Asia/Pacific

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BANGALORE, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in India's southern state of Karnataka remained concerned Sunday, August 16, about the whereabouts of eight pastors who were detained this week after Hindu militants broke up a major Christian training meeting, injuring and "humiliating" several believers, including women, church representatives said.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Vietnam anticipated more raids on house churches Saturday, August 8, after a police crackdown on several congregations in recent weeks.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Pakistani police detained a young shopkeeper for blasphemy after he was falsely accused of burning pages of the Qur'an, viewed as a holy book by Muslims, a Christian advocacy group said Friday, August 7, citing local sources.

By Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan SARGODHA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Police in a slum area of northeastern Pakistan "tortured" a Christian man to death on trumped up charges of bootlegging, his family said Thursday, August 6.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos SEOUL/PYONGYANG (BosNewsLife)-- An international Christian advocacy group welcomed Wednesday, August 5, North Korea's decision to release American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling but warned that at least 200,000 religious and political prisoners remain behind bars in labor camps across the isolated Communist nation, where executions of inmates continue.

By Jawad Mazhar, BosNewsLife Special Correspondent reporting from Pakistan GOJRA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Christians across Pakistan closed their schools Monday, August 3, to mourn the killings of at least eight fellow believers by angry Muslims in troubled Punjab province, as the Vatican condemned what was the second incident of violence against Christians in a week.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Uyghur Christian prisoner Alimujiang Yimiti was to appear in front of a Chinese court Tuesday, July 28, on what human rights groups have described as “false charges” of “revealing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations,” but his wife and children are not allowed to monitor the hearing, Christians said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, BosNewsLife BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in China's Shaanxi Province are suing law enforcement authorities for “illegally” detaining and fining them and confiscating their personal properties, in a case that could impact house churches, an advocacy group said Friday, July 25.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BEIJING. CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Tree of the five Christians arrested on July 13 in a Christian youth camp raid in Tengzhou city of Shandong province have been released, an advocacy group said Tuesday, July 21.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Security forces raided a Bible school in eastern China run by the vice-president of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA) and briefly detained a dozen people, a Christian advocacy group said Monday July 20.