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Wednesday, October 08, 2003 |
BURMA ISSUES CONFINED TO ASEAN SIDELINES - RFA
Southeast Asian leaders sidestepped direct confrontation with Burma's military junta on the first day of their summit in Bali, concentrating instead on a trade accord and pledge to fight terrorism in the region.
2:11:29 PM 
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Lao Believer Killed; Police Complicity Suspected - Mission Insider
The war against Christians is not limited to Hmong. Christian Aid has just learned of the August 4 death of a Lao believer in southern Laos under suspicious circumstances. Here is what is known:
Sompong, unmarried son of Mr. Khamvan of Vernkan village, became a believer while visiting Thailand about four years ago. Upon returning home he began ardently practicing and sharing his faith.
Being the only Christian in the village, he met strong resistance. His father, a non-believer and former military officer, told him he would encounter trouble if he continued to be so enthusiastic about his faith. Still, Sompong persisted.
Then one day in 1999 Sompong and 10 other believers from Attapue and Champasak provinces were arrested for practicing an illegal religion. The police officer who arrested Sompong was named Viryson.
Sompong was released 18 months later. While in prison, he reportedly witnessed to other prisoners and officers. After his release he continued to practice his faith. He told his father to go and tell other Christian leaders if practicing his faith resulted in his death.
On August 4, while Sompong was helping his father build a house, officer Viryson stopped by and requested Sompong to accompany him to an undisclosed location. Sompong got on the motorcycle with Viryson and rode off. He was never heard from again.
Later, learning of the death of an unknown person about 70 km. away, Mr. Khamvan went to investigate. He found it was his son, Sompong, who had been murdered and disposed of near Saynomnoy village in Champasak province. Officer Viryson was nowhere to be found.
Christian Aid has learned that prior to the death of Sompong, Christians in Keng village had received both verbal and written death threats. Then when international pressure caused Lao officials to back off, some surmise their attention may have turned to Vernkan village where Sompong was the only Christian. As a result, many Christians in southern Laos now fear that similar attacks will take place among them.
Christians are urged to pray earnestly for the safety and wellbeing of our Lao brothers and sisters in Christ. To learn how you can help suffering believers in Laos, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-440 730-CFL on the subject line.
http://www.christianaid.org/
1:58:33 PM
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Laos's Untold War Against Christians - Mission Insider
Whereas North Korea's hostility to Christianity is well known, Laos's war against Christians gets little attention. A report this week from Elizabeth Kendal of the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission reveals how the Lao government is waging this relentless war.
The Hmong, a people group who are a minority in Laos but dwell in large numbers in several countries of Southeast Asia, are major--though not exclusive--targets. Large numbers of them have turned to Christ, and because they sided with the U.S. in the Indochina war of the 1960s, they are considered spies of the West, enemies of the state, and therefore fit for extermination.
Since 1975, Lao believers have been beaten, imprisoned, tortured, and forced from their lands for refusing to renounce their faith. "The government wants us to go back and worship evil spirits," wrote a believer in June. Villagers are encouraged to report any Christians to authorities, so they can be arrested or eliminated.
Early in September the WEA interviewed a Lao observer, who said that many Hmong groups were hiding in the jungle from constant military attack, including the use of chemical weapons.
"The army is attacking in three ways: with ground troops, bombs from aircrafts, and chemical weapons," the observer said. "The government uses helicopters and they spray out something that looks like 'yellow rain.' It creates headaches, diarrhea, blindness, and the teeth fall out of the mouth. Within three weeks people die.
"As these people only eat leaves and roots, they also often eat leaves that are affected by the 'yellow rain.' When they do that, they usually die within three days. These attacks are directly against people (including women and children), water and trees."
The observer said that as a result of these constant attacks, one group of 8000 Hmong has been reduced to a mere 750. Others died from disease and starvation, and some have been captured and killed.
"There are videos of these attacks and hundreds of photos," the observer said. "These have been presented both to the International Red Cross and the U.N., but nobody in the West seems interested to help."
Christian Aid seeks to get financial assistance to those dwelling secretly in the jungles and those bereft of breadwinners because of imprisonment or death. To learn how you can help, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-440 730-PERS on the subject line.
http://www.christianaid.org/
1:53:07 PM
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ASEAN Leaders Fail to Censure Burma on Human Rights Record - VOA
The annual meeting of the leaders from the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has disappointed the hopes of human rights campaigners by failing to censure member-nation Burma. But the failure has not come as a surprise for many activists
1:44:43 PM
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© 2004 Radio Free China
Last Update: 4/4/2004; 9:54:57 AM
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