David Lah said devout Christians could not get the coronavirus, then he got it himself. Now the Canadian who has been in Myanmar since at least February faces jail time for holding public sermons in defiance of government rules restricting large events.
He’s become known as the pastor who preached that devout Christians could not get the coronavirus, then he got it himself.
Now David Lah, a Canadian who has been in Myanmar since at least February, is facing jail time for holding public sermons in defiance of government restrictions on large events in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada has confirmed to CBC News that “a Canadian citizen faces charges for allegedly organizing mass gatherings in Myanmar,” and that Canadian officials are in contact with that person and offering consular services. The department wouldn’t provide any further details, citing privacy laws.
Pastor Lah, as he is known, is the face of numerous online Christian video sites, often live streaming events and posting video of his religious services in his native Burmese language.
His own David Lah Ministries Facebook page, not all of which is publicly accessible, describes him as a Myanmar-born pastor residing in Toronto and currently “touring around the globe to preach the gospel.”
‘Crowd’ gathered for sermon
CBC News has found videos of Lah delivering sermons that date back to January 2011, linked to a church in the North York area of Toronto. More recent videos are more fiery and elaborate, and show Lah preaching in locations stretching across Europe, Asia and Australia.
But it was content that was live streamed in Myanmar under his Dream Ministry International organization, founded in 2014, that drew the attention of authorities in Yangon, the largest city in the country and its commercial hub.
CBC News has seen the police report connected to one of two sermons held in early April that have raised eyebrows. In one of them, held in Mayangone, a township in northwest Yangon, on the afternoon of April 7, police detail “a crowd” was present to see Lah deliver his religious teachings. It was more than three weeks after restrictions on mass gatherings were announced in Myanmar,