Parliament to consider religion laws this session

Parliament to consider religion laws this session

By Ei Ei Toe Lwin   |   Friday, 30 May 2014

 

Two controversial "protection of religion" bills sent to a newly formed commission will be submitted to MPs during the current session of parliament, the deputy chairman of the commission says.

Before being submitted the bills will be published to allow the commission to get public feedback.

"Two bills – concerning religious conversion and population control – have already been submitted to the president. We will publish these bills in state newspapers to get suggestions from the public and then we will forward them during the current parliament session [so MPs can] discuss them," said committee member U Maung Maung Htay, a deputy director at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

President U Thein Sein forwarded four controversial bills – concerning religious conversion, interfaith marriage, monogamy and population control – to the parliament for approval on February 25.

The four drafts were written by a monk-led group called the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, which is closely linked to the "969" movement.

But two days later, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker U Shwe Thura Mann sent the drafts back to the government to be rewritten.

In response, the president set up a 12-member commission on March 7, headed by Deputy Attorney General U Tun Tun Oo, to draft the religious conversion and population control bills by June 30. The commission includes representatives of the Ministry of Immigration and Population, Ministry of Religious Affairs, the president's legal advisory team, and other government bodies.

The draft religious conversion bill was published in state newspapers on May 28 along with a request for public feedback. The bill states that Myanmar citizen who wishes to change their religion must get approval from a registration body. Forced conversion or applying to convert with the intention of harming a religion can result in a punishment of up to two years' imprisonment, a fine of up to K200,000, or both.

The protection of religion bills, including the religious conversion law, have been the subject of significant public criticism, with some groups arguing that the requirement to get approval from a registration body would harm religious freedom.

The status of the interfaith marriage and monogamy laws, which were not submitted to the commission formed by President U Thein Sein, remains unclear. However, when sending them back to the government Thura U Shwe Mann recommended they be drafted by the Attorney General's Office.

Some MPs have criticised that president and parliament for "playing volleyball" with the drafts, which some have described as a "weapon" to advance political interests before the 2015 election.

A draft interfaith marriage law has attracted the most controversy. The law would ban Buddhist women from marrying men of other faiths, and has been criticised by both local and international rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.

In May, more than 100 civil society groups denounced the proposed interfaith marriage law, warning its introduction would be "a disgraceful act that would invite international ridicule".

The Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion responded by issuing a statement in which it called the groups "traitors". It said the campaign to introduce the bills was not political and was necessary to protect Myanmar's "national race and religion".

U Maung Maung Htay said he was aware of the criticism from the civil society groups but said the commission had done its best to draft the bills with respect for international standards and the 2008 constitution.

"They rejected the bill before knowing the contents," he said. "I hope that people will accept the bills after seeing them in detail."

U Maung Maung Htay said all feedback would be welcomed.

''We will forward all feedback to the president but a final decision will be made by parliament," he said.

 

 

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/05/30/parliament-to-consider-religion-laws-this-session/