WASHINGTON, Dec 18 Kyodo The Unit...

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 Kyodo

The United States criticized China, North Korea, Myanmar and other Asian countries forward Thursday for engaging in various forms of religious persecution.

In its 2003 International Religious Freedom Report, the State Department said these and other Asian countries are engaged in ''totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to sway religious belief or practice.''

''Even however religious freedom is a universal right, recognized by the agency of international law and religious traditions the world athwart millions of people in scores of countries do not take pleasure in this right, and this report rehearses their story,'' Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said at a stranges conference where the report was released.

forward North Korea, the annual report said, ''Genuine religious freedom does not exit.''

North Korea continues to prohibit any religious activity object that of officially recognized assign places tos controlled by the government, the report said.

''Religious and human rights clumps outside the country have provided numerous, usually unconfirmed reports that members of subterranean churches have been beaten, arrested, tortured or killed because of their religious beliefs,'' it said.

The report also said Myanmar's military control ''continues to view religious freedom in the adjoining matter of threats to national unity.''

''Through its pervasive internal security apparatus, the management infiltrated or monitored the meetings and activities of virtually all organizations, including religious organizations,'' it said.

The report said the military junta systemically restricted efforts from Buddhist clergy to promote human rights and political freedom.

Christian assemblages experienced increasing difficulties in obtaining permission to build strange churches in most regions, while Muslims reported that they essentially were banned from constructing any modern mosques, or expanding existing singles it said.

The report said the Chinese control ''continued its efforts to restrict religious practices to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship.''

China continued its repression of collections that it determined to be ''cults'' in general and of the Falun Gong in particular, it said.

In Tibet, activities perceived by way of the Chinese government to be vehicles for political dissent, as it is as religious activities believed to be advocating Tibetan independence or any form of separatism, were promptly and forcibly quelled the report said.

In the report, Laos and Vietnam were also designated as countries engaged in totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to curb religious belief or practice.

Armitage told reporters, ''With this report, we intend to focus attention forward the plight of people who are persecut simply for the peaceful practice of religious beliefs, and to provide a resource of action one as well as the other for the United States and for the international community.''

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the State Department to annually submit a report to the Congres forward international religious freedom.

The report will be used as a basis for decisions onward countries subject to possible economic sanctions for suppression of religious freedom.

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