On December 10, thirteen believers who converted to Christianity from Buddhism approximately four months earlier were forcibly taken to a pagoda in Rangamati district, Chittagong division, Bangladesh by Buddhist clerics and local council officials, according to a December 18 report from Compass Direct. In an attempt to coerce them to reconvert to Buddhism, the Christians were reportedly pressured into undergoing Buddhist rituals, such as shaving their heads and wearing saffron robes. According to Bangladeshi Christian leaders, believers in this predominantly Buddhist area often face eviction from their homes or bodily harm if they refuse to return to Buddhism.
Pray that these Christians will be released unharmed. Pray that they will cling to God for their strength (Psalm 63:8). Ask God to work in the hearts of those who oppose His followers in this area.
To learn more about how Christians suffer in Bangladesh, go to the Bangladesh Country Report.
Local government officials destroyed a church building and assaulted several believers in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam on December 17, according to a report from Compass Direct. At approximately 7:00 a.m., a large group of officials and demolition workers arrived at the site of the Vietnam Good News Mission and Church and dismantled the building. When hundreds of Christians rushed to the site to try to intervene, police officers repelled them with electric cattle prods. Several Christians were seriously injured, including a child whose arm was broken and a pregnant woman who fainted when jabbed in the stomach. The building, which was built in September, was deemed an "illegal construction" because the believers did not have a building permit. On December 2, the Christians were informed that if they did not tear the building down within two weeks, officials would. However, the Christians' registration attempts over the past year were either denied or ignored and virtually all the buildings in the area were built without permits. 
A campaign of mass arrests initiated by Eritrean authorities in late November has now reached the capital city of Asmara, leading to the detention of approximately 100 Christians including men, women and children from a variety of denominations, according to a December 18 report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The wave of house arrests began in northern Eritrean cities and moved to southern regions before reaching the capital on December 12. Some of the detained Christians were reportedly transferred to a military facility and were severely mistreated. Local sources indicate that an unspecified number may have died due to untreated injuries sustained in detention.