Christian pastor jailed in Myanmar for flouting coronavirus gathering ban

Canadian David Lah posted a number of videos of himself at religious gatherings after the ban was introduced.

By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
Burmese-Canadian preacher David Lah, who is accused of organising prayers in defiance of restrictions on gatherings imposed by the government during a lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, arrives at a court in Yangon, Myanmar August 6, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/MYAT THU KYAW)
Burmese-Canadian preacher David Lah, who is accused of organising prayers in defiance of restrictions on gatherings imposed by the government during a lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, arrives at a court in Yangon, Myanmar August 6, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MYAT THU KYAW)
A Canadian evangelical pastor has been sentenced to three months in jail by a court in Myanmar after he was found guilty of contravening a ban on large gatherings by holding a religious meeting in April.
Myanmar-born David Lah had pleaded not guilty to violating an article in the Natural Disaster Management Law prohibiting gatherings to reduce the spread of coronavirus, but evidence before the court of video footage posted by Lah to social media showed him violating the ban at a gathering of his followers. Further video footage showed him apparently violating the ban on other occasions as well, ABC News has reported.
His colleague Wai Tun, a Myanmar national, received the same sentence at the hearing on Thursday. Lah was credited with time served since he was detained in May, so he may be released within a few weeks.
Lah, who is based in Toronto, was supported in court by around 50 of his followers, some of whom stood at the entrance to the courthouse with open umbrellas in a bid to prevent the media taking photos of him.
Lah has sparked public outrage in the Southeast Asian country for provocative statements he's made in his videos. The backlash extended to Myanmar's Christian community, which extends to about 6% of the population, after a photo circulated of Lah with Christian vice-president Henry Van Thio in early February.
In one video he accused Buddhist monks of making people "sinful," despite the country being predominantly Buddhist, and he has been criticized for derogatory remarks on LGBT people and Islam.
In another video he claimed that Christians were immune from contracting COVID-19. “I can guarantee if your church is walking the true path, and you have the whole of Christ in your heart, you will not get the disease,” he said. In another he said: “If you hear the sermon of God, the virus will never come to you. I declare it with the soul of Jesus Christ.”
Lah first appeared in court in May following his release from a stay quarantine, which he had to complete having previously been hospitalized with coronavirus.  More than 20 of his followers are also reported to have tested positive for the disease, leading to a cluster of 67 cases, according to Thar Tun Kyaw, a spokesman for the health ministry. The cluster was one of the largest in Myanmar, which has only reported 357 cases and six deaths related to the virus.


Related Tags
Myanmar
Christians