Myanmar president vows to prevent religious conflicts

The Myanmar government has vowed to cooperate fully with five faiths in the country to prevent recurrence of racial and religious conflicts, media reports said Wednesday.

In his message to the Conference of Leaders of Five Faiths in Yangon, President U Thein Sein said instability harms and delays the state reform and tarnishes the image of the nation internationally, Xinhua reported.

Citing the fundamental teachings of all faiths, he said the problem should be settled with truth, loving kindness and tolerance, calling for avoiding extremes.

He maintained that the constitution of Myanmar fully guarantees freedom of religion as the fundamental right of citizens, warning not to misuse the noble idea of the freedom of religion as a springboard for any kind of extremism and fuelling hatred.

The president expressed the belief that only an all-inclusive democracy can guarantee long-term progress and peace and stability of a country like Myanmar which is formed with numerous indigenous people of different races, religions and culture.

"This diversity must be a united force for our own interest," he said.

There are mainly five faiths in Myanmar, namely Buddhism (89.2 percent), Christianity (5.0 percent), Islam (3.8 percent), Hinduism (0.5 percent), and Spiritualism (1.2 percent).