Displaying items by tag: Asia

Donald Trump said the US would consider any lever, diplomatic, economic or military, to forestall North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and tweeted, ‘North Korea is looking for trouble.’ But experts say Pyongyang’s latest missile launch has underlined the futility of his efforts to bully Kim Jong-un into abandoning his nuclear ambitions. ‘There is a problem with playing the military threat card with North Korea because they are inclined to call the bluff,’ said John Delury, a North Korea expert in Seoul. ‘I’m not saying they tested because of the threats. But bringing a naval strike group doesn’t help if your goal is to put off a test. If anything you are increasing the odds.’ Delury added that sabre-rattling rhetoric and erratic use of force would only strengthen Kim’s determination to develop a nuclear deterrent to spare him the fate of Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi.

Half of Turkey is celebrating a win in a national referendum, the rest demand a recount. President Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory and sweeping new powers as head of government, head of state and head of the ruling party. He will have power to appoint cabinet ministers, propose budgets, appoint judicial bodies and issue decrees without safe counterweight mechanisms that exist in democratic countries such as the USA. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) cited voting irregularities, including using unstamped ballot papers. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the referendum had an ‘unlevel playing field’, as the ‘Yes’ campaign had unlimited media advertising, while the ‘No’ campaign was allowed virtually none. There was misuse of state resources by the ‘Yes’ campaign organisers, and obstruction of ‘No’ campaign events. Big cities did not back Erdogan or his changes. The win has caused both celebrations and protests across the country. See also:

New Catholics are traditionally baptised on Easter Sunday. In recent years, there has been a large increase of baptisms in Catholic churches at Easter time. Chinese Catholic churches don't have an official connection to the Pope. Some established churches treat Easter like a mini Chinese New Year, complete with red paper slogans called chūnlián (春联) on the church building and in the homes. There can be special music and decorations, with Easter eggs given as gifts or sold outside the church. Smaller Christian home groups celebrate, as family or friends quietly or even secretly say simple prayers, talk and meditate on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Moves are under way in Malaysia that could see parts of the country implement full sharia law with inhumane punishments; there are reports that the Deputy Prime Minister could agree to support this in parliament. Currently sharia courts have limited jurisdiction in family matters, with the main criminal courts operating at federal level making decisions based on the constitution. Even this situation can create significant problems for Christians, particularly converts from Islam. Their conversion is not recognised in the sharia court system, so they are still officially Muslims. Christian women converting from Islam cannot legally marry a Christian man, as sharia forbids Muslim women from marrying non-Muslims. There have been several previous attempts to extend the jurisdiction and sentencing powers of the sharia courts, with bills that included amputation of limbs for theft and death for blasphemy and apostasy. Government can only implement this if parliament changes the constitution.

In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See:

The USA says its ‘strategic patience’ with North Korea is over, and suggests it might decide to take preemptive military action: the option was ‘on the table’ if the threat from North Korea’s weapons programme reached a level requiring it. The USA is now exploring a range of new diplomatic and economic measures, and continues to defend the deployment of its missile systems in South Korea. This angers China, but South Korea and the USA say the defence system is needed against North Korea's aggression (twenty years of persuading it to abandon its nuclear ambitions have failed). On Sunday North Korea had a powerful rocket engine test of ‘historic significance’, which could lead to the rebirth of the country's indigenous rocket industry. This came hours before US secretary of state Rex Tillerson met with President Xi Jinping of China - North Korea's only major global ally. Tillerson was thought to have raised the prospect of financial penalties on Chinese companies and banks that do business with North Korea. See

Some Christians study weather patterns over North Korea in order to choose the best time to launch helium-filled weather balloons, with a GPS transponder, carrying gospel tracts and New Testaments into the country. By including a GPS transponder, workers can track the paths and see where the precious payloads land. Another method of reaching the unreached involves radio broadcasts from South Korea. The North Korean government tries to jam signals, but frequencies are repeatedly changed and sharing the Good News continues. North Korean defectors read Scriptures over the air deliberately slowly so that listeners can write down passages of God’s Word themselves. These handwritten verses are the only Bibles that many will ever have in a nation where owning a Bible is only a dream for most. Also brave Christians hand out Bible tracts. John was detained for passing out gospel tracts in North Korea. Listen to his story by clicking the ‘More’ button.

The Afghan government does not recognise any of its citizens as Christians, nor is anyone permitted to convert to Christianity. However, there are no laws forbidding proselytism, although the practice is contrary to Muslim beliefs. There is only one legally recognised church - the Catholic chapel at the Italian Embassy - but it is not open to local nationals. There are also Christian religious facilities at foreign military bases, such as an Eastern Orthodox church at the Romanian base in Kandahar. Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam, such as Bibles, are prohibited. Muslims who change their faith to Christianity are subject to societal and official pressure, which may lead to death. However, many sources claim there is a secret underground church of Afghans. The US state department estimates that the size of this group is between 500 and 8,000 individuals. The complete Bible is available online in Dari, and the New Testament is available in Pashto.

Numerous attacks, including heavy artillery and mortar fire from Iraqi forces and IS, are killing civilians in Mosul, said Human Rights Watch. They are fleeing in their thousands, with a massive spike in refugees in the last few days. The real concern among the humanitarian community is that this spike is going to continue and perhaps even increase. There is a limit at the moment inside the camps on how many people can be accommodated. Everyone is working as quickly as possible to make more space, but building an entirely new safe camp takes time. There is real worry about where all these people can stay safely. Currently 4,000 people escape Mosul on a daily basis. 30,000 Iraqis were displaced in less than a week, as US-backed Iraqi forces launched their offensive to recapture the densely populated western part of Mosul from IS.

The Syrian Arab Army has been kept busy in the eastern countryside of Homs since they liberated Palmyra, attacking several areas controlled by the IS forces north of the city. Among these areas are the Jazal Mountains, situated 10 km northwest of Palmyra. On Sunday, the Syrian Arab Army’s newly-formed 5th Legion entered the gas fields in this mountain region, liberating the entire site after 24 hours of fierce combat. The army now controls two of the four gas fields that are situated near the Palmyra-Homs highway.