October 4, 2002	Friday	Rajab 26, 1423

WASHINGTON, Oct 3: A US government advisory panel has recommended that the State Department designate 12 nations “countries of particular concern” because of their alleged violations of religious freedom, a move that could trigger sanctions against them.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said the targeted nations should include Myanmar, North Korea, India, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.

The International Religious Freedom Act adopted in 1998 requires that countries found in particularly severe violations of religious freedom be considered by the US president for diplomatic or economic sanctions.

“We hope to see actions commensurate with the severity of these abuses,” said commission chairwoman Felice Gaer after sending the recommendations to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The State Department designated Myanmar, China, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan as “countries of particular concern” in 1999 and 2000 and added North Korea to the list in 2001.

But so far, it has resisted doing the same with Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Laos, despite the commission’s recommendations.

The panel is asking to add India, Pakistan and Vietnam to the list for the first time.

Over the past year, the Chinese government has intensified its violent campaign of repression against Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and groups such as the Falungong that have been labelled as “evil cults,” the commission said.

It pointed out that the Indian government has tolerated severe violence against religious minorities.

In 2002, at least 1,000 Muslims were killed and more than 100,000 forced to flee their homes as a result of violence by Hindu mobs in Gujarat state after 58 Hindus were killed on a train in Godhra.—AFP