Asia Pacific Mongolia Elections Unexpectedly Close Results [VOA]
 
 Mongolia's political world has been taken by surprise after an alliance of opposition parties came from behind in Sunday's elections to force a dead heat with the ruling former Communists. The results of the voting are still to close to call, and both sides are accusing each other of election fraud.
What was supposed to be an assured victory for the former Communists of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, or MPRP, has turned into a very close race.

Going into Sunday's elections, the MPRP held all but four of the country's 76 parliamentary seats. Even many members of the opposition Motherland-Democratic Coalition expected the ruling party to keep a majority.

But in a surprise, citizens of this vast but sparsely populated nation, which once ruled most of Asia, have split their votes so evenly that the identity of the next Mongolian government still remains a mystery. [more]

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Tourism from Mainland China Halted as Hong Kong Prepares for Democracy March [VOA]

Hong Kong tour operators are complaining of a mysterious decline in the number of group tours from communist mainland China. The apparent freeze in organized travel coincides with a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong scheduled for Thursday, leading many to suspect Beijing is involved. On average, rain or shine, more than 500 tour groups from China visit Hong Kong every day. But later this week those numbers are expected to plummet to around 50 a day between [more]

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Xu Guoxing Released from Chinese Labor Camp

Church leader served 18 months for setting up unregistered house churches.

by Xu Mei

SHANGHAI, June 28 (Compass) -- Philip Xu Guoxing, a prominent leader of an unregistered house church movement based in Shanghai, was released June 7 from labor camp in Jiangsu province. Xu had served 18 months in the camp for setting up unregistered house churches in East China. According to a close relative, he has now returned to Shanghai to be with his wife and little daughter.

Xu was born into a Christian family in 1955. In 1980 he studied English in Los Angeles and in 1982 received a call from God to return to China to spread the gospel.He refused to join the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), the government-controlled church in China. TSPM officials falsely reported him to the police for being a “counter-revolutionary spy.”

In March 1980, Xu was arrested and jailed for three months. Police told him to stop smiling; they had never seen a prisoner so happy before. In November 1989, Xu was arrested a second time and sentenced to three years “re-education thru labor” at the Dafeng hard labor camp in Jiangsu province. He was often beaten, but shared the gospel with his fellow inmates. Seventy prisoners there reportedly became Christians.

Released in 1992, Xu married in 1994. His wife gave birth to their daughter in 1995. In 1997, police monitored his house church in suburban Shanghai and recorded all religious activities. In July of that year, he was arrested again and incarcerated for an additional three years.

Xu’s case drew widespread international attention. The U.S. Department of State highlighted his unjust imprisonment in their reports on human rights abuse in China for 1998 and 1999. Xu’s family was prevented from approaching President Clinton during his visit to China in 1999.

Xu’s fourth arrest and imprisonment has taken its toll on his health. His wife, daughter and elderly mother have also suffered. Nevertheless, he has consistently refused to leave China, believing God has called him to stay to evangelize and build up the church.

Copyright 2004 Compass Direct

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