Asian

Southeast Asian MPs slam Myanmar executions

Parliamentarians from Southeast Asian nations have strongly condemned the execution of four political prisoners by Myanmar’s military junta as an “act of judicial barbarism.” Myanmar’s state media announced that the death sentences of four prisoners were carried out on an unspecified date at Insein Prison in Yangon. They were the first such executions in the […]

Sundarbans ban leaves Bangladesh communities reeling

The Bangladesh government’s ban on access to the Sundarbans forest has left those who earn their living from the world’s largest stretch of mangroves in hardship amid a lack of promised compensation. The Forest Department has banned the issuing of passes and permits to enter the Sundarbans for June- August. The move covers fishing, crab […]

Indonesian Catholic mother sustains faith, struggles for rights

For 87-year-old Thresiamma, nothing works without the blessing of Jesus. As Maria Yuliana Farida carried the freshly harvested cocoa fruit in a basket into the backyard of her home, she murmured: “If one of these is damaged, we will have less to eat next week.” The cocoa fruit harvested in the June-July season in Indonesia’s […]

Church people in Sri Lanka hail people power

As Sri Lanka witnessed a second wave of massive protests; some Church people say people’s power is at work in the island nation. Sri Lankans on July 9 assembled at Galle Face on the Arabian seashore in the capital city of Colombo forcing the president and the prime minister to step down. This was the […]

Sri Lankan religious leaders urge army to stop attacking citizens

Sri Lankan religious leaders have urged the armed forces not to attack unarmed civilians after a video clip of an army officer kicking a man in the chest as he queued up at a gas station went viral on social media. “We urge the army not to lose the respect you have earned. What the […]

Bangladesh hill tribe demands justice for brutal killings

Hundreds of ethnic Tripura people marched on the streets demanding justice and compensation for the families of four of their men shot dead by an armed rebel group in Bangladesh’s restive Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The Tripura Welfare Associa-tion organized a human chain on July 3 to protest the June 21 killing by an insurgent group called Kuki-Chin […]

Pakistan’s St. Thomas pilgrimage makes big recovery

Parkash Aslam organized 14 seminars on St. Thomas the Apostle prior to the annual pilgrimage at the archaeological site of Sirkap in Taxila, Punjab province. “Many faithful still have no idea about St. Thomas the Apostle. Both priests and catechists are only interested in celebrating regular Masses. A series of seminars on Catholic saints, especially […]

Rising violence in Bangladesh’s hills worries Christians

Christians in Bangladesh’s restive Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region say an uptick in violence and deaths has triggered fear in the community. In the latest violence, a group of Bengali Muslim settlers burned down 40 houses belonging to ethnic Chakma people in Mahalchhari sub-district of Khagrachhari district on July 5. At least five people were […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica