E/CN.4/1990/46 page 47 transformed into a minority foundation in virtue of Law No. 5404 of 1949. The Foundations Law requires that the Directorate General for Foundations take over the administration of a foundation which has not been able to constitute its own governing body within a period of 10 years. Despite continuous reminders and warnings by the relevant Turkish authorities, the governing body of the said hospital has not been constituted for the last 15 years. Accordingly, the Directorate General for Foundations, on 5 July 1988, took over the administration of the hospital. At present, the hospital offers services under the Directorate General for Foundations. "One of the rooms in the 'Bulgarian hospital1 is used as a prayer room for patients only. Before the Directorate General for Foundations took over the administration of the hospital, members of the Bulgarian Consulate General in Istanbul had taken possession of the key of the prayer room and initiated the practice of using the room at their own discretion. The new administration put an end to this practice, which was in total contravention with the law. The prayer room continues to be at the disposal of the patients. No ban has been imposed on the use of this room as a ritual place by the patients. No patient has been prevented from using this ritual place. There exist two churches in the vicinity of the hospital where outsiders, including members of the Bulgarian Consulate General, can perform or take part in worship. Therefore it has not been deemed necessary to open this prayer room to the public since it would also disrupt order in the hospital. "The allegations referred to in the letter of the Special Rapporteur correspond to the contents of a news item which appeared in the Bulgarian BTA news bulletin published on 5 December 1988 in Sofia. It goes without saying that this has been an unfortunate attempt to divert attention from the policies and practices of the Bulgarian authorities aiming at the annihilation of the religious and cultural identity of the Turkish Moslem minority in Bulgaria." Union of Myanmar 84. In a communication of 10 November 1989 addressed to the Government, the following information was transmitted by the Special Rapporteur: "According to information received, all religious organizations are required to register with the Government, and religious publications are subject to government control and censorship. Furthermore, security services allegedly monitor the activities of some religious communities." 85. On 12 December 1989, the Permanent Mission of the Union of Myanmar communicated the reply of the authorities of the Union of Myanmar to the Special Rapporteur's letter of 10 November 1989: "Myanmar has been a Buddhist country since the early days of the first century, but no case whatsoever of religious intolerance has occurred throughout its long history. Successive Myanmar kings issued royal edicts allowing royal subjects to practise any religion of their choice. Being devout Buddhists, they built shrines and temples and also decreed that churches and mosques be constructed from the royal treasury.