PRAY WITH US.
Join us in praying for the nations of Asia using the regularly updated prayer points below!
Join us in praying for the nations of Asia using the regularly updated prayer points below!
A recent survey estimates that around 1 million children are now engaged in underage labour after the Taliban takeover caused widespread unemployment and loss of household incomes. Many children are also malnourished, with parents unable to afford food and relying on borrowing from both those who are better off and humanitarian aid.
Source: The Independent
We have recently had the privilege of partnering with a network of growing youth groups in Bangladesh. In a country with a small minority of Christians, these groups offer young people the opportunity to learn from the Bible and enjoy fellowship with one another. Thanks to your support we have been able to supply the organisation with some technology for use at meetings and two motorbikes for leaders travelling between groups.
After extensive preparation, the Trans Bhutan Trail is set to reopen after 60 years, with the 250–mile route crossing nine districts and 400 sites of interest. One senior figure highlighted the way the Trail reflects the country’s focus on Gross National Happiness – a measure in which the nation scores highly on paper. However, a visit to the nation reveals the insecurity and fear felt by many over their fate after death, particularly as they reach the latter stages of life.
Source: CNN travel
Brunei is one of the smallest countries in the world to implement Sharia Law which was fully established in 2019. This has increased insecurity and fear among Christians, who make up around 9% of the population. Churches are permitted to worship but evangelism and conversion from Islam are illegal.
Source: BBC, Open Doors
Cambodia has cut quarantine for unvaccinated visitors to 7 days following a period of consistent low numbers of infections. The country had received a record 6.6 million foreign tourists in 2019 which fell to 1.31 million in 2020 and dropped further in 2021 resulting in a drastic shortfall in revenue for those working in the tourism industry.
Source: CNA
Restrictions in Shanghai have now been in place for over three weeks in response to the country’s biggest COVID–19 outbreak to date. Many residents are in lockdown as China continues to enforce its zero–COVID policy and anger is growing due to the repressive measures which have left some without food and medicine.
Sources: Sky News, The Wall Street Journal
Our partners in India have been reporting an increase in religious persecution and interference in their ministry. Christians make up 5% of the country’s population but are not considered to be true Indians due to what are perceived to be outside allegiances. Christians, and in particular Christian leaders, are subject to harassment, violence, discrimination and false accusations, with Christian women also suffering sexual abuse and exploitation.
Source: Open Doors
Indonesians are seeking better work opportunities in Malaysia, leaving many vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation, and dangerous crossings. On 15th December last year a boat carrying 50 people capsized, from which only 14 were known to survive.
Workers who do arrive safely in the country report having passports confiscated by employers and wages withheld while enduring unbearable working and living conditions. One woman was forced to work 4am–11pm each day while being given barely enough to eat. Another lady, Adelina Sau, died while being employed as a domestic worker, during which she was beaten and made to sleep outside with the family’s dog.
Source: Al Jazeera
Iran saw a 25% rise in executions in 2021 after Ebrahim Raisi, a hard–line cleric, was elected as president. According to some sources, 333 people were put to death during the year including a number of women and those involved in drug–related crimes and protests. In some cases, charges against the convicts were vague or relied heavily on forced confessions resulting from torture or other forms of duress.
Source: BBC
Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in Iraqi Muslims celebrating Christmas. 25th December was first officially recognised in 2018. However, last year it was permanently designated as a national public holiday and its popularity is growing. Around six years ago, any form of Christmas decorations would have been an unusual sight, but today they are commonly displayed in homes and public buildings. Last year, there were even unprecedented sales of trees and Santa figures, despite the fact that Christians continue to face steady levels of opposition and persecution.
Source: DW
Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumo recently signalled his willingness to strengthen ties with South Korea. Relations between the two countries has been strained as a result of disputes concerning abuses during World War II. However Kishida believes unity between the two U.S. allies is crucial in light of the threat to international order caused by the war in Ukraine.
Sources: The Independent
The CPC pipeline used for the majority of Kazakhstan’s oil exports is once again operating at full capacity. Russia had announced the alleged damage at Novorossiysk on 22nd March which was said to be caused by a storm, however there is some speculation that the pipeline was shut in a bid to drive up worldwide oil prices following Western sanctions.
Source: Eurasianet, The Wall Street Journal
Kyrgyzstan has approved plans for a new eco–city set to host 500,000 residents and rely on mostly alternative energy resources and use environmentally friendly transport. It is also hoped that the city, called Asman, will act as an economic and tourist centre with advanced educational, medical and leisure facilities. Many experts however are concerned that they city will harm the environment and disrupt the ecosystem of the proposed site on the shores of Lake Issyk–Kul.
Source: RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A recent report states that Laos has lost over $760 million to corruption since 2016. Despite the government vowing to address corrupt practices and hundreds of disciplinaries and expulsions from the communist governing party, laws have routinely failed to criminalise abuses of power, fraud and the acceptance of bribes.
Source: Radio Free Asia
6 Rohingya refugees including 2 children have died trying to cross a highway after escaping from a temporary immigration detention centre in Malaysia. The deaths took place after 528 people escaped following a riot. Most of the group have now been re–arrested however up to 100 remain free.
Source: Al Jazeera
Last year, some repressive restrictions on the media and free speech were revoked by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. As a result, the nation rose from ranking 120th to 72nd in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. However, some argue that not enough has been done to tackle threats from Islamic groups who target activists and civil society organisations. Christians on the islands continue to have little or no space to worship and follow Jesus, and are subject to threats, physical attacks and imprisonment if their faith is discovered.
Source: Human Rights Watch, Open Doors
Your support has enabled our partners to distribute 840 winter kits to children in Mongolia this past winter. Volunteers presented the kits and shared the gospel with the children and their parents. They were also able to offer prayer and begin building relationships with the families.
Temujin told our partners, “I am very happy that I am given this very nice winter coat and boots. I was not only given the clothing, but also heard the good news of Jesus. I have never heard of Him before… The church people told me that Jesus loves me so that He sent the warm clothes to me. I am very thankful for the people who sent me the clothes. Thank you!”
The Kachin people in the north of Myanmar have long suffered oppression as a minority people group. Today, their plight continues to be one of struggle with many living in camps having been displaced by conflict. Our partners receive regular requests for aid, primarily consisting of blankets, oil, rice and dried food. They labour tirelessly amid constant danger in order to meet these needs.
Since the pandemic hit, many women in Nepal have seen their livelihoods evaporate and have been forced to work the land in order to survive. The 220km Annapurna Circuit is still only receiving one tenth of its pre–pandemic visitors, putting much strain on a local economy which has come to rely on tourism in recent decades. With tourism generating 8% of the nation’s GDP before the virus, it is estimated that over 1 million jobs have been affected.
Source: i News
The nation marked what would have been Kim Jong–Il’s 80th birthday with a large ceremony in Samjiyon, close to the Chinese border. This was something of a break from tradition with the event not being held in Pyongyang, and with no missile launch or military parade taking place. Kim Jong–Un appeared at the event, laying flowers but making no official statement. Meanwhile, the nation’s borders remain closed in response to the global pandemic, with many thought to be suffering from food shortages as a result.
Source: Sky
AsiaLink’s partners in the desert region of Sindh met a man on the street who was collecting litter. They started a conversation and were invited back to his home. It became clear that a lack of clean water was a real issue for the man’s family, so the team arranged for a hand pump to be installed near their house. During their conversations, the team explained their faith and were able to share more on follow up visits. After a couple of months, the man and four of his family committed their lives to Christ and were baptised!
The Philippines reports that a reconnaissance ship of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army crossed into their waters without permission for a number of days in late January. The ship refused orders to leave the country’s waters, insisting that it was exercising “innocent passage”. The Philippine government has now called the Chinese ambassador to protest.
Source: ABC News
There have been recent reports from Sri Lanka about a “dire economic situation” in the country which is leading to shortages of a range of basic necessities such as food, fuel and medicines. This has resulted from a pandemic–induced currency crisis. COVID–19 and dengue fever both remain prevalent in the country, threatening new lockdowns and flight cancellations.
Source: The Wire
Up to 16,000 volunteers have been recruited to fight in Ukraine with the offer of a generous salary of £3,000 a month – up to 50 times that of a Syrian soldier. This comes despite the fact that Assad’s army has barely regrouped after years of civil war with opposition forces and the Islamic State. Meanwhile, many Syrians are still living in the aftermath of Russia’s merciless bombardments in their own country, and are all too familiar with the plight of the Ukrainian people.
Sources: The Guardian, ITV News
The state–run news agency in Tajikistan has reported on the building of temporary camps south of the capital Dushanbe. These are said to be for Afghan refugees with each of the 64 tents equipped with electricity, a kitchen and a bathroom.
Source: The Khaama Press
Our partners who work among women caught up in Bangkok’s sex trade have seen their ministry hard hit by the pandemic, with bars closed and funding from various sources being scaled back. As a result, they are taking a ‘back to basics’ approach as the work resumes, focusing on outreach among women in the bars and entrusting the work of rehabilitation and empowerment to other trusted groups for the time being.
When President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov announced his resignation, the supposedly free and fair election which followed were considered a foregone conclusion. And, as expected, the 12th March election saw his son, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, elected with almost 73% of the vote. This is the culmination of several years of career management by the incoming President’s father. Websites for other candidates made no mention of their candidacy, whilst the outgoing President will conveniently retain a seat in the Parliament’s upper chamber following a recent restructure.
Sources: The Diplomat, AP News, Joshua Project
Noisy neighbours can be a nuisance, but Uzbekistan’s quandary over events in Afghanistan has led to a position of seeming acceptance. Whilst President Mirziyoyev urged the formation of an inclusive Afghan government, he seems eager to avoid taking the side of either the Taliban or the West. Meanwhile, neighbouring Tajikistan has taken a strong anti–Taliban stance and it remains to be seen whether the eviction of Uzbeks (among others) from land in the north of Afghanistan will change Mirziyoyev’s stance.
Source: RFERL
Vietnam is reportedly making amendments to its laws regarding social media platforms. Under the new rules, sites will have to remove any illegal content within 24 hours, making the country one of the strictest in the world for social media firms. While Vietnam’s Communist Party has little tolerance for criticism, the new laws also seek to limit sexually suggestive material, gambling and sales of unregulated medicines in addition to ‘anti–state’ material.
Source: Reuters
The President of Yemen, Abd–Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has transferred power to a new presidential council. The eight–member council led by Rashad Al–Alimi will work to end Yemen’s seven–year war, stabilise the economy and alleviate the humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding in the country. This follows a two–month ceasefire between the Iran–aligned Houthi rebels and the Saudi–led, coalition–backed forces.
Source: Al Jazeera, The Guardian