Displaying items by tag: Asia

UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador warned Monday that the situation on the Korean peninsula “has reached the touch-and-go point and a nuclear war may break out any moment.”

Kim In Ryong told the U.N. General Assembly’s disarmament committee that North Korea is the only country in the world that has been subjected to “such an extreme and direct nuclear threat” from the United States since the 1970s — and said the country has the right to possess nuclear weapons in self-defense.

He pointed to large-scale military exercises every year using “nuclear assets” and said what is more dangerous is what he called a U.S. plan to stage a “secret operation aimed at the removal of our supreme leadership.”

This year, Kim said, North Korea completed its “state nuclear force and thus became the full-fledged nuclear power which possesses the delivery means of various ranges, including the atomic bomb, H-bomb and intercontinental ballistic rockets.”

“The entire U.S. mainland is within our firing range and if the U.S. dares to invade our sacred territory even an inch it will not escape our severe punishment in any part of the globe,” he warned.

Kim’s speech follows escalating threats between North Korea and the United States, and increasingly tough U.N. sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his country is curtailing economic, scientific and other ties with North Korea in line with U.N. sanctions, and the European Union announced new sanctions on Pyongyang for developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the North Korean crisis “will continue until the first bomb drops.” His commitment to diplomacy came despite President Donald Trump’s tweets several weeks ago that his chief envoy was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he derisively referred to as “Little Rocket Man.”

North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador called his country’s nuclear and missile arsenal “a precious strategic asset that cannot be reversed or bartered for anything.”

“Unless the hostile policy and the nuclear threat of the U.S. is thoroughly eradicated, we will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets on the negotiating table under any circumstances,” Kim said.

He told the disarmament committee that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — North Korea’s official name — had hoped for a nuclear-free world.

Instead, Kim said, all nuclear states are accelerating the modernization of their weapons and “reviving a nuclear arms race reminiscent of (the) Cold War era.” He noted that the nuclear weapon states, including the United States, boycotted negotiations for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that was approved in July by 122 countries at the United Nations.

“The DPRK consistently supports the total elimination of nuclear weapons and the efforts for denuclearization of the entire world,” he said. But as long as the United States rejects the treaty and “constantly threatens and blackmails the DPRK with nuclear weapons ... the DPRK is not in position to accede to the treaty.”

Source: Washington Post -https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/north-korea-says-a-nuclear-war-may-break-out-any-moment/2017/10/16/1b4e879e-b2c5-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.e55cb5ae5990&wpisrc=nl_az_most&wpmk=1

A CHINESE academic with close links to officials inside the country's defence establishment has revealed that China is prepared to "go to war" with North Korea.

In a shocking bombshell interview, an academic with close ties to the Chinese government has warned war with North Korea was on the table.

Chong Sho-Hu, who is a professor of international relations at the Renmin University, in Beijing, said North Korea was "seeking death".

He also confirmed the long-lasting era of Chinese friendship with North Korea has ended.

Despite historic ties between the two countries, president Xi Jinping has reportedly become "fed up" with the erratic behaviour of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

Speaking to the BBC, the professor warned that one more missile test would be the move "to push the country off the cliff".

President Jinping was said to be "boiling with fury" after North Korea recently tested a missile just as China was gearing up to host a pivotal global economic conference.

The former US ambassador to China Max Baucus recently claimed the only time he saw the Chinese leader use "undiplomatic language" was in relation to Kim Jong-Un.

Professor Sho-Hu, who has ties to China's defence and foreign affairs establishment, suggested that the time may have come for a military solution to the problem.

He said: "The Chinese government is mad, China’s top leader is mad. China wants to punish North Korea.

"China once had special relations with the Soviet Union but they had war with that country.

"They also had a very special relationship with Vietnam but then they had a war with them in 1979

"The relationship between China and North Korea is worse than both of those.

"I will say, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies."

The professor added: "North Korea is in an awkward situation. No country has ever encountered such tough sanctions before.

"If they do nothing, they will starve to death. If they do another ICBM test, they will seek to die.

"North Korea is standing on the edge of a deep cliff, one light blow could push this country of the cliff."

When asked whether this meant one more missile test could trigger war, the professor agreed.

This week the China's leader Xi Jinping outlined his plans to make China the most powerful nation in the world.

In a three and a half hour speech at the Chinese Communist Party Congress, he said he would build the biggest army in the world, but wanted to avoid a conflict with US President Donald Trump over North Korea.

But, speaking of the People's Liberation Army, he said: “A military is built to fight.”

He told delegates: “By 2050 China will become a global leader in terms of comprehensive national strength and international influence with the rule of law, innovative companies, a clean environment, an expanding middle class, adequate public transportation and reduced disparities between urban and rural areas.

“Chinese people will enjoy greater happiness and well-being, and the Chinese nation will stand taller and firmer in the world.

“China is approaching the centre of the world stage.”

A cyber security expert told Express.co.uk China could strike the US by pretending to be North Korea.

Matt Morris, vice president of NexDefense, said hackers knew the digital footprints of other states and were mimicking them to use as a decoy.

CIA chief Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that North Korea could be only “months” away from gaining the ability to hit the United States with nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump is expected to try and pressure the Chinese president when they meet next month.

The White House want China to do more to rein in North Korea, following the president's consolidation of power at the Communist Party Congress.

More: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/869329/North-Korea-latest-Chinese-military-expert-Beijing-offensive-Kim-Jong-Un

Greetings to you from Chiang Mai, Thailand! We trust you are doing well and enjoying the presence of God in life and ministry.

The Organizing Committee of the upcoming Abandoned Devotion Conference in Chiang Mai is looking forward to a powerful time together from January 15-19, 2018.

More information and register here: https://www.svm2.net/special-events/adconference/

There are great shifts taking place globally in the mission movement. One of these is the priority of the Holy Spirit that effective ministry flows out of who we are becoming spiritually. We will consider together some of the important dynamics and implications of this important truth in cross-cultural mission.

We invite you to help advocate for this timely and important conference in your networks and spheres of influence. There are several ways to do so:

1. Plan to personally join the conference and bring a group from your organization/ church/ local ministry
2. Send the attached conference flyer to your organization/ association/ network constituencies
3. Make Facebook posts on your organization/ church/ local ministry page linking to the conference webpage here.

Join us in praying for all the preparations of the conference and those participating. May this conference be used of the Lord to take His church further in effectively partnering with Jesus in His Great Commission.

Thank you for spreading the word about this conference…

Ryan Shaw
SVM2 International Lead Facilitator

IPC’s good friend Charles Huang has sent us this prayer briefing to encourage us to pray for Taiwan.

I recently came back from attending ‘Yeshua153’ in Taiwan in which 1,750 people prayed and worshiped in front of the Presidential Palace of Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.) and then went on a 3 days 2 nights cruise (counter-clock direction for prophetic breakthroughs) around Taiwan interceding and praying for Taiwan.  The first day we had more than 300 shofar blowers on Rosh Hashannah/ Jewish New Year/ Feast of Trumpet blowing Shofar in front of the Presidential palace and then later on got on the big cruise ship and sailed southward and then to an island territory west of Taiwan called Pon-Hu Island (a province of Taiwan) where the governor is a born-again Christian who welcomed Jesus into his land as King.

We had parade, praise & worship on the island and then continued the travel around Taiwan till we returned back to the port in northern Taiwan.

See the following link for 12 minutes YouTube from the GoodNews Christian TV of Taiwan http://goodtvnews.goodtv.tv/goodtvnews/2017video53/

Mainland China: official name is PROC (People’s Republic of China).

TAIWAN: official name is ROC (Republic of China) and called by the Dutch as “Formosa” (beautiful island).

Similar to North and South Korea, East and West Germany.  One is controlled by one communist party in China but Taiwan has multiple political parties and is a democracy.

Christian population in mainland China according to estimate is: 10%.
Communism is based on atheism and mainland Chinese churches have been growing in spite of persecutions and governmental restrictions in the past.

Christian population In Taiwan is about 6.53% with Han Chinese and other ethnic groups and more than 90% of the indigeneous people/ or the Natives of Taiwan are born-again Christians.

There are now more than 50 mega-churches in Taiwan with more than 1,000 members each.

The churches in Taiwan have become more influential than before and the GoodNewsTV station has become blessings to the churches Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and even many people in mainland China are listening and watching the television broadcasts.  So Taiwan’s many Christians are blessings mainland China.

Christian influences in China

The founding father of ROC (founded in 1911 after overthrowing the Chin清 Dynasty) Dr. Sun Yat Sen was a Christian medical doctor.  He along with some of his revolutionary members were Christians. Dr. Sun even openly preached sermons.  After him, the first President after him Ching Kai Shek was a Christian who had converted from Budhism because of his Christian wife.   The most influential person was a pastor in China by the name of Charlie Song who had 2 daughters (both married to the founding father and the 1st President of Republic of China).

Pray for Taiwan Video

Taiwan is a key: many missionaries have to go there to receive language training.
Recently hosted International University Students Sports events on the island in Taipei with 135 nations.
Many pastors and churches love Israel and go to Israel yearly for the feasts.
There are 2 Jewish synagogues in Taiwan.
There is a Holocaust museum in southern Taiwan built by a Taiwanese Native pastor.

Christianity first spread to China around 唐(Tang) dynasty (year 635) at the time through Nestorianism from Persia.  During the Han dynasty there was already a Silk Road that crossed to the west. There was communications between the Chinese and Indians, Persians, Jewish people, and the Romans.  Protestants mission began in the early 19th century, 200 years after the Catholics.  1624-1662 Holland occupied Taiwan and began to send missionaries there in 1626 and many many converts (mainly Natives) and established schools.  From 1807 Robert Morrison from England went to China for 27 years and built a firm foundation for Christianity in China.
Later, London Mission Society sent William Milne (England), Walter Medhurst (England).
Elijah Bridgman (1801~1961) was the 1st American Missionary sent to China in 1830 inspired by Robert Morrison.  

According to an older Taiwanese-American Pastor who lives in California and has ministered to believers and leaders both in Taiwan and mainland China:“China during the Dynasties of 夏商&周 was actually a God-fearing nation so it was called “God’s Country” and so there was a heavenly altar in Peking, the altar there did not have any idols but only worship of the true God in heaven.  It was not until after the Communists took over, Marxism came into the country.  Then, in 1949 all the missionaries were kicked out of the country, closed down the churches.  It was in the 1950s all the churches were closed down and all the ministers were asked to leave, no Bibles, no Hymns and the population of Christians was about 700,000 and grew to about 100 times now to at least 70 million~ 100 million.  Also, more people in China not only the countryside but many intellectuals went outside the country to study approximately 1/10 of all the people believes in Jesus and some already returned to the universities and in the future some will be working in the government playing important roles and University as professors. Now there are a lot of businessmen all who have become Christians. So, not only country side, there are city churches, and churches for the intellectuals.  China is becoming a mission church, later there will be the most missionaries coming from China.  Even through “One Belt, One Road” from the ocean, ground, bringing the gospel back to Jerusalem.   China will become the nation sending the most missionaries in the world. God is with China and Chinese people will become the blessings for all the nations.

Chinese people, the yellow race will become blessings to the world.

Even though there is more governmental restrictions coming from the Communist government of China but it will result in the church being purified and remove all the drosses and impurities.

So every Christian in China knows that they need to pay a price to be a believer and not just be a Christian which will harm the church and not benefit.  To be serious about being a Christian.”

Shalom,

Charles Huang

Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, Ps 140:1

Former Prime Minister NAWAZ SHARIF is tearing the country apart. The SupremeCourt wants to bring him and three of his adult children who they feel are guilty back into court.  His wife is in London undergoing cancer surgery; she was planning to run in his place.  Perhaps because of this development, Nawaz has himself returned and forced his way back to being the head of his party.  He wants them to overturn the rules and make it possible for him to once again return to power.

The outcome is that several of the fanatic groups are using this opportunity to rise up.

PRAY- for peace.    Pray that fanatics do not get an opportunity.

VISAS – HOPE – With the new government, some feel there is hope that visas
may be granted.  Thanks for praying.  Please continue to.

Pray for a better a RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND AMERICA.

America has accused Pakistan of not doing enough to take out the terrorists.  Pakistan says they have been hurt more by terrorists than any other country.  They have lost more militarypersonnel through this war than anyone else.  Even today the Pakistani papers report terrorists killing military (particularly leaders and intelligence personnel), police, and government leaders, especially those who speak out against them.  

On the other side, the government tells of almost daily exploits of taking out terrorist leaders.  It is like an unending war that the evil one is leading to destroy people.

PRAY  People are very tired and afraid of this. Pray for PEACE just PEACE and for
God’s judgment on the ungodly.

PRAISE – Pakistan’s rescue of the American/Canadian family seems to have
opened American eyes to the fact that Pakistan is trying.

PRAISE - Talks are beginning in the next couple of days between American and
Pakistani civil and military officials in the US capital on counterterrorism.

PRAISE - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets in Islamabad on the 24th for
talks on rebuilding ties between the two countries.

PRAISE - In December Defense Secretary James Mattis will travel to Pakistan to
continue the reconciliation process that began with Prime MinistrShahid Abbasi
and US Vice President Mike Pence.

PRAY for these important meetings.  To defeat terrorism, each country needs the
other.

PRAY for the plans of a prayer team that will be going into Pakistan the beginning of next year.

P4Pak

UN ambassador Nikki Haley takes the "outlaw" regime to task.

October 20, 2017
Joseph Klein

Last July, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) military commander and chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, warned that "putting the Revolutionary Guard in the terrorist lists with terrorist groups can be very costly to the United States and its military bases and forces in the region." IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said on October 8th that "if the news is correct about the stupidity of the American government in considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, then the Revolutionary Guards will consider the American army to be like Islamic State all around the world." The next day the Iranian regime warned of a "crushing" response if the United States were to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. President Trump has called the Iranian regime's bluff with his announcement last week that he would do just that.

Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and imposing new sanctions for its aggressive actions in the region is not a restoration of the sanctions lifted by the Obama administration as part of its disastrous nuclear deal with Iran. If Iran insists it can do what it wants militarily in terms of missile launches, support of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and arms transfers without violating the nuclear deal, then the United States can certainly act to curb such activities through financial pressure. The U.S. can impose sanctions against the Iranian regime's principal instrument for projecting aggressive, destabilizing force outside of its borders without violating the nuclear deal. The Iranian regime does not see it that way, however.

With the lifting of the nuclear-related sanctions making available billions of dollars to Iran's leaders to further finance the IRGC's exploits in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere, the regime is furious that the Trump administration is tightening the financial screws again, even if for reasons not directly related to Iran's compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal. Thus, it is threatening U.S. forces and bases in the region. A couple of seemingly unrelated events this past week point to Iran's positioning itself for more aggressive military actions that could place U.S. forces in harm's way.

On Tuesday, Major General Bagheri landed in Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad and senior Syrian officials, including the defense minister and the chief of staff of the Syrian armed forces. Bagheri is quoted as saying that his visit's purpose was to "put a joint strategy on continuing co-ordination and co-operation at the military level." Some experts on Iran believe that Bagheri's visit to Damascus at this time is intended to reinforce a message that Iran will continue to supply weaponry to Syria and to reinforce the presence of its terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Syria. This will not only serve to bolster the Assad regime, but it also will strengthen Iran's ability to follow through on its threats to the U.S. and its allies, principally Israel.

Meanwhile, following the departure of the Kurds from Kirkuk, Iraq earlier this week, the IRGC's operational Al Qods arm reportedly established a command center and five bases there. According to Debkafile, this constitutes "the first military facility Iran has ever established openly in Iraq." The Kirkuk region holds 45 percent of Iraqi's oil. The Iraqi branch of Iran's terrorist proxy Hezbollah has vowed that once ISIS is defeated it will start killing Americans, as it has done before.

It is against this backdrop that U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley used her entire speech to the UN Security Council on Wednesday to denounce the Iranian regime on multiple grounds. The session was supposed to be devoted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Ambassador Haley departed from the monthly ritual during which Israel is normally singled out for criticism by other Council members. She went after Iran instead. She explained why the Trump administration decided to take "a comprehensive approach to confronting the Iranian regime," which does not give the regime a get out of jail free card even if it is in technical compliance with the loophole-ridden nuclear deal agreed to by the Obama administration.

"We can't talk about stability in the Middle East without talking about Iran," Ambassador Haley said. "That's because nearly every threat to peace and security in the Middle East is connected to Iran's outlaw behavior. The United States has now embarked on a course that attempts to address all aspects of Iran's destructive conduct, not just one aspect. It's critical that the international community do the same. Judging Iran by the narrow confines of the nuclear deal misses the true nature of the threat. Iran must be judged in totality of its aggressive, destabilizing, and unlawful behavior. To do otherwise would be foolish."

Ambassador Haley accused the Iranian regime of continuing to "play" the Security Council. "Iran hides behind its assertion of technical compliance with the nuclear deal while it brazenly violates the other limits on its behavior. And we have allowed them to get away with it. This must stop."

Ambassador Haley proceeded to list various violations by the Iranian regime of Security Council resolutions pertaining to the transfer of conventional weapons from Iran and the arming of terrorist groups, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah. She also pointed to what she called the Iranian regime's "most threatening act" – its launch of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. "When a rogue regime starts down the path of ballistic missiles, it tells us that we will soon have another North Korea on our hands," Ambassador Haley said. "If it is wrong for North Korea to do this, why doesn't that same mentality apply to Iran? "

As for the Iran's supposed technical compliance with its commitments under the nuclear deal itself, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the UN's international inspectors are not able to visit Iran's military sites. Past work on nuclear explosive trigger devices appears to have taken place at one or more such sites in the past. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano admitted last month that when it comes to the IAEA's capacity to check whether Iran was conducting work on a nuclear explosive device, his agency's "tools are limited." The Iranian regime has also attempted to skirt the restrictions in the JCPOA on its procurement of materials, equipment, goods and technology related to Iran's nuclear activities. The Heritage Foundation noted in its recent report on the JCPOA, for example, that Iran was "caught red-handed trying to purchase nuclear technology and restricted ballistic missile technology from German companies."

U.S. intelligence had discovered North Korea's transfer of missile parts to Iran at the very same time that Iran was negotiating the nuclear deal, in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions then in effect. The Obama administration chose to look the other way. Does anybody with a modicum of sense really believe that such collaboration between the two rogue nations is not going on today? Iran is flush with cash, thanks to the JCPOA. It wants to build out its missile and nuclear enrichment capabilities. In addition to covert transfers of materials and technology to Iran in violation of the nuclear deal, the JCPOA may provide a loophole for Iran to exploit in outsourcing some of the development work to North Korea for hard currency, which North Korea desperately needs. They are a perfect match for each other.

Proponents of the JCPOA argue that exiting the nuclear deal unless it is changed to the Trump administration's satisfaction would undermine U.S. credibility with North Korea and thereby kill any chance of negotiations to resolve the crisis caused by North Korea's continued testing of sophisticated nuclear arms and ballistic missiles. "If we want to talk to North Korea now, the possible end for the nuclear deal with Iran would jeopardize the credibility of such treaties," Reuters quoted German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel as saying. Germany is one of the parties to the JCPOA. Other European allies have voiced similar concerns. So have Obama's former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

This argument is absurd on its face. The whole point is to prevent Iran from becoming the next North Korea, not to kick the can down the road as usual. North Korea's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons and of intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads proves that weak agreements full of front-loaded goodies rewarding rogue regimes for elusive promises are worthless.

More at: https://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/

A gunman entered a Shia Muslim mosque in Kabul before opening fire and detonating an explosive, killing at least 39 worshippers.

An attack on a Sunni Muslim mosque in Ghor province killed 20 people.

No groups have so far said they carried out the attacks but so-called Islamic State (IS) has previously targeted Shia mosques across Afghanistan.The new attacks bring to at least 176 the number of people killed in bomb attacks across the country this week.

One eyewitness told the BBC that the scene at Kabul's Imam Zaman mosque, in the west of the city, looked like a "front line".Another witness, Mahmood Shah Husaini, said people had been praying when the bomber detonated his explosives.

The attacker is reported to have opened fire as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, before detonating a bomb.

Kabul police spokesman BasirMojahid confirmed the incident at the Shia mosque in Kabul, but did not give further details.

A spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry said investigators were working at the scene to determine the "nature of the explosion," AFP news agency reports.

The attack on the Sunni mosque in Ghor, central Afghanistan, also killed a pro-government militia commander, according to reports.

Details of the attacks remain unclear and the number of casualties is likely to rise. Dozens of worshippers were also injured, Afghan's health ministry said.

Friday's attacks come just days after police in Kabul said they had arrested a would-be suicide truck bomber, averting a major incident.

In August, more than 20 people were killed in a bomb attack against worshippers in Kabul. IS, a Sunni Islamist militant group, said it had carried out the attack.

A truck bomb in the Afghan capital in May killed more than 150 people and wounded some 400 more, most of them civilians. No group claimed to be behind that attack but the US-backed Afghan government accused the Haqqani group, an affiliate of the country's biggest militant group, the Taliban.

Afghanistan has seen a spate of suicide attacks and bombings in recent months.

There have been four major attacks on Afghan security forces this week alone:

On Thursday, 43 Afghan soldiers were killed after two Taliban suicide bombers in Humvee armoured vehicles destroyed a military base in the southern province of Kandahar. Two police officers were also killed in in Ghazni province
On Tuesday, Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen killed at least 41 people when they stormed a police training centre in the eastern city of Gardez while two police officers
Also on Tuesday, at least 30 people died in car bombings in Ghazni

Afghanistan's army and police have suffered heavy casualties this year at the hands of the Taliban, a Sunni group who want to re-impose their strict version of Islamic law in the country.

Source: BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41699320

KUALA LUMPUR: A chambering student told the inquiry into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh that he had "stumbled" upon the abduction while he and a friend were driving to a crematorium on Feb 13.

Roeshan Celestine Gomez, 25, said he first saw three black big cars surrounding a silver car in SS4 Petaling Jaya that day. There were several men wearing masks and were covered from head to toe in black, said Gomez.

Gomez said he then saw a struggle between one of the men and the driver of the silver car, adding that the windscreen of the silver car was smashed.

He said his friend who was sitting next to him had pulled out her handphone to record the incident when an Indian man approached them and stood in front of their car.

"He was agitated and pointed at my friend who put her phone down.

"I reversed my car but he continued to come at us," Gomez said at the inquiry held by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on Thursday morning.

Koh, 62, was reportedly taken from his car by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 on Feb 13 while on his way to a friend’s house.

His silver-coloured car bearing the number plate ST5515D has not been found.

Gomez said he saw another man who was also recording the incident with a handphone and there were a few motorcyclists circling the scene.

He said the whole group later then drove away taking with them the silver car.  Gomez said after the incident was over, he saw shattered glass on the road.He said he and his friend headed to the crematorium and later made a police report at the Kelana Jaya police station.The inquiry also viewed purported video clips of the incident.

Suhakam commissioner Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, who chaired the inquiry, said it was neither a criminal nor a civil trial.

The inquiry, conducted as per Section 12(1) of the Human Rights Commission Malaysia Act, also covers the disappearance of social activist Amri Che Mat, Pastor Joshua Hilmi and his wife, Ruth Sitepu.

The terms of reference for the inquiry were to determine whether these were cases of enforced disappearances or involuntary disappearances in breach of criminal, civil law or applicable human rights laws.

Pray: Father, we do pray for Pastor Koh and for Pastor Hilmy, Ruth and Amir. We don’t know where they are, but You do. We fear for their lives, for their suffering. But whether they are in earthly captivity or have been drawn to glory, You are there with them. Thank You for that comfort. We pray over the fear and sorrow of their loved ones, that You might turn their eyes from the storm that surrounds them to gaze into Your eyes of compassion and strength. Comfort them, Father. If those abducted are still on this earth, we pray for their return to their families soon. As they seek answers through local and international activist groups, we pray for the protection of Pastor Koh’s family, for his wife Susanna and for their children Jonathan, Esther and Elizabeth. Give them sufficient grace and discernment for every situation they encounter. And may Your incomprehensible love fill them. In the name of Jesus “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.   (from Open Doors USA)

Source: The Star - https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/19/inquiry-student-saw-incident-where-pastor-koh-was-taken/#Zy2vzb8VE9XhAb0V.03

In a highly biased legal system where Christians are normally denied fair trials, the family of a Christian youth killed by police may actually receive justice. Six officers were charged with murder after they dragged Arslan Masih out of his schoolroom, intent on revenge. He had successfully fought a Muslim boy who had been bullying him, and one officer, the boy’s uncle, found it unacceptable that Arslan had stood up to his nephew. Arslan was regularly bullied and in this instance fought in an attempt to stop the daily torment and attempts to convert him to Islam. He is not the first Christian to have died in Pakistan’s police custody, but it is the first time it has happened with many witnesses.

Iraqi Christians are divided over whether their areas in northern Iraq should be a part of Kurdistan, the Iraqi central government, or an entirely new autonomous area. The Chaldean Catholic patriarch, in an interview on 16 October, expressed his concern that the Kurdish crisis would put the Christians’ presence in Iraq at risk . He said the current conflict in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil would impede the Christians’ return to their areas, and prompt them to rush to leave their country for good. He said they should unite and engage in dialogue to preserve the Christian component in Iraq. Nevertheless, this appeal may not gain much traction because of great differences of opinion, particularly after the Kurdish independence referendum on 25 September - see the Prayer Alert article at