Karen people

APRIL UPDATE & ROUNDUP

(April 27, 2023) Elizabeth Kendal, RLPB, updates prayer requests…

BURMA (Myanmar): Karen people flee
[RLPB 689 (12 April)]. After junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing labelled the resistance ‘terrorists’ with whom the junta would not negotiate, vowing instead to ‘annihilate them to an end.’

Within days of his speech, the Christian-led Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) had scored some significant victories, thereby triggering a massive military retaliation. By Easter Sunday 9 April some 10,000 civilians had fled Karen lands across the border into Thailand.

UZBEKISTAN: Baptist church raided
[RLPB 690 (19 April)]. Police raided the 9 April Easter Sunday worship service at the Baptist church in Qarshi, using batons and electric shock prods to incapacitate believers. Despite advancing transformative reforms, President Mirziyoyev – cognizant of the threat of Islamic terrorism and unrest – is reluctant to embrace religious freedom.

Consequently, the new religion law, passed in July 2021, retains many of the repressive elements of the Soviet era law, including mandatory registration, censorship of religious materials, restrictions on religious education, and a ban on ‘missionary activity and proselytism’ and ‘activities which offend the religious feelings of believers.’

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TRAGEDIES! BUT OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP

(January 20, 2023) Ross and Donna, Mandate Ministries, share from Chiang Mai, northern Thailand…

Last weekend another Karen village was bombed by government jets in Myanmar, forcing the villagers to live in the jungle!

No crops, no shelter, and seemingly no hope as the world looks on indifferently.

Thank you to all who contribute to our efforts to help. Thanks to our rapid-response team, we were able to get food products, rice, dry foods, and oil, as well as solar-charged batteries for their torches (flashlights) to these desperate people.

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ASSISTING THE DISPLACED KA-REN PEOPLE

(July 8) Ross and Donna, Mandate Ministries, share greetings – and concerns – from Chiang Mai, northern Thailand…

With a boat load of supplies for the displaced Ka-ren people living in Myanmar, we travelled with our team up-river from the Thailand side to a camp on the Myanmar side.

For decades, the Ka-ren people have been under attack from the Myanmar military. Aerial bombing and ground troop attacks have decimated many of their villages. Many men, women and children have been killed – and now land mines are being placed around churches.

Last week a young boy went to a church to ask for help, stood on a mine and had his leg blown off!

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