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| Charles Bo (left) met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Dec 23, 2021 to hear Christmas carols and "talk about peaceful and prosperous affairs", Myanmar state media reported. (Photo by= Myanmar Military Information Team/AFP/Handout) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] YANGON: Myanmar's top Catholic sparked outrage on Friday (Dec 24) after photos emerged of him cutting a Christmas cake with the country's junta chief, who has overseen a bloody crackdown on dissent and clashes in Christian-majority areas.
Cardinal Charles Bo met junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday to hear Christmas carols and "talk about peaceful and prosperous affairs", the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. Bo - who was ordained a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015 - later posted a photo from the meeting on his Twitter account, showing the pair with smiles on their faces as they jointly cut a Christmas cake.
One photo published by state media showed them sitting together in front of a Christmas tree, while another showed Min Aung Hlaing handing over a donation of 20 million kyat (US$11,200). Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February, with more than 1,300 killed in a crackdown on dissent according to a local monitoring group. Anti-coup militia have sprung up across the country to fight back against the junta, with some of the bloodiest fighting happening in Christian-majority areas.
