Displaying items by tag: Asia

KUALA LUMPUR: A chambering student told the inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh that he had "stumbled" upon the abduction while he and a friend were driving to a crematorium on Feb 13.

Roeshan Celestine Gomez, 25, said he first saw three black big cars surrounding a silver car in SS4 Petaling Jaya that day. There were several men wearing masks and were covered from head to toe in black, said Gomez.

Gomez said he then saw a struggle between one of the men and the driver of the silver car, adding that the windscreen of the silver car was smashed.

He said his friend who was sitting next to him had pulled out her handphone to record the incident when an Indian man approached them and stood in front of their car.

"He was agitated and pointed at my friend who put her phone down.

"I reversed my car but he continued to come at us," Gomez said at the inquiry held by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on Thursday morning.

Koh, 62, was reportedly taken from his car by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 on Feb 13 while on his way to a friend’s house.

His silver-coloured car bearing the number plate ST5515D has not been found.

Gomez said he saw another man who was also recording the incident with a handphone and there were a few motorcyclists circling the scene.

He said the whole group later then drove away taking with them the silver car.  Gomez said after the incident was over, he saw shattered glass on the road.He said he and his friend headed to the crematorium and later made a police report at the Kelana Jaya police station.The inquiry also viewed purported video clips of the incident.

Suhakam commissioner Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, who chaired the inquiry, said it was neither a criminal nor a civil trial.

The inquiry, conducted as per Section 12(1) of the Human Rights Commission Malaysia Act, also covers the disappearance of social activist Amri Che Mat, Pastor Joshua Hilmi and his wife, Ruth Sitepu.

The terms of reference for the inquiry were to determine whether these were cases of enforced disappearances or involuntary disappearances in breach of criminal, civil law or applicable human rights laws.

Pray: Father, we do pray for Pastor Koh and for Pastor Hilmy, Ruth and Amir. We don’t know where they are, but You do. We fear for their lives, for their suffering. But whether they are in earthly captivity or have been drawn to glory, You are there with them. Thank You for that comfort. We pray over the fear and sorrow of their loved ones, that You might turn their eyes from the storm that surrounds them to gaze into Your eyes of compassion and strength. Comfort them, Father. If those abducted are still on this earth, we pray for their return to their families soon. As they seek answers through local and international activist groups, we pray for the protection of Pastor Koh’s family, for his wife Susanna and for their children Jonathan, Esther and Elizabeth. Give them sufficient grace and discernment for every situation they encounter. And may Your incomprehensible love fill them. In the name of Jesus “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.   (from Open Doors USA)

Source: The Star - https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/19/inquiry-student-saw-incident-where-pastor-koh-was-taken/#Zy2vzb8VE9XhAb0V.03

In a highly biased legal system where Christians are normally denied fair trials, the family of a Christian youth killed by police may actually receive justice. Six officers were charged with murder after they dragged Arslan Masih out of his schoolroom, intent on revenge. He had successfully fought a Muslim boy who had been bullying him, and one officer, the boy’s uncle, found it unacceptable that Arslan had stood up to his nephew. Arslan was regularly bullied and in this instance fought in an attempt to stop the daily torment and attempts to convert him to Islam. He is not the first Christian to have died in Pakistan’s police custody, but it is the first time it has happened with many witnesses.

Iraqi Christians are divided over whether their areas in northern Iraq should be a part of Kurdistan, the Iraqi central government, or an entirely new autonomous area. The Chaldean Catholic patriarch, in an interview on 16 October, expressed his concern that the Kurdish crisis would put the Christians’ presence in Iraq at risk . He said the current conflict in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil would impede the Christians’ return to their areas, and prompt them to rush to leave their country for good. He said they should unite and engage in dialogue to preserve the Christian component in Iraq. Nevertheless, this appeal may not gain much traction because of great differences of opinion, particularly after the Kurdish independence referendum on 25 September - see the Prayer Alert article at

A North Korean defector, Jung Kwang-il, has used 350 helium balloons to send 1,000 flash drives loaded with portions of the Bible from South to North Korea. The flash drives were donated by college and high school students in the United States. Jung said, ‘It was confirmed by GPS that all balloons dropped in the Mount Kumgang area of North Korea. This launch is the last one for the year, because the direction of the wind is due to change.’ Fifty-four-year-old Jung, who was sentenced to three years in a North Korean prison camp, is now based in South Korea and often sends USB drives, SD cards, and other devices carrying Christian material and testimonials from North Korean defectors across the border.

For years, Azerbaijan has been riding the line for years between democracy and fiefdom. Its New Azerbaijan Party is accused of authoritarianism and bribery. It imprisons corruption-busting journalists and human rights advocates. Friction with neighbouring Armenia was heightened last year, with bombings and continuous calls to war. Their dispute is over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave within Azeri territory. Oil export revenues have aided the Azeri population, elevating living standards and increasing military strength; but poverty and corruption plague the nation. Although Azerbaijan fell off the 2017 World Watch List of persecuted Christians, that is not because restrictions have eased. Christian detentions continue; they face harassment and intimidation, and many are given large fines for meeting as churches or giving out Bibles. Only 0.22% of the people are evangelical Christians. Azerbaijan was one of the first republics in the Soviet Union to face the problem of refugees. There are 618,137 refugees and internally displaced persons in the country.

‘Children are visibly traumatised and distressed, and many have stopped speaking,’ said a Save the Children team member in Bangladesh. Displaced children arriving there are exhibiting signs of trauma such as nightmares and loss of speech after witnessing horrific violence, and are in urgent need of psychological and emotional support. As well as providing food, water and shelter to more than half a million, charities have identified psychological and emotional support services as a critical need. Most of those arriving from Myanmar are women and girls: some have been raped and sexually abused. Hundreds of children are separated from their families, and report having witnessed violence first hand. Their enormous psychosocial needs are obvious to anyone walking through the camps and makeshift settlements.

In April 2015 the worst earthquake for eighty years hit Nepal, killing 8,891 people, injuring 22,300, and destroying or damaging over 893,000 homes, as well as schools, clinics and ancient buildings. 8.1 million people were affected. The rural areas (often remote and mountainous, and already poor) were hit hardest. After the earthquake the government published a vision for ‘well-planned resilient settlements and a prosperous society’. But it has fallen short of that goal because of poor coordination between government and donors, poor understanding of local concerns, and a lack of civic engagement. Two years on, barely 5% of destroyed houses have been rebuilt, and 800,000 families still have no homes. It is still a disaster area where people face another hard winter.

The ruling military changed Burma’s name to Myanmar in 1989. At that time thousands were killed when a popular uprising was suppressed. The military still hold the upper hand. Ethnic Rohingya people in Myanmar face genocide. Violation of human rights is part of a pattern of religious-based persecution in south and south-eastern Asia. There are eight officially recognised ethnic races in Myanmar, speaking four different languages. While the majority of citizens are at least nominally Buddhist, some of these ethnic groups are predominantly Christian. Minorities in Myanmar experience discrimination, forced conversions and violence. Christian communities are targeted with abuse, even though on paper they are citizens and entitled to live there. The Rohingya are not registered citizens, and the government is making them leave. Prior to the recent military crackdown, almost one million had already fled in the past few decades. Some who reached places like Thailand were held for ransom, caught in sex trafficking, or murdered.

On 6 October, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, will meet India's prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, a human rights group, urges the EU leaders not to 'turn a blind eye' to the rising persecution of Christians and Muslims in India. 'How many more victims of government-condoned violence against Muslims and Christians will the EU tolerate before it puts the issue on the agenda with Prime Minister Modi?’ No person should live in fear of being killed, tortured, or oppressed because of their religious beliefs. The persecution of religious minorities in India has become worse under the government of the BJP, which is the political arm of the nationalist Hindutva movement. The party has been accused of inciting hatred and riots against religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims.

"Rescue those being led away to death"*

We are bringing you this article which was originally to highlight North Korean Refugees Day, which has past, but it brings some informative information to guide our ongoing prayers for this troubled nation…

We cannot allow the latest provocations of the Kim Jong Un regime to divert us from the root cause of this problem: the atrocious violations of human rights being committed by this Kim regime and abetted by Xi Jinping.

Eighty percent of North Korean escapees carry poison so they can kill themselves if they are arrested in China.  They would rather die than be repatriated to North Korea.     China’s “repatriation policy is a death sentence for North Koreans”.**

Why Should We Care?   The situation for North Korean refugees is worse than ever before.  There is nothing that Kim Jong Un fears more than the PEOPLE of North Korea who are the ones who have educated us about the horrible suffering in the DPRK.  Kim will do everything in his power to prevent their escape and China’s communist government will comply with his wishes despite China’s international treaty obligations.  Just recently, a family of five committed suicide rather than face repatriation to North Korea   In this case, a senior member of the North Korea’s Worker’s Party with his wife, son and two daughters begged the Chinese security forces not to force them back to North Korea.  The World Tribune reported: the Chinese police instead followed an order from Beijing to escort them with heavily armed security guards thousands of miles away to the northeastern province of Liaoning which borders North Korea.  Fearing certain torture and imprisonment and possible execution, the family committed suicide by taking poison.

The defectors have repeatedly told us about the close cooperation between the Chinese and the North Korea security forces.

What the Chinese authorities are doing is inhumane, barbaric and illegal.  It is a violation of international law as China is a signatory to the refugee convention which it signed in September of 1982 (The People’s Republic of China signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol on September 24, 1982.)

Consider that the Chinese government refuses to allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees any access to these refugees but gives free reign to the DPRK’s Ministry of State Security agents to hunt down refugees and to murder those who try to help them.  Even Chinese citizens have been jailed and murdered for helping North Korean refugees.

 Will you take a stand for these men, women and children whose only crime was to try to live?  We will provide you anything you need to take part: a sample letter of petition, posters, videos, prayer points, so you can take part.  If action is already planned in your city, we will connect you with your city coordinator.

Here’s how you can participate – two possible ways.

Be a City Coordinator: If you live in a city with a Chinese consulate, the role of the city coordinator is very simple: deliver a letter of petition on Friday, September 22nd to the Chinese embassy or consulate calling on the PRC to stop repatriating North Korean refugees.  You can plan any additional activity you wish.  For example, here in Washington, D.C. the North Korea Freedom Coalition will also hold a demonstration and a candlelight vigil, while in Seoul, South Korea, the Lawyers for Human Rights and unification of Korea are planning a protest, while in Pretoria, South Africa, Ata Gallous is hosting a conference to raise awareness in South Africa about North Korea’s suffering.

Be a Solidarity City Coordinator: Solidarity city coordinators are in cities with no Chinese consulate but who wish to take action for North Korean refugees.  You could host a film screening, a prayer vigil, collect signatures, host any event to raise awareness and raise funds for organizations that rescue North Korean refugees.  For example, in Ithaca, New York, debuNK is hosting an event to educate students at Cornell about the plight of North Korean refugees, while in Traverse City, Michigan, Sally Jo Messersmith is gathering with friends to pray for North Korea at the Korean War memorial there.

Last year 24 cities worldwide took part in Save North Korean Refugees Day from Pretoria, South Africa to San Francisco, California, from Seoul, South Korea, to Paris, France.  For inspiration, you can see the full report of last year’s Save North Korea Refugees Day on our website at www.nkfreedom.org.  If you are interested in being a part of Save North Korean Refugees Day, please reply to this email.  If you would like to support these efforts websites are listed below.

We need your voice to be heard!

ACTA NON VERBA,

*Proverbs 24: 11

**testimony of North Korean defectors during North Korea Freedom Week 2017

Suzanne Scholte - Seoul Peace Prize Laureate

President, Defense Forum Foundation

Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition

www.defenseforumfoundation.org |www.nkfreedom.org

Please be in prayer for the plight of the North Korean people who have suffered so much under the brutal dictatorship of the Kim family for many decades. Pray for China to change its attitude to North Korean defectors so that they can be welcomed and helped across the border in China rather than be sent back to almost certain death.