Regime bans Christmas celebrations in Sittwe

By Admin 25 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
25 December 2024, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime reportedly banned Christmas celebrations in the Arakan State capital Sittwe due to regional instability and security concerns.

“The police told us not to hold a Christmas celebration due to security concerns and large crowds. They did not give us permission to hold an event,” said a Christian man in Sittwe.

According to the 2014 population census, there were 36,791 followers of Christianity, or 1.8 percent of the enumerated population, in Arakan State.

In Sittwe, Christians have been restricted when it comes to Sunday church worship since October, and are only allowed to do so with a population list and a recommendation letter from the police station or ward administrator.

“This kind of Christmas celebration only happens once a year for Christians. Christians have not even been allowed to worship on Sundays,” said a local woman in Sittwe Township.

Junta police recently attempted to take down the cross on the compound of a church in Sittwe’s Pyitawthar Ward, but Christian followers succeeded in asking them not to do so.

“The regime uses the fighting as an excuse to persecute Christians. It can be said that they are insulting Christians. The regime uses security as an excuse, but there is not much to worry about in Sittwe,” said a pastor who declined to be named.

The military and Arakkha Army (AA) are currently engaged in a tense standoff in Sittwe Township, with sporadic clashes occurring between the two sides in villages bordering Ponnagyun and Sittwe.

Religious freedom in Myanmar has been eroded by attacks on religious buildings, religious leaders, and communities since the 2021 military coup.