Lost Children of Central Asia (LWPR)(19-Jan-04)Investigative Report

On the murky underside of Central Asia, there are underage prostitutes for sale on the streets with few rights and fewer opportunities.

By Ulugbek Babakulov, Natalia Domagalskaya, Elena Lyanskaya, Alla Pyatibratova, Roman Sadanov, Asel Sagynbaeva, Leila Saralaeva, and Nargis Zokirova

6:20:56 PM    

KAZAKSTAN: DUVANOV DEFIANT (IWPR) Convicted journalist continues to fight for full acquittal.  By Galima Bukharbaeva in Almaty

6:16:59 PM    

LAO OFFICIALS THREATEN DEATH BY FARM TOOLS

Believers in villages of Laos's Attapue province are being told they must renounce their faith in Christ, leave their villages, or face being beaten to death with farm hand tools.

Christian Aid's confidential contact in the region said yesterday that the 11 believers who were released from prison January 9 are facing renewed pressure by authorities in Attapue province to renounce their faith. Along with them, 34 other believers who had fled but returned to their villages were facing similar pressure.

The key men perpetrating the persecution are Mr. Bounlarb (deputy district head of Sanamsai district) and Mr. Sitad (h  ead of religious affairs for Attapue province). On January 18 they started digging pits, saying if believers did not deny Christ, they would be buried. They actually forced Mr. Wanchai and Miss Mayien to sign an affidavit stating they denied their faith in Christ. Believers in Dongsung village also were told they could deny Christ, leave the village, or face death.

The next day these same two officials led non-Christian villagers to two other villages and threatened believers there the same way. The spokesperson thought Kang, Donthapad and Donphai villages would be next.

Christians worldwide are asked to pray that Lao believers will be able to withstand this ungodly pressure, and contact their own government leaders to bring pressure to bear upon Lao leaders to comply with their own constitution that stipulates religious freedom.

See additional stories on persecution of Christians in Laos in previous issues of Missions Insider dated January 14 and January 7.

Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid
January 21, 2004  Vol. 5 No. 03
Visit website at http://www.christianaid.org

6:09:22 PM    

Hundreds of people listened in hushed silence as medical doctor Norbert Vollertsen started to speak. "I was in North Korea for 18 months. The report I'm about to give you only scratches the surface of what I consider to be one of the world's most tragic and horrifying tales of starvation, torture, and persecution. Old ladies to children ... spoke about torture, mass execution, rape, cruel biological medical experiments, and baby killing. Children in orphanages are starving and being brainwashed for military training for long periods of time every day. Christians in North Korea are treated the worst."

Since its foundation in 1948, North Korea has suffered unspeakable atrocities under the ruthless dictatorship of Kim Il Sung, and currently his son Kim Jong Il. Over three million people have died of starvation from 1994-2000, yet the government hoards rations for the military and refuses to help the common people. In 1953, there were about 300,000 Christians in North Korea. Today it is estimated that there are only a few thousand believers. Thousands of Christians have been murdered or are interned in labor camps. Currently, the government is trying to force them to worship the dictator.

5:51:58 PM