This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Burma!

Myanmar- Wikipedia entry

Burma Daily

Myanmar- Lonely Planet

Free Burma

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Burma (Myanmar), because it is customary in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

There has been a terrible increase in the violence that has been going on in northern Burma this week. The military government is waging a war against the Karen people that amounts to genocide. Many of the Karen are Christians. It is a horrific situation.

Burma has been under military rule since 1990, when the military voided the elections and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. The military junta maintains its hold on power through torture, murder and forced labour. It is awful to think of a government treating its people this way. However, it announced this week that it intended to move towards 'democracy'.

Opinions vary as to whether it is morally right to visit the country.

Burma is a country in which Christians are persecuted. For more information on the persecution of Christians, visit:

Barnabas Fund

Open Doors International