Asia

News of clashes between Christians and public security police over the distribution of Christian tracts has been pouring out of Vietnam since the opening of the 22nd Southeast Asia Games (Seagames 22) on December 5. The house churches, often zealous in their evangelism, have apparently organized the distribution of Christian tracts and other literature featuring the testimonies of prominent Christian athletes, severely pushing the limits of religious freedom in this communist nation.

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Public Security police in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) allegedly attempted to assassinate the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang at about 9 p.m. on December 9 by staging a motorcycle “accident,” according to the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Saigon.

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After nine months in jail, two suspects accused of last year’s deadly Christmas night attack against a Pakistani village church have been released on bail for the duration of their trial.

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On November 29, Vietnamese authorities extradited Ma Van Bay from Binh Phuoc province in the Central Highlands to his former home in Ha Giang province on the China border. Christians who know the brutality of government authorities in Ha Giang fear Bay, a key Hmong Christian leader, will face serious abuse.

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GFA native missionary Pastor Chandra was recently arrested by Orissa police on charges of baptizing five new believers. Fourteen other missionaries there also face persecution and imprisonment under the Orissa government's anti-conversion legislation, which requires permission from a local government official for anyone wanting to change his religion.

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Yesterday a church celebration in Assam, India, turned deadly as Kukki militants barged in and fired bullets. Five people were shot dead, including a Gospel for Asia native missionary, Samuel. Athough the incident follows on the heels of another tragedy caused by ethnic conflict, God is at work among the Kukki and Karbi tribes. GFA has planted 85 churches and 30 fellowships among the Karbi people and recently started a Gospel outreach to the Kukis, with five churches established so far.

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The Indonesian Central government has sent an additional 1,000 police officers to Poso,in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, after the latest incident of violence against Christians.

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The indigenous people of Papua (Irian Jaya) are Melanesian and predominantly Christian, estimated by Operation World at over 90%, and mostly Protestant. They have been living under Indonesian rule since 1963. The Indonesian military (which has invested heavily in Papua's resources) has been involved in gross human rights abuses against the oppressed indigenous Papuans.

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Ma Van Bay, a missionary to the Hmong tribe, was arrested recently and is being held in a jail in southern Vietnam, according to a report received by Christian Aid.

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The lives of native missionary pastor John Nayak and six other Gospel workers are on the line as anti-Christian groups pursue them in an area of Orissa, India, long known for the persecution of Christians.

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