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2022-12-15

• Church Leader Arrested at Airport

  

  A prominent church leader in Myanmar, who formerly served as the president of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), was reportedly arrested at the Mandalay International Airport on December 5th. After being held overnight, Dr. Hkalam Samson was sent back to the city of Myitkyina in Kachin State where military officers rearrested him, and he has since been detained. The Christian leader was scheduled to fly to Bangkok for medical treatment when intercepted by the authorities.

• Christians Dealing with Aftermath of Mob Attack

  

  A small gathering of Christians suffered severe beatings during an attack on November 13th in which a mob, accompanied by a village leader, interrupted their Sunday worship service. The mob burst into the home where the believers had gathered and forcibly removed two families from the residence before brutally beating them. Since coming to faith in Christ four months prior to this attack, these families received harassment from other villagers. They have been accused of converting to a foreign religion and luring innocent tribal people to Christianity.

• Court Case Repeatedly Delayed

  

  In July 2021, Zhao Weikai, a leader of the Xuncheng (Zion) Reformed Church, was arrested after a search of his home revealed materials the Public Security Bureau deemed to be "promoting terrorism and extremism." For more details on the incident, a previously posted report is available here.