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30-Dec-2003

Subject: PERSECUTION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 30, 2003.

Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 14:37:52 -0800

From: "Bruce Atchison" <ve6xtc@telusplanet.net>

To: "Ted" <thilts@help-for-you.com>

CC: "John M. Lindner" <jml@christianaid.org>

PERSECUTION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 30, 2003.

Mission Network News has these stories of Christians in peril of persecution.

Sri Lanka:

Christians suspected in monk's death.

The situation is extremely tense due to the death last week of the prominent and much revered Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Ven. Soma Thero, a champion of Buddhist nationalism. He was in Russia receiving an award at the time of his death. An autopsy revealed he suffered a fatal heart attack. However, Sri Lanka's 'Supreme Council of Monks' has called for his death to be investigated, saying they suspect foul play. Sri Lankan media have speculated there is a Christian conspiracy. According to the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (EASL), tensions are running so high that churches across the nation were postponing Christmas celebrations. Ven. Soma Thero's funeral was planned to take place on 24 December, Christmas Eve. EASL is requesting prayer for the nation.

Italy:

Security increased at holy sites

Security was increased at some 8,000 major Christian sites in Italy, including St Peter's Square, after a warning from Mossad (Israeli Intelligence Service) that there was a 'high index of probability' that 'an important symbol of Christianity' would be the target of a terror attack between Christmas and New Year's Day. The Via della Conciliazione, the main road leading to St Peter's Basilica, will be closed every night until 25 December, a precaution officials say was unprecedented.

Please visit http://www.mnnonline.org for missions news and a weekday audio broadcast.

Christian Aid Mission reports these persecution incidents.

Vietnam:

Police brutally attack Christians in December raids

While most of the Christian world was celebrating the birth of the Saviour, Montagnard Christians in Vietnam experienced the wrath of Satan reminiscent of Herod's hatred of the Christ child.

The Montagnards are a collection of hill tribe peoples, many of whom are Christians and sided with the U.S. in the Vietnam War. Reports received today by Christian Aid indicate that they received brutal treatment by Vietnamese paramilitary officers in the early weeks of December.

On December 5 Vietnamese police entered the village of Bia Bre and arrested a Montagnard Christian named "Croc." His whereabouts or wellbeing is unknown.

On December 12 police arrested Montagnard Christians named Mon (40), Amik (57), and Cel (40), in three villages of Dak Doa province. Cel is in a Dak Doa prison; the whereabouts or status of the other two is unknown.

On December 13 paramilitary police officers surrounded Plei O Dot village and arrested two Christians, Nih (41) and So (44), identified as supporters of human rights movements. Both were taken to prison where they reportedly were tortured by beatings, kicking and electric shock.

When Nih refused to answer questions or renounce Christ, the chief police officer stabbed him with a knife and then cut his throat. The police then took his body to his village and put it on display as an example of what happens to those the government does not like, but refused to let the family perform a burial.

Even children were attacked. On December 14 60 paramilitary police surrounded Byun's house at Plei Bia Tih village. Frustrated that they could not find him, they grabbed his 7-year-old son and began interrogating him in full view of the village. When the child reportedly was so scared he could not say a word, the interrogating officer struck him three times on the chest with his fist, knocking him unconscious.

All this has not gone unnoticed by the members of the U.S. International Commission for Religious Freedom. On December 18 the ICRF recommended that Vietnam be designated a country of "particular concern" concerning violations of religious freedom and said the U.S. Congress should pass the Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2003, which would link future U.S. aid to Vietnam on Vietnam's improvements of religious freedoms and human rights.

One bright spot: Though Christmas celebrations are banned, this year, thanks to Radio Radicale, the Montagnard people will be able to celebrate Christmas by listening to the same radio broadcasts beamed into Vietnam's highly controlled Central Highlands.

"This is the only freedom we can enjoy today, but the Vietnamese Communist government will not destroy our spirit," said a spokesman for the Montagnard people.

Previous reports of Vietnamese violence against Montagnard Christians may be found in back issues of Missions Insider at www.christianaid.org. To learn how you can assist Montagnard Christians, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-451 740-PERS on the subject line.

Sri Lanka:

Christians face violence from Buddhists

Christians in Sri Lanka are facing difficult times as militant Buddhists mount campaigns to drive them from the land.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, Buddhist mobs attacked several Christian churches the last weekend of November. The home of a pastor in Piliyandala was ransacked, the lives of a pastor and his family in Gonapola were threatened, and a pastor in Amnbalangoda faced a mob demanding that he leave town, which he refused to do.

On November 30 a mob led by about 20 Buddhist monks attacked three churches in Homagama, confiscated the church files from two, broke off the rooftop cross on a third, and replaced it with a Buddhist flag.

In addition, the World Evangelical Alliance documented ten attacks on churches in September and Voice of the Martyrs announced a dozen attacks on churches in early December.

According to the leader of a Sri Lankan Christian ministry assisted by Christian Aid, the Minister of Hindu Affairs and the Minister of Buddhist Affairs jointly sponsored an act of Parliament to ban conversions to Christianity. When the act was appealed to the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice condemned all other religions in Sri Lanka. So Christians don't expect to get any support from the judicial system.

"Now the newspapers, television reporters, and all other media systems are spreading all sorts of derogatory reports, creating acts of interference and vengeful ideas in other people against Christianity," the source said.

"Lots of churches have been demolished, burned and removed, and the believers of these churches have been scattered. Most Christian organizations are weak and helpless. Many pastors have been threatened and maligned, and the government is not taking any action for their protection. And now the Roman Catholic Church has joined the government in accusing us. We can rely on no one except God," he said referring to Romans 8:31.

The same man said a huge crowd of educated people gathered in Colombo to address the issue, but Buddhists, Muslims and Hindu Tamils ganged up to disrupt the meeting and attacked the participants, hospitalizing 17 people of them.

Yet even in this atmosphere of hostility and violence, some Buddhists are secretly coming to Christ. Recently one Buddhist monk came to the Christian leader privately and said he was disgusted with Buddhism and was very much against the attacks on Christians. He said he was preparing to leave the monkhood and become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. "There is no teaching like His in Buddhism," he said.

A Roman Catholic priest also got saved and took off his robe, saying he was fed up with the proceedings of the hierarchy. He is studying the Word of God with an evangelical ministry to become a gospel preacher.

The evangelical leader also baptized nine new believers in September. To learn more about this evangelistic ministry in a very difficult environment, write to insider@christianaid.org and put MI-451 701-HGF on the subject line.

Please go to http://www.christianaid.org to learn about missions and how to support them.

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