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Friday, April 16, 2004 |
CHINESE PASTOR ARRESTED AND CHURCH BUILDING DESTROYED [ANS]
Raids in Zhejiang underscore concern about plight house church Christians
By: Stefan J. Bos
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
BEIJING, CHINA (ANS) -- The pastor of a rapidly growing Chinese house church has been arrested, just weeks after hundreds of security forces raided and damaged a century-old building where his congregation gathered, the human rights group The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) said Friday, April 16.
VOM reported that Pastor Liu Fuen (50) of the 300-strong church in Dong Gang Xi village in the Beilun District of Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province, was hiding since the March destruction, till six officers of the feared Public Security Bureau (PSB) discovered him last week at the home of his youngest son, Liu Yongshen.
Shortly after his arrest local PSB officers stormed again his house church, which had been operating for two decades, during a service on Easter Sunday, where they also detained the pastor's oldest son, Liu Mingliang, VOM added in a statement send to ASSIST News Service (ANS).
The family has been given “Criminal Detention” paperwork for both Pastor Liu and for Liu Mingliang, which VOM said could mean the beginning of a long prison term for both men. "While Administrative Detention signifies 15 days of incarceration, a “criminal detention” will last an indefinite period of time," the organization explained.
EASTER ARREST
The Easter arrest came as another setback for the congregation as it tried to rebuild the pastor's house where the services were held on the ruins left behind by the two police attacks in March. "Christians at the church were able to repair some of the damage to the (pastor's) house" after "300 PSB officers, paramilitary police and government workers converged on the building, badly damaging it during a half-hour rampage" on March 11 VOM said.
It said the group was led by Wang Tao, the Director of the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) for Beilun District. "Seeing the destruction, four neighbors who were not Christians complained to Wang, saying, “How can you arbitrarily destroy someone’s house?” Wang ordered the four neighbors—Mu Jingou, Li Youfu, Li Liangfang and Zhang Weilong—arrested and held on Administrative Detention for 15 days," reported VOM, which has close contacts with persecuted Christians in China.
On March 31, Wang returned to the house church "with 28 different vehicles" in an effort to completely destroy the pastor's home and church, VOM claimed "Four PSB officers entered the building and evicted ten Christians who were praying inside. Then, police and other officials completely destroyed the building, leaving only piles of rubble. Officials hung posters on surrounding buildings announcing that this was the site of illegal religious activity and was being destroyed for that reason. A loudspeaker also announced that message as the destruction went on."
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
Chinese officials were not immediately available for comment, but the latest reports have underscored international concern about persecution and torture of Christians and dissidents in China. "China’s government wants to control the church,” said Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for VOM “These are not troublemakers or criminals, they are simply Christian believers who gather to worship God and learn more about Him.”
VOM has encouraged Christians around the world to protest to the Chinese embassy "on behalf of these persecuted Christians." Letters can be addressed to: Ambassador Yang Jiechi, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, 2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008
Tel:(202) 328-2500 Fax:(202) 588-0032 Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512
8:59:31 PM 
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© 2004 Radio Free China
Last Update: 5/1/2004; 10:25:04 AM
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