Asia/Pacific

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife)-- Vietnamese security forces beheaded pastors and shot to death "many" other Hmong Christians who gathered to await Jesus Christ's return after a false prophecy by an American preacher, according to a leading advocacy group's leader.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- A key official of one of China's largest umbrella group of thousands of underground house churches has been detained on suspicion of “using superstition to undermine national law enforcement”, in the first step towards a criminal trial, fellow Christians said Thursday, July 7.

By Marshall Ramsey II, BosNewsLife International Correspondent with additional reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos HERAT PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Islamic militants in Afghanistan have beheaded what is believed to be a Christian convert and warned other Afghani Christians of "dire consequences" for leaving Islam, after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan, BosNewsLife learned Sunday, July 3.

By Joseph DeCaro, BosNewsLife International Correspondent BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Chinese police have detained 16 more members of Beijing's largest 'house' church and placed others under house arrest, Christians said Tuesday, June 21. Two were reportedly held in protective custody while the rest were sent to 10 different police stations; most were released by Sunday morning.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- An international advocacy group urged the U.S. government Friday, June 17, to condemn Indian authorities for reportedly asking three American Christians to leave India because they allegedly participated in evangelism.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Pakistan remained fearful Thursday, June 16, after a court in Pakistan acquitted 70 Muslims who were suspected of killing Christians in one of the country's worst sectarian clashes in recent memory.  

By BosNewsLife Asia Service HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife)-- Christian rights campaigners on Wednesday, June 15, demanded the immediate release of seven Vietnamese activists, including three Christians, who were convicted of "attempting to overthrow the government" and jailed to between two and eight years.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service KATHMANDU, NEPAL (BosNewsLife)-- Nepal's government has defended a proposed law that Christians say effectively bans evangelism and could lead to a crackdown on devoted believers. Under the new legislation, anyone who preaches or tries to persuade others to change religion could receive up to five years imprisonment and receive a fine of 50,000 Nepalese Rupees (some $700).

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BosNewsLife)-- An international Christian rights group has expressed "grave concerns"about increased violence against Christians and other religious minorities in Indonesia and urged the government to tackle Islamic extremism.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A tense calm has returned to a Pakistani village in Pakistan's turbulent Punjab province after local Christians announced they had forgiven armed Muslims who attacked their church, mediators said.