A local church official said that the monitoring and inspection started in February this year, especially on the biggest church in Myanmar the Baptist Church.

"I don't know why they are doing this. Now they are monitoring all the activities of Christians openly," said a member of the Christian community in Chin State.

The monitoring has to do with finding out whether anyone is going abroad, about the preacher and the Evangelist in the Church as well as activities of the pastor and his background. Whether the church uses microphones or not is being investigated. The authorities are listing all the items in use in the church and sending reports to the junta headquarters, sources said.

Besides, the properties of churches are being listed along with the names and the degrees of church leaders, to establish whether it is local or foreign.

“The inspection started from this. It has never been done earlier. Although it is hard to say why the administration wants to find out everything in detail, it may want to know about activities of the churches and the Christian community so as to control them easily and in the manner they want to,” sources added.

From 1988 after the army took over power the government started to ban religious ceremonies, festivals and construction of churches. They also deprived churches of land and compelled Christians to work as porters and forced them into labour during days of worship.

The monitoring and inspection is going on all over Burma, and the target is especially Chin Christians in Kalay Myo, Sagaing Division. They reports are being sent to officials in the new capital.

Although the authorities have not restricted worshiping, meeting and preaching, they have totally stropped construction and reconstruction of churches. – KNG.