ChristiansUnite Forums

Cambodia limits Christian activities

By SOPHENG CHEANG
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodia's government issued a directive preventing Christians from promoting their religion in public places, or using money or other means to persuade people to convert, officials said Tuesday.

"They can do any activity inside their institutions, but are not allowed to go door-to-door," said Sun Kim Hun, deputy minister of cult and religion.

He said the directive, dated June 26 but distributed Tuesday, follows similar proclamations in 1999 and 2003 and is a reminder to Christian groups not to break the law. The directive did not mention other religions.

There were fewer than 70,000 Christians and about 170 churches in Cambodia in 2006, according to government figures. Cambodia's nearly 14 million people are more than 90 percent Buddhist.

Cambodian Buddhists generally tolerate other religions, but last year about 300 Buddhist villagers razed a partially built Christian church near Phnom Penh.

Also last year, a group of Christian worshippers was caught distributing sweets to young people in the countryside while trying to convert them, Sun Kim Hun said. Such activities are illegal.

Nhean Song, a Cambodian pastor with the Union Church in Phnom Penh, said none of its 300 members has broken the directive, but he knows other churches have.

"We will follow the directive, we have no purpose to do anything against the Cambodian government," he said.

Cambodia limits Christian activities (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Cambodia_Christians.html)