Displaying items by tag: Asia

Thousands of people continue to flee the fighting in Raqqa between Syrian forces and IS which is intensifying. According to humanitarian agencies on the ground, 108,000 people have been displaced from Raqqa province - the majority from the city itself - while a further 100,000 people are still believed to be under IS control. Due to a lack of diesel to operate generators and a damaged pumping station, the water supply inside the city is limited. Civilians have reportedly resorted to drinking water taken from the Euphrates, exposing residents to the risk of waterborne diseases as the water is unfit for consumption. Only nine doctors remain in the city, and medicine and medical services are severely lacking. Many IDPs speak of a lack of basic necessities including food and water.

A civil council, which is expected to rule Raqqa once IS is dislodged from the Syrian city, pardoned 83 of the jihadist group's low-ranking militants recently as a goodwill gesture designed to promote stability. They were transported to the Raqqa city HQ, in an amnesty coinciding with Eid-ul-Fitr. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces predict that Raqqa could fall within months. ‘We would never release senior Daesh officials or anyone who has blood on their hands’, senior council member Omar Aloush told Reuters. ‘We are giving these men a second chance.’ Abdel Rahman Kalas, 43, worked in the IS department that imposed taxes on citizens. ‘I have seven children’, he said, as former militants walked away after the ceremony to face the uncertainty that hangs over the city. ‘I had no choice but to cooperate. They paid me $115 a month.’

A North Korean man has been arrested on 'spying' charges after meeting Christian relatives in China. Kim Seung-mo, 61, was arrested early in June after visiting family in China's Jilin province, which borders North Korea. A local source said, ‘After he came back, he openly told his neighbours that his relatives attended a church, whose pastor collected many used clothes from parishioners for him. It seems that someone informed state security agents. All travellers to China are required to report their whereabouts and details about their activities. Kim was charged with spying because he did not report that his relatives are churchgoers, and that the pastor had helped him.’ Kim was reportedly 'shackled and tied with rope ... There were obvious signs of violent assault because he had split lips and black eyes, and he appeared to have sustained an injury to one of his legs'.

Rebel fighters in the Philippines are reportedly using dozens of Christians - including a priest - as human shields, amid an ongoing battle to retake Marawi City. The IS-linked Maute group is believed to be hiding behind 100 Christian hostages after President Duterte ordered intense bombing raids on the rebel zone. Abdullah Maute, one of the group’s leaders, said he would free Father Suganob in return for his parents, currently held by police. His request was refused by the president, who said that any bargaining with terrorists was ‘against government policy’. Most people fled from the city in May; those left have been forced to convert to Islam and be lackeys to the Mautes. The women and girls have become sex slaves and lost all dignity. The White House said, ‘These cowardly terrorists killed Philippine law enforcement officials and endangered the lives of innocent citizens. The US is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with them to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries.’

South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, said on 20 June that North Korea should repatriate South Koreans and Americans detained in the reclusive country. American student Otto Warmbier, arrested for theft of a political notice while visiting North Korea as a tourist, was held prisoner for 17 months. He has died at a Cincinnati hospital just days after being released from captivity - in a coma, his parents said. Doctors caring for him said he had extensive brain damage. Three other United States citizens (ethnic Koreans) and six South Koreans remain in custody. President Moon deplored North Korea’s lack of respect for human rights, and said his government will make every effort to obtain the return of the detainees. US President Donald Trump blamed the ‘brutality of the North Korean regime’ for Mr Warmbier’s death. Several of those detained are Christian missionaries charged with subversion. North Korea defends its ‘sovereign right to ruthlessly punish’ US citizens held for crimes against the state.

Irfan Masih, a Christian sanitation worker, died at a hospital in Sindh on 1 June after he was refused treatment by the duty doctors. Sanitation jobs are considered 'unclean' and are often reserved for religious minorities. He fell unconscious after inhaling toxic fumes from a manhole he was cleaning without using protective equipment. When he arrived at the hospital he was covered in sludge. The doctors refused to treat him because he was unclean, and asked family members to clean his body first. Then the oxygen cylinder which was ordered was found to be empty, and before another could be delivered, Mr Masih died. The Christian community in Pakistan faces widespread institutional discrimination in religious, societal, economic and political spheres. Many Christians are employed in ‘unclean’ occupations, and employers have been accused of allowing them to work in highly dangerous conditions with little or no protective gear. Three hospital employees and three employees of the local municipal committee have been arrested. The staff allege that Mr Masih was already dead when he was brought to the hospital.

A 34-year-old Christian, Ijaz, who had fled Pakistan for fear of persecution, received news on 26 May that his application for refugee status had been refused. The next day he died at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok. Some months earlier he complained of chest pains and was hospitalised, but doctors could not diagnose his problem. At the IDC, he was put in the punishment room because he could not pay his hospital bill. Eventually his local church in Bangkok paid the bill, with help from Barnabas Fund. The IDC doctor refused to allow his pastor to bring him medicine. Around 4,000 Pakistani Christians have fled persecution and made their way to Thailand, only to find that they are treated as criminals there. Immigration police carry out arbitrary mass arrests, even raiding worship services, searching for people without valid visas. Detainees are held in such harsh and horrifically overcrowded conditions that some have chosen to go back to Pakistan and face persecution. One source said that this desperate decision is often made because they are not receiving treatment for life-threatening medical conditions. ‘It is a 21st century concentration camp, without the gas chambers’, he said.

Between 9 and 16 June, as part of a Ramadan prayer focus, approximately one million people prayed for the Domari people. There is great expectation that God will do amazing things in this season! In recent years workers have seen some breakthrough, with individuals coming to faith. But whole tribes need to be transformed to worship Jesus Christ. They are originally from Northern India, as are the Roma in Eastern Europe. Domari moved to Asia between 700 and 1000 years ago; but wherever in the world they settle, they are known for the same type of things. The enemy has corrupted all that God has created them to be, but we know that they can be so much more. Instead of sorcery, may they be called to prophecy and receiving revelation from God: instead of immorality and prostitution, may they experience deep intimacy with God. See also

A missionary reports that the Afghan government is demanding that NGOs write more and more reports. For Bible translators, this means more bureaucracy and finding new ways through changes and confusion. They ask us to pray for wisdom for them as they deal with this situation that could drastically affect their ministry. Also, a project for school-children in a major area is undergoing massive changes. Pray for the right strategy and plans for the coming year and for new donors for all their projects, especially in the west of the country. Please pray for a Finnish lady, who is being held captive, to be released unharmed soon. It seems the country is being torn from all sides, and there are increasingly more incidents where the government’s fragile unity is showing cracks. For the recent PA article about a warlord joining the government, see

A ransom paid by Qatar to Iranian Al Qaeda-linked terrorists to secure the release of members of Qatar’s royal family being held hostage is believed to have prompted Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to sever ties with the tiny but resource-rich emirate, accusing Doha of ‘funding terrorists’. Qatar is home to 10,000 American troops and a major US military base. On 8 June the US and Qatari navies began manoeuvres, just hours after the USA agreed a major warplane sale to the Gulf kingdom, underscoring a military alliance despite Donald Trump's assertion that Doha supports ‘extremism’. It is not clear when the joint naval exercise was arranged. Washington is sending conflicting signals about its position on the diplomatic crisis. Trump expressed support for the Saudi-led allegations against Qatar, but Pentagon and State Department officials have scrambled to reassure the emirate of support and continued sales of F-15 fighters. Meanwhile Turkey has deployed soldiers and military hardware to Qatar, and will train Qatari police. See