Please continue lifting up Myanmar and India in your prayers. The situation in both countries continues to grow worse and our hearts ache for the people there.

Myanmar

There’s been less communication from Myanmar not because things have improved but because the Tatmadaw has heavily censored the internet and cut back on communication access. We have completely lost contact with one partner for over six weeks now and contact with the others has been sporadic.

For the partners we have been in contact with…

• The Pastor who wrote the moving Holy Week mediation on remaining peaceful in the midst of violence shared that his nephew was killed by the Tatmadaw. His nephew was a widower with two children. We don’t know the details of his death but that he was killed near his home. There have been many instances of indiscriminate fire killing or harming civilians who are not engaged in the protests.
• One of our partner’s personnel sent his family to the countryside early in the conflict thinking that they’d be safer there while he continued to carry out peacebuilding work in the city. He told us that the Tatmadaw have launched a military offense in that rural area and now his family is on the run in the jungle.
• The Tatmadaw decided to make an example of a village in Chin state and launched a full assault on it. This is a tactic that they’ve used across the country including in Karen state. This village is the home town of another partner personnel and he was there when the violence broke out. He fled to a neighboring village where he’s currently taking shelter with many other refugees.

These are just small pieces of what’s happening in Myanmar that we’re sharing because of the personal connection. But the violence is widespread and devastating.

MCC continues to seek avenues of peace and justice concerning the tragic situation in Myanmar. The MCC United Nations office recently joined its voice with 205 other organizations in support of the Global Civil Society Statement on Myanmar, denouncing the violations of human rights and opposing military rule. This statement calls upon the United Nations Security Council and Member States to urgently impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar as the minimum necessary step.

“Thank you all for your love, prayers and support during our very dark and sad days. Situations in Myanmar are still very depressive. I honestly sometimes feel very hopeless. Yet, I am aware and reminded of myself every now and then that we have to live through it and overcome it someday. Arbitrary arrests, burnings, explosions, killings and bloodshed are everyday happenings. Please kindly continue to be with us and support us with your prayers and love.”

A note from one partner in Myanmar

The MCC advocacy offices are also working on encouraging countries to offer support to India and Thailand so that they will open their borders to refugees fleeing the violence in Myanmar, as well as pressure that those countries respect refugee rights.

We continue to work on avenues to provide support to people within Myanmar and to refugees fleeing the violence.

India

The COVID-19 outbreak in India is causing immense human suffering and lose. We are hearing devastating news from our friends at MCC India. Not one of them has been unaffected by the situation. Currently, four MCC staff are hospitalized with COVID-19 and all of them have had family infected by the disease. Many partner staff have died.

“Thank you for the prayer support. We need your continuous prayer support during this time. I believe only God can help India to come out of the situation. All staff are affected by the situation, directly or indirectly. We are trying to keep ourselves safe.”

From one MCC India staff

Please pray for healing and hope in India. Please make special note of the Mennonite church in India.