Filed under: Burma/Myanmar | Tags: autonomy, burma, burmese, christian, christians, government, karen, myanmar, oppression, persecuted, persecution, soldiers, tribe
In Burma there is a tribe called the Karen Tribe. They are largely a Christian tribe. And they are being chased and persecuted by the Burmese government. They have been aiming for autonomy for years, and have been brutally hunted, murdered, and oppressed. Whole villages are being burned to the ground, and the Karen people are fleeing for their lives.
check out these links to articles about the Karen tribe
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/08/21/christian-karen-under-fire-in
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/world/asia/21myanmar.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
Filed under: China | Tags: beijing, China, Christ, christianity, christians, church, communist, God, gospel, government, Jesus, pastors, prison, registered, religion, three self, underground
This is part of ChinaAid’s “expert commentary” section. A very good speech by Yu JianRong at Peking University on December 11, 2008. He performed a year-long study and analysis on China’s house churches.
Yu goes into great detail about what he observed in Chinese house churches throughout many provinces in China. I’d recommend reading it.
To ensure hope for the persecuted church, go to www.alpharelief.org
Filed under: North Korea | Tags: government, human rights, Kim Jong Il, missile, money, North Korea, nuclear, United States
North Korea is being more provoking and belligerent than ever recently. They’ve threatened:
“If the US and its followers infringe upon our republic’s sovereignty even a bit, our military and people will launch a one hundred or one thousandfold retaliation with [a] merciless military strike,”
Pretty intense! Their current missiles have the theoretical capability of reaching Alaska. According to an interview in the article below, it would be a couple of years before North Korea could be a real threat to the West Coast of America.
Filed under: North Korea | Tags: Concentration Camp, English, espionage, euna lee, government, human rights, hunger, Kim Jong Il, labor, laura ling, missile, North Korea, nuclear, police, prison, starvation, torture, treatment, trial, TV
Some speculators are claiming that Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two American journalists captured by North Korean guards back in March, and who recently went on trial for espionage, will not actually go to a typical “hard labor camp”. Their sentence, handed out early this week, put a 12-year incarceration in front of their eyes. As scary and ominous as that may sound, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk of them actually not having to serve the full sentence, or the sentence as we imagine it. As these girls are journalists, North Korea might have several options. First, they might consider treating them well, knowing that upon any release in the future, they will tell their story to the world. That, of course, will only be the case if they are ever released. This Asia Times article claims that they might even be sent to a state guest house where their “hard labor” will consist of using their training and skills to help the North Korean government, TV stations, or English training.
So who really knows? Time will tell. And time will also tell how far America is willing to go in protecting these girls. I hate to imagine the day when a decision must be made as we’re staring at a scale with two American girls on one side, and a potential global nuclear threat on the other. At the moment it seems all the United States is trying to do is keep these two issues as separate as possible.
Filed under: North Korea | Tags: China, emergency, family, freedom, fund, government, hunger, medicine, North Korea, prison, rescue, torture, visa
Alpha Relief has just set up an “Emergency Rescue Fund”. This is their description of what it is:
Recently we were in China and heard about two teenage brothers who urgently needed to renew their Chinese visas. They have a Chinese father and North Korean mother. Because their dad is Chinese, China will give them a visa that lets them legally stay in China. But the problem is that the boys don’t have the money to pay for the visas. If they’re forced to leave China and go to North Korea, as believers they are at great risk. Their mother is in prison in North Korea because the government found out she is a Christian. So obviously she can’t help pay for her boys’ visas. Right now she’s suffering in North Korea, hungry, malnourished, and of course dealing with horrific prison conditions. She needs medicine, food and her freedom.
This Emergency Rescue Fund will help in situations like this. Our reaction time in stories like this is extremely important. So with the ERF we will be able to immediately impact the lives of people like this family split up because of persecution.
If you would like to get involved with how Alpha Relief is helping the persecuted church in North Korea, go to their Emergency Rescue Fund.
