement would be meaningless unless it results in the total withdrawal of SPDC troops from ethnic areas, guarantees of security for civilians, the presence of international human rights monitors and humanitarian relief organizations, and the release of all political prisoners. Similarly, a road-map to reform is little more than rhetoric if it does not result in tripartite talks between the regime, the ethnic groups and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, and concrete steps towards the restoration of democracy and the rule of law."
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International organizations such as CSW, Amnesty International, and the US State Department report that Burma's human rights situation has deteriorated in the past year. One Free Burma Ranger commented, "The situation in Burma has become worse but the light of love and truth will not be put out. People all over the world pray for Burma and relief teams go into the fighting areas to bring help, hope, and love to the displaced. We want to be witnesses of God’s love to all people in deed and word. The imperative of witness calls us to stand with people in their time of need and witness back to the world that these people count. They too need love, justice, and mercy."
Although the gathering will be held in London, Christians around the world are invited to join in prayer with the people of Burma and others around the world on March 14, 2004, this year’s Global Day of Prayer for Burma. For further information, visit http://www.prayforburma.org/
