Rev. Hkalam Samson Targeted for Conversation with US President
Persecution | Aug. 29, 2019
08/29/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on August 26, a Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) officer filed a lawsuit against an ethnic Kachin pastor for the comments he made during a meeting with President Donald Trump. The conversation took place at the White House during the Ministerial to Advance International Religious Freedom last month.
At a Ministerial-related event, a group of international attendees met with Trump in the Oval Office to discuss religious freedom violations. The leader of the Kachin Baptist Convention, Rev. Hkalam Samson, expressed his support for the decision to impose sanctions on Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and three other senior officers.
He also told Trump that there was no religious freedom in Myanmar and that oppression and torture were still common in the country, where fighting between ethnic armed organizations and the Tatmadaw continues despite a return to civilian rule. He requested that Trump support Myanmar’s transition to “genuine” democracy and federalism.
For that, Lieutenant-Colonel Than Htike from the Tatmadaw’s Northern Command filed a lawsuit with the Myitkyina Township Court on Monday.
