Crimes against humanity! Lord, may YOU intervene

New report exposes abuse of Burmese refugees in Malaysia

by Michelle A Vu

Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 21:02 (GMT)

Burmese refugees in Malaysia live in “severe and desperate poverty and deprivation” and face exploitation, abuse and other mistreatment, stated a new report by a Christian human rights group Monday.

The report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) documents the group’s fact-finding mission to Malaysia and the Thailand-Burma border from 4 to 17 February. CSW representatives heard first-hand testimonies of forced labour, rape, torture, land confiscation and religious persecution from Burmese refugees in Malaysia.

“This report documents yet more evidence of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the military regime in Burma against its own people,” CSW Advocacy Officer for South Asia Benedict Rogers said in a statement.

“It also draws much-needed attention to the long-forgotten desperate plight of Burmese refugees who have fled to Malaysia in search of sanctuary and freedom, and have found yet more abuse, poverty and misery.”

In addition to testimonies from refugees, CSW also interviewed civil society groups and Burmese Buddhist monks.

Tens of thousands of Burmese have fled their homeland to take refuge in refugee camps in neighbouring Thailand and, to a lesser degree, in Malaysia.

The notorious Burma junta has led a campaign of persecution against ethnic minorities, wiping out entire villages. Armed military often attack villages of the Karen, Karenni, and Chin people – who are mostly Christians – and systematically rape the women.

The US State Department has labelled Burma a “country of particular concern” – the worst religious freedom violation label.

“The situation in Burma remains deplorable. The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups,” said US President George W Bush, in a statement Monday.

“Severe human rights abuses by the Burmese Army, including burning down homes and killing civilians, continue in ethnic minority areas in eastern Burma,” he acknowledged.

The CSW report, meanwhile, calls on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma “as a matter of urgency”, and echoed calls made by nine Nobel Peace Prize Recipients last week for a universal arms embargo on Burma.

Specifically addressing the situation in Malaysia, the human rights group called on the Malaysian Government to improve the situation for Burmese refugees within their borders by stopping authorities from detaining and deporting Burmese asylum-seekers and refugees, and disbanding RELA – the officially-sponsored vigilante force often used to raid refugees’ camps, homes and workplaces.

It also urged the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to register all Burmese asylum-seekers in Malaysia, in order to provide better protection for them, and further called on more countries to offer opportunities for resettlement for Burmese refugees in Malaysia.

“The international community cannot continue to allow the terrible suffering of Burmese people to go on,” Rogers said. “How many more cries for help do we need before the world unites in meaningful action to end the reign of terror in Burma?”

Creative Evangelism?

Sex workers need help from Christians – group

Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 11:51 (GMT)

A Christian outreach for sex workers has told of its struggle to support women on the streets of London in a bid to raise awareness among the Christian community of the plight of sex workers in the capital.

Working in partnership with local organisations, Door of Hope offers refreshments, contraception and a listening ear to sex workers in the hope of building relationships with the women they encounter on the streets.

Debbie Shearing from Door of Hope told Premier's Woman to Woman show, "We are committed to long-term involvement in the lives of individuals caught up in prostitution and their families.

"We build relationships with the women we meet, getting to know them as a whole person. It is often through these encounters that they gain the confidence to access daytime services and make positive changes in their lives."

Door of Hope outreach teams are situated in areas between the City and the East End known for prostitution. The areas tend to be blighted by high unemployment, with many people living on low incomes or below the poverty, Shearing said.

“Poor education, poverty and domestic violence impact on families so severely as to cause both personal and family dysfunction,” she said. “All too often, those involved in street sex work become trapped in cycles of drug and alcohol abuse.

"Consequently, they are marginalised, isolated and discriminated against by their communities and families - they are robbed of traditional support networks, and their choices are limited even further," Shearing told Woman to Woman.

While Door of Hope regularly supports sex workers through their outreach programme, they also liaise with healthcare clinics, often accompanying sex workers to appointments, assist in re-housing women, referring them to employment training and supporting those suffering from domestic violence.

"It is tempting to regard street sex work as a faceless, insurmountable problem,” said Shearing. “Door of Hope challenges these common perceptions: each sex worker is an individual with needs, desires and aspirations.

“Each person has been shaped by their past and deserves the opportunity to make decisions about their future."

Worshippers!

15^th Feb 2008

Dear Prayer Partners,

1. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever! (Ps 118:29) Thank you for your intercessions! As mentioned in the last prayer letter, http://global-south.blogspot.com/2008/02/5-feb-2008-dear-prayer-partners-blessed.html, I was in Johor Bahru (JB) during the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays.

2. I was preaching for a series of open revival meetings in a hotel there. The JB church decided to change from the normal church camp to revival meetings. They wanted to bless the other Malay-language churches and decided to sponsor this revival meeting.

3. It was a privilege to be the guest speaker, and I shared on being true worshippers of Christ. The Lord was gracious and through His Spirit touched many lives. Many of the tribals would usually have wonderful experiences and encounters with the Lord. Many were re-committing their lives to God.

Below are some excerpts from the Pastor’s praise report which I received after writing this mail. The Pastor said:

We thank God that many children responded to the altar call on the first night. Many for the first time experienced a personal encounter with the Lord & felt a tremendous wave of love over them. The next night, many of these children stood up and joined in the worship! Praise the Lord!

There was one salvation. Our church has been praying for this lady for over a year, and she finally responded to the Lord. Praise the Lord!

One Chinese young man, who is an unbeliever, came forward to be prayed for, but he was testing the Lord. He said he was strong enough to resist being slain in the Spirit. The Lord won! Praise the Lord.

A Filipino man said he was too proud to step forward and be prayed for. When he finally did come, he couldn’t stand up. He had to kneel, and he was sobbing. He felt the love of God. Praise the Lord.

One young Iban lady lay on the floor and saw an angel, and couldn’t stop praising the Lord. Neither could we. Praise the Lord.

The Word that was preached to us brought new understanding to many of us. We were challenged and encouraged to become true worshippers of God who choose to serve Jesus only. Our lead guitarist senses the Lord’s calling in his life. Praise the Lord.

4. Thank you for participating with me through your prayers, giving, and encouragements (by emails and sms). It is a great source of strength and inspiration when the Body of Christ functions together.

5. Though I am in the front preaching, I am acutely aware and humbled that many of you have taken the time to pray and give your finances to enable me to be there. Indeed it is the grace of God, and do continue to pray that I will function in accordance with the measure of grace that God has given to me (Rom 12:3).

6. And also thank you for praying, I finally finished my Doctor in Ministry (DMin) 2^nd module assignments. I am super-humbled by the amount of knowledge that I still do not know. There is so much more to learn. I am looking forward to the 3^rd module in June and 4^th in Nov.

7. Thank you for your continued financial support that enables me to be further equipped to serve the Body of Christ. Pray that the Lord will rise up more regular supporters so that I can wisely manage the budget and plan for ministry. Without more monthly givers, it is quite difficult to plan ahead.

All the glory to God! May we continue to shine for Him wherever we are. Only He is worthy of all worship.

In my opinion, the great single need of the moment is that light-hearted superficial religionists be struck down with a vision of God high and lifted up, with His train filling the temple. The holy art of worship seems to have passed away like the Shekinah glory from the tabernacle. As a result, we are left to our own devices and forced to make up the lack of spontaneous worship by bringing in countless cheap and tawdry activities to hold the attention of the church people. A.W. Tozer.

Election vs Marriage

Election fever is more powerful than the covenant we have made before God?

Man divorces wife for nagging him

27 February, 2008

KOTA BARU: His passion for climbing trees and poles to put up campaign posters was greater than his love for his wife. A grandfather of 21 proved that when he pronounced the talak (divorce) after his wife kept cautioning him to stop as he is more than 60 years old.


The couple, who live near the home of Pas candidate for Kemuning state seat, Wan Ahmad Lutfi Wan Sulaiman, later consulted the Kelantan Religious Affairs Department in Machang where the man again pronounced the talak.

P/S: Such things I assume can only happen in Malaysia!

Blessed CNY 2008!

5 Feb 2008

Dear Prayer Partners,

Blessed Chinese New Year!!!

May you discover the real prosperity

that the eternal God has promised each of us!

J~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C

E~~~~This is the ~~~~~h

S~~~~YEar of grace, ~~R

U~~~NOT rat race! ~~~~I

S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ T

1. In the midst of all your last minute shopping, just want to quickly wish those of you who are celebrating the Lunar New Year, “A Spiritually-Prosperous and A Spirit-Empowered Chinese New Year.”

2. Please pray for me during this season as I will be preaching in Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia. http://global-south.blogspot.com/2008/02/foundation-builder.html While you are munching away on the CNY goodies and drinking the F&N orange, I would be sharing God’s Word and ministering to the East Malaysians working in JB.

3. For those of you who have been on my prayer list for some time, would know that this is an annual affair. For the past 4 or 5 years, I would be invited by the same church in JB to preach for their church camp which is normally held over the CNY holidays.

4. These are tribal folks who do not celebrate the Chinese New Year. They celebrate their own new years which are called the Gawai (for Sarawak) and Kaamatan (Sabah) festivals. It is normally held during the May-June period.

5. Pray that the Lord would minister to them and set them free to worship Him, the incomparable Sovereign God of the universe. I am just a willing vessel who requires His anointing and empowerment.

6. Pray that the Lord will send revival among them and transform them, so that they can influence their communities. They usually have a lot of problems with heavy drinking, immorality, smoking, money-management, juvenile delinquents, lying, job hopping, occultic practices, and other works of the flesh. I think you get the picture.

7. They need J*sus! And though they have verbally and mentally believed in Him, they have yet to allow Him to control their lives. Pray also for the pastor and wife who have been faithfully laboring among them.

8. If you have been thinking of giving and blessing our ministry, then this is a good time to do it. I don’t have to keep their offering, if you give your offering. Then I can use their love offering to bless them, so that they can have some angpows for the New Year. This is my little part to bless the faithful pastors who have labored long and hard in obscurity.

9. As I have always jokingly mentioned, I will “rob” the tithes and offerings from the richer Chinese Christians to bless the poorer tribals! I know it sounds like the bumiputra policy, but its’ actually kingdom principle (2 Cor 11:6-10).

Thanks for praying! May this Lunar New Year be a time for reflection about our spiritual walk, and consider ways we can glorify Him more.

A true worshipper will not only worship the correct God, Jesus Christ, but he will also worship Him in the correct way (acceptable worship). True worship must be directed towards the correct object, Christ and done in the correct manner, the way which He has prescribed in the Scriptures. We must worship Christ in spirit and in truth.

Foundation Builder

1st February 2008

Dear Prayer Partners,

1. Thank you for covering us with your prayers! As mentioned in the previous prayer letter http://global-south.blogspot.com/2008/01/travels.html, I had a series of preaching and ministry session in Klang Valley (KV).

2. I really sensed the Lord’s wonderful presence due to your prayers. I was not very prepared or spiritual as I was caught up with my assignments and other responsibilities. But the Lord was merciful to me on account of your intercessions.

3. I had preached in upmarket office fellowships, small Chinese-speaking and Malay-speaking churches located in the outskirts of town, cell groups, and with campus undergraduates.

4. Pray for me as I ponder on making more regular trips to KV as the Lord has opened many doors for ministries. Pray for guidance and divine appointments as I do not want to go just for the sake of going. There must be a strategic divine purpose to spend that much time, effort, and finance to be there – and especially to be away from Anastasia during her formative years.

5. Further, I do not want to be distracted from the vision of making disciples of ALL ethnic groups of people. If I can, I would like to mentor and rise up spiritual leaders who are passionate to fulfill the Great Commission of J*sus, in their generation and in their context.

6. Pray for me that I would be sensitive to the leading of the HS and keep in step with Him (Gal 5:25). I do not want to be ahead of Him or like most of the time, lagging behind Him. I really need to be in tune with Him as the harvest is ripening and many souls are being saved.

7. In the last few trips, I keep listening to powerful testimonies of how individuals came to Christ through visions and dreams. God is just marvelously saving many people and they in turn are sharing contagiously with their friends. Its’ amazing! Even Unreached People Group are coming to worship J*sus.

8. But since they are new babes in Christ, they need a lot Biblical teachings. Some are already confused about their eternal salvation in Christ. I found myself teaching foundational matters that I had taught in the mid-1980s. That’s how I know it’s a whole new generation of people.

9. Pray that I may have the wisdom to minister to them. Just like 26 years ago when I first innocently ministered to the rural-tribal East Malaysians and now many of them are serving in various leadership capacity, I pray too that I might have a harvest among these group of people (Rom 1:13).

10. And in case you are going for a long holiday, I wish those who are celebrating “Blessed Chinese New Year! May you find your prosperity in Jesus and in the kingdom of God!” Pray for me during that season as I will be away in Johor Bahru, Malaysia preaching among the Malay-speaking tribal East Malaysians.

11. And in case in this season, you want to give some angpows, do remember us.

The nature of discipleship is such that it allows no divided loyalties. If one chooses to follow Jesus, the commitment and service entailed are absolute. It is impossible to be a partially committed or part-time disciple; it is impossible to serve two masters, whether one of them be wealth or anything else, when the other master is meant to be God.

Expensive to be trained? Well, it just got more expensive!

Government to impose higher fees for theological degrees

Under current Government plans, trainee priests may be charged nearly four times the present tuition fees for their theological degrees.

by Daniel Blake

Posted: Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 7:36 (GMT)

Controversial plans to reform university funding have indicated that people training to be priests may face a massive rise in tuition fees, according to senior clerics.

The Church of England is warning that new Government plans to remove £100 million worth of funding for students wishing to take a second degree could have a catastrophic effect on the quality of training for clergy, and have a knock-on effect in church finances.

A report in The Times newspaper has said that a massive 75 per cent of the 1,500 students currently training to become Church of England clergy are studying a second university degree, as a majority had not decided to enter the priesthood until later in life.

Current Government funding means students taking a second degree pay tuition fees of £3,000 a year. However, the new plans could see fees rise to the same level as international students are paying - up to £11,000 a year.

The Government said it needs to impose the £100 million cut from ELQ degrees to add to funds for students taking their first degrees.

The new plans, however, have allowed for exemptions for strategically important and socially desirable subjects. Under the exemption, trainee nurses, teachers and scientists have all avoided the controversial reduction in funds. Theology, on the other hand, has been resisted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England despite repeated lobbying from the Church.

The Church has been told by Government officials that if possible it should pay the tuition costs for its theology students, or that it should even plan a revamp of the theology degree by converting them into cheaper two-year vocational courses.

If either of these options is pursued, the Church could find itself faced with a £1.5 million increase in the training budget, or a downgrading of the quality of training for ordained priests.

A number of leading theological leaders have spoken out against the proposals, warning that they could potentially be catastrophic for the Church’s future, and that a number of leading theological institutions could be closed down under the new pressures.

A final decision on the funding issue will be taken within two months, The Times reports, during which time the Church will attempt to turn over the situation.

Article from Christian Today:

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/government.to.impose.higher.fees.for.theological.degrees/16537.htm

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