Myanmar pastor David Lah told online viewers of his service that devout Christians would be immune to coronavirus before testing positive for the virus himself.
At least five Covid-19 cases have been traced to his religious service at a church in Insein township on April 6, among them rock band Iron Cross singer Myo Gyi, 44, who regularly sings hymns and Christian rock with the pastor.
An estimated 100 people are thought to have come into contact with those who attended the service, an official told news agency Anadolu Agency.
A health official confirmed to the agency that the pastor is among the new cases.
The gathering defied government instructions to avoid mass gatherings, an order echoed by the Myanmar Council of Churches in a Facebook post on April 2.
But Lah is no stranger to controversy. He has made anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ statements in his sermons as well as claims that Christianity somehow protects worshippers from the pathogen.
“I can guarantee, if you are walking the true path, and have the whole of Christ in your heart, you will not get the disease," Lah told his followers.
A churchgoer familiar with Lah who asked for anonymity confirmed his diagnosis to Myanmar Mix. On hearing of the spread of Covid-19 at Lah’s service, the worshipper text the pastor his best wishes and said he received the reply: “Yes, amen.”
Myanmar confirmed 21 Covid-19 cases yesterday—the highest daily jump, bringing the number of cases to 62 and four deaths. The government has urged people to stay at home over the typically riotous new year period as Myanmar has seen a gradual uptick in the number of locally transmitted cases.
Myo Gyi, his wife, elder sister, and two children, who live in Bahan township’s Pearl Condo, were quarantined in a government facility in Hlaing township on April 12, while authorities imposed a total lockdown on the building where the family lives, reported Myanmar Times.
Meanwhile, government spokesperson Zaw Htay told BBC Burmese that vice president Henry Van Thio, a Christian from Chin state, will be tested for the virus after photographs circulated on social media showing him with Lah.
Zaw Htay said the photos were taken on February 9—the same day Lah spoke at the Myanmar National Youth Conference in Naypyidaw—and the earliest confirmed infection in Myanmar was on March 23.
However, he said the politician and his family members could see the growing public concern over the news, and so Henry Van Thio along with more than 30 other people would be tested.
Lah’s Facebook page describes him as a Myanmar-born pastor residing in Toronto, Canada and currently “touring around the globe to preach the gospel.”
Since February he has preached in cities including Mandalay, Yangon, and Naypyidaw.
During one church service, he is filmed saying the number 768—which some people believe signifies praise to Allah—adds up to 21, meaning “the world must become a Muslim world in the 21st Century.”
He goes on to espouse trite but also sometimes bizarre anti-Muslim conspiracies, which are reminiscent of inflammatory rhetoric heard from ultra-nationalists in Myanmar.
“In cities like London, they are spreading their faith just with sheer population numbers,” said Lah. "When their kids finish the 12th grade, they force them to become lawyers. They are trying to influence the government and the law.”
Perhaps most strangely, he refers to the Panthay, a predominately Muslim Hui people of China who migrated to Burma in the 1800s.
"A Chinese man is frying noodles in peace, a Muslim leader will ask him 'do you want Allah or death,' so the Chinese man shouts 'Allah Allah Allah!' so he is now Panthay,” said Lah.
In another clip, Lah targets gay men, who are sometimes labelled the derogatory term "a chauk" in Myanmar, which is also the same word for "dry."
"There's a reason why we called homosexuals a chauk, because they are dry," said Lah. "For them to become wet again, they need Christ."
